Lunguage 007
This time we'll be taking a look at common loan words that have remained in its original form, English, mixing in with Cantonese (this phenomenon is called 中英夾雜 johng1 ying1 gaap4 dzaap1). Some of these terms are so widely used that even HK locals wouldn't remember what the Cantonese equivalent is. These words, often randomly popping out in the midst of a Cantonese conversation, can appear in the form of a complete English word, an abbreviated version, or in an evolved form, i.e. Chinglish, which would not be used the same way in English, but has integrated in Cantonese so much that it adopted the meaning that is understood by Canto speakers. Last time we explored the historical background that shaped this unique language culture, this time we will dive deeper in the linguistic aspect and see how language mixing works practically. Below is the script of Episode 007, which we will explain in detail. You can see how some English words are used to replace the Cantonese equivalent; while their original meanings remain the same, they perform within the rules of Cantonese grammar, as if they were Cantonese words (hence no indication of tenses in the English word itself). Some words, however, have been "modified" to an abbreviated form. Some of these words have their transliterated version as well (read more here: Lunguage 006), and depending on the speakers' accent, the English words may sound more like transliterated loan words than actual English. One thing to note is that omission of subject / pronoun is very common in Chinese, or Japanese for example. For learning purposes we will include the Cantonese phonetic transcription, the English translation as well as the word-for-word literal translation and remarks. A:喂?wai2? Hello? Literally: hello/hey *喂 is the way to answer phone calls B:喂,阿媽,搵我牙? wai2, ah3 mah1, wun2 ngaw5 ah4? Hey mom, what's up? Literally: hey, mom, looking for me 牙 [modal particle, questioning, confirming]? A:做咩咁晏先call我呀?dzo6 meh1 gum3 aan3 seen1 "call" ngaw5 ah3? Why are you calling me so late? Literally: why so late 先 [auxiliary: just, only; in this case meaning: why would you only call me now that it's so late] call me 呀 [modal particle, question]? *"call"'s Cantonese equivalent would be "打電話俾" or simply "打俾"/"打". They are often used interchangeably. The word "打", which originally means "hit/beat up" in Chinese, is a transliterated term from the English word "dial". B:Sorry sorry,頭先開會。"sorry" "sorry", tau4 seen1 hoi1 wooi2. Sorry sorry, I was in a meeting. Literally: sorry sorry, just now meeting *"sorry" is very commonly used in place of the Cantonese equivalent "對唔住" or "唔好意思", as it sounds a bit more casual and less formal and serious. A:唔係話cancel咗架咩?mm4 hai6 wah6 "cancel" dzaw2 gah3 meh1? Didn't you say it was cancelled? Literally: not say cancel 咗[auxiliary, indicator of past action] 架咩[modal particle, meaning the situation is not what the speaker thought to be, therefore asking confirmation]? *note that the word "cancel" did not take on its past participle form in English, because it is already indicated in the auxiliary character "咗". B:冇,又有個新project要傾丫嘛。mo5, yau6 yau5 gaw3 sun1 "project" yiu3 king1 ah1 mah3. Oh yea, had to talk about a new project. Literally: no, again there is a new project need discussing 丫嘛 [modal particle, explaining the situation that A wasn't aware of] *"冇" literally means "have not", in this case it might seem out of place, but it is a common starter phrase for Canto speaker to clarify something. Closest English translation could be "oh yea", "oh it's nothing", "oh it's just". A:唉,鬼死咁多嘢做,lunch都冇時間食!點得架!hai5, gwai2 sei2 gum3 daw1 yeh5 dzo6, "lunch" do1 mo5 see4 gaan3 sik6, deem2 duck1 gah3! My goodness! Always so much work to do. Don't even have time for lunch, how could that be (how is that ok)!? Literally: sigh! ghost die this much stuff do, "lunch" even no time eat, how ok 架 [modal particle, disapproving rhetorical question] *"lunch" here is pronounced more as a two syllable word by the speaker, "lun1 tsue2", it is a type of "Chinglish", in this case it remains an English word with a heavy Canto accent, but it does not have a transliteration in Chinese characters as far as I know. B:唉,做嘢,無計啦!喂,今晚係咪去食buffet呀? hai5, dzo6 yeh5, mo5 gai2 lah1! wai3, gum1 maan1 hai6 mai6 heui3 sik6 "buffet" ah3? It's work, nothing I can do about it. Oh right, are we going to a buffet tonight? Literally: sigh, do stuff [i.e. work], no ways 啦 [modal particle, exclamation]. hey, tonight whether or not go eat buffet 呀 [modal particle, question]? *we see more of an omission here: [there is] no way [this can be changed]. "係咪" is an abbreviated version of "係唔係", which basically means whether or not. The Cantonese equivalent of "Buffet" is "自助餐", they are both used by locals. A:係呀,叫你老竇book定位佢又話唔識,你得唔得閒book呀?hai6 ah3, giu3 nei5 lo5 dau6 "book" ding6 wai2 keui5 yau6 wah6 mm4 sik1, nei5 duck1 mm4 duck1 haan4 "book" ah3? Yes yes, told your dad to book a table but he said he doesn't know how to, do you have time to book it? Literally: yes 呀 [modal particle, affirmation], ask your old man (i.e. dad) to "book" in advance the seat he again said don't know, you free not free to book 呀 [modal particle, question]? *"book" also has a transliterated form, "卜" book1, which coincidentally sounds pretty much the same as the English. B:我邊有時間呀,我send個電話number俾你,你陣間自己打啦。ngaw5 been1 yau4 see4 gaan3 ah3, ngaw5 "send" gaw3 deen6 wah2 "number" bei2 nei5, nei5 dzun6 gaan1 dzee6 gei2 dah2 lah3. I don't have time. I'll send you the phone number, you can call them yourself. Literally: I where have time 呀 [modal particle, informing], I "send" the phone "number" to you, you in a bit yourself call 啦 [modal particle, instruction/suggestion] *"邊有" is a rhetorical question suggesting that a deal is too good to be true, more accurately would be "where would I find the luxury/time/chance to...". "send" is used quite often, as well as "number", which also has a transliteration "冧巴". A:吓?我打牙?我陣間要去做facial喎。ha2? ngaw5 dah2 ah4? ngaw5 dzun6 gaan1 yiu3 dzo6 "facial" waw3. What? I call? But I have a facial appointment later. Literally: huh? I call 牙 [modal particle, questioning, confirming]? I in a bit need to go do facial 喎 [modal particle, but, though] *"facial" very commonly replaces the Cantonese equivalent "美容", especially when talking about appointments. B:唉吔,打個電話要幾耐啫?記得mark低時間呀,唔係一陣間老竇又唔記得。hai5 yah5, dah2 gaw3 deen6 wah2 yiu3 gei2 noi6 jek1? gei3 duck1 "mark" dai1 see4 gaan3 ah3, mm4 hai6 yut1 dzun6 gaan1 lo5 dau6 yau6 mm4 gei3 duck1. Come on, how long does it take to make a phone call? Remember to mark down the time, or dad will forget again. Literally: sigh, dial a phone-call take how long 啫 [modal particle, disagreeing rhetorical]? remember to mark down time 呀 [modal particle, instruction/suggestion], or else in case old man again don't remember. *"mark" fits right into this Cantonese sentence. A:哎吔... 得啦得啦得啦。係喎,你唔係同個經理好friend架咩?叫佢俾個discount都好吖。ai5 yah5, duck1 lah1 duck1 lah1 duck1 lah1. hai6 waw3, nei5 mm4 hai6 tohng4 gaw3 ging1 lei5 ho2 "friend" gah3 meh1? giu3 keui5 bei2 gaw3 "discount" do1 ho2 ah1. Aiya, ok fine fine fine. Oh yea, aren't you good friends with the manager? Can he give us a discount? That'd be nice. Literally: aiya ok ok ok. oh yes, you aren't with the manager very friend 架咩 [modal particle, asking confirmation]? ask him give a discount is good 吖 [modal particle, suggestion]. *the word "friend" has evolved to also being an adjective in Cantonese, aside from its original meaning as a noun. The Cantonese equivalent of "discount" would be "折扣" or simply "折", both English and Cantonese are used commonly. B:唔好咁cheap啦,人哋事必要俾你架咩。mm4 ho2 gum3 "cheap" lah1, yun4 dei6 see6 beet1 yiu3 bei2 nei5 gah3 meh1. Don't act so cheap (frugal), he doesn't have to do that for us. Literally: don't be so cheap, the others obligated to give you 架咩 [modal particle, disagreeing rhetorical]? *"cheap" in a Cantonese context isn't as degrading as it might be in English, it means more like "frugal", or "keen on gaining petty advantages". In Cantonese/Chinese or some other Asian language, you will see us referring to others as "人哋" yun4 dei6 (a generic term of people/others, could be singular or plural), instead of using the specific pronoun. A:虛!問下會死架咩。呀,喂喂喂喂,你有冇睇Facebook你阿表姐結婚啲相呀,嘩個頭set得幾靚呀可。heui1! mun6 hah5 wooi5 sei2 gah3 meh1. ah3, wai3 wai3 wai3 wai3, nei5 yau5 mo5 tai2 "facebook" nei5 ah3 biu2 dzeh2 geet3 fun1 dee1 seung2 ah3, wah3 gaw3 tau4 "set" duck1 gei2 leng3 ah3 haw2. Psh. Wouldn't die to just ask. Oh hey, did you see your cousin's wedding photos on Facebook? Wow her hair was set so nicely, don't you think? Literally: psh, ask ask will die 架咩 [modal particle, disagreeing rhetorical]? ah, hey hey hey hey, you have or haven't seen facebook your female cousin wedding photos, wah, the hair was set so pretty 呀可 [modal particle, exclamation, looking for recognition of opinion] *"set" in Cantonese in this context usually is seen with the word "頭" tau4, which means head, but refers to the hair specifically. B:人哋個頭靚又關你事?yun4 dei6 gaw3 tau4 leng3 yau6 gwaan1 nei5 see6? What does her hair being pretty have to do with you / Lol you so nosy mom. Literally: the others' head pretty also relate to your business? *"人哋" yun4 dei6 is used here again, as opposed to "佢" keui5 (he/she/him/her), to refer to the female cousin that was mentioned. "頭" tau4 here also refers to the hair specifically. "又關你事" yau6 gwaan1 nei5 see6, more accurately can be translated as "how is that your business too?" A:車,佢po我咪like囉。你細表妹做花女呀,cute到死,真係想搣吓佢塊面珠墩。tseh1, keui5 "po" ngaw5 mai6 "like" law1. nei5 sai3 biu2 mooi2 dzo6 fah1 neui2 ah3, "cute" do3 sei, dzun1 hai6 seung2 meet1 hah5 keui5 fai3 meen6 dzue1 dun1. Well, she posted it so I liked it, as simple as that. Your little cousin was the flower girl, aw so cute, I just wanna pinch her little cheek. Literally: Psh, she post I then like 囉 [modal particle, explaining oneself]. your little female cousin do flower girl 呀 [modal particle, informing], cute to death, really want to pinch her little face. *"po" is an abbreviated form of "post". "cute" is used in the same way as in English. "面珠墩" or "面豬登" is an intimate way to refer to "cheeks". B:咁你有冇寄card俾人呀?gum2 nei5 yau5 mo5 gei3 "card" bei2 yun4 ah3? Did you send them a card? Literally: alright then so you have or haven't mailed card to them 呀 [modal particle, question]? *the transliterated form of "card" would be "卡" or "咭" kaat1, which also sound pretty similar to the English word itself. A:梗係有啦,你當阿媽傻架咩?我仲特登Skype去恭喜吓佢哋添呀。gung2 hai6 yau5 lah1, nei5 dong3 ah3 mah1 saw4 gah3 meh1? ngaw5 dzohng6 duck6 dung1 "skype" heui3 gohng1 hei2 hah5 keui5 dei6 teem1 ah3. Of course I have, who do you think I am? I even Skyped them to tell them congratulations. Literally: of course have 啦 [modal particle, reaffirming], you consider mom silly 架咩 [modal particle, disagreeing rhetorical]? I even on purpose skyped there to congratulate them 添呀 [modal particle, informing, I even went this far as to...]. *note that the speaker refers to herself as "阿媽" ah3 mah1 (mom), instead of "me". "Skype" here also did not take on the past tense as it would in English. B:吓,同佢講都嘥gas,佢都get唔倒你啲英文嘅。ha2, tohng4 keui5 gong2 do1 saai1 "gas", keui5 do1 "get" mm4 do2 nei5 dee1 ying1 mun2 geh2. Haha It's "wasting gas" (i.e. useless) to talk to them, they don't get your English. Literally: Huh, with her talk totally waste gas, she can't even get your English 嘅 [modal particle, matter of fact]. *"waste gas" is a Chinglish term (嘥氣 saai1 hei3) that perhaps doesn't make a lot of sense in English, but the idea is "useless", "vain". "get" here means "understand", "comprehend", just like in English, it is used pretty commonly in place of Cantonese. A:哈,你講嘢咁鬼衰嘅,你呢個女吖真係,阿媽好hurt呀。呀係呀,我個電話個mon呢有啲怪怪地呀,你今晚幫我睇下吖好唔好呀?hah1, nei5 gong2 yeh5 gum3 gwai2 seui1 geh2, nei5 nei1 gaw3 neui2 ah1, ah3 mah1 ho2 "hurt" ah3. ah3 hai6 ah3, ngaw5 gaw3 deen6 wah2 gaw3 "mon" neh1, yau5 dee1 gwaai3 gwaai2 dei2 ah3, nei5 gum1 maan1 bong1 ngaw5 tai2 hah5 ah1 ho2 mm4 ho2 ah3? Huh! Why you gotta talk like that, such a mean daughter. I am so hurt right now. Oh that's right, my phone monitor (i.e. screen) is acting strange, can you look at it for me tonight? Literally: Ha, you talk so ghost mean 嘅 [modal particle, howcome], you such daughter 吖 [modal particle, exclamation] really, mom very hurt 呀 [modal particle, informing]. oh yes, my phone the monitor a little bit strange 呀 [modal particle, informing], you tonight help me look look 吖 [modal particle, suggestion/asking for help] ok not ok 呀 [modal particle, question]? *"hurt" is used just as it would in English, it is more often used by younger generations. "mon" on the other hand is abbreviated from "monitor", it is more often referred to as "screen" in English (maybe in the US?), but HK Cantonese speakers prefer to use "mon". B:吓,你啱啱先買咋喎。好啦好啦,我今晚幫你睇啦,唔講住喇,我feel倒老細望住呀... hah2, nei5 aam1 aam1 seen1 maai5 dzah3 waw3. ho2 lah1 ho2 lah1, ngaw5 gum1 maan1 bong1 nei5 tai2 lah1. mm4 gong2 dzue6 lah3, ngaw5 "feel" do2 lo5 sai3 mong6 dzue6 ah3... Huh? Didn't you just buy it? Ok ok, I'll look at it tonight, ah I can't talk anymore, I can feel my boss' stare. Literally: huh, you only just bought 咋喎 [modal particle, only just]. ok ok, I tonight help you look 啦 [modal particle, appeasing], no talk for now 喇 [modal particle, informing], I feel boss looking 呀 [modal particle, informing]. *"feel" is used similar to English as well, but it's combined with Cantonese auxiliary word "倒", meaning "can feel". Also more often used by younger generations. BOSS:喂,你,幫我check吓個order落咗未!wai3, nei5, bong1 ngaw5 "check" hah5 gaw3 "order" lok6 dzaw2 mei6! Hey you, go check if the order is placed yet! Literally: Hey, you, help me check check the order done or not! *"check" and "order" are pretty much used the same as they would be in English. These two words are quite commonly used among all in place of the Cantonese equivalent. A:哦,ok ok ok! aw3, "ok ok ok"! Oh ok ok ok! Literally: oh ok ok ok! *"okay" is very common as well, the Cantonese equivalent "好" or "得", are also used interchangeably. B:你做嘢先你做嘢先。nei5 dzo6 yeh5 seen1 nei5 dzo6 yeh5 seen1 Go ahead and do your work first. Literally: you work first you work first. A:好啦好啦 bye-bye。ho2 lah1 ho2 lah1, "bye-bye". alright, buh-bye. Literally: alright alright, bye bye. *"bye-bye" is basically English, and as we mentioned last time, there's also a transliteration for it "掰掰" (baai1 baai3, which sounds similar to the English. Haha, a little bit of a TMI for the notes, but modal particles are quite essential in understanding the tone, so I thought I'd put it down for you as a reference. Below are some more examples loose English words used in Cantonese, feel free to comment below if you think of any more! Project, call, cancel, lunch, term, check, firm (confirm), work, feel, hurt, friend, cute, email, cheap, detail, get, okay, happy, send, discount, mask, facial, set (hair), gas, mon (monitor), post, like, file, missy (miss, as in female teacher), madam, sir, OT(overtime), quali (quality) Examples of loose English words that also has transliterated forms: ball 波 book 卜 buffet 步飛 case 畸士 card 卡 face 飛士 Facebook 飛卜 file 快勞 guts 吉士 mark 嘜 number 冧巴 order 柯打 show 騷 Further reads about the culture of mixing languages in Cantonese: https://kknews.cc/news/zegzr5g.html
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Lunguage 006
Lunguage 006.1 Did you know that a lot of Canto words were actually English? No more excuses English speakers, you already know a good amount of Canto words without even realizing. Hong Kong had been a British colony for over 150 years, and this significant period of time had brought a lot of changes politically, socially, and even linguistically. The increase of locals' interaction with Westerners over the years encouraged this unique evolution of Cantonese. When new culture comes in, it often brings along new food, objects, ideologies and terminologies - things that did not exist, or was not as common in Hong Kong, were referred to in their original form as a foreign term, because there simply wasn't a term for it in Cantonese. Over time, the locals have made these foreign terms their own, either because they unintentionally butchered the pronunciation, or decided to find the closest sounding Cantonese characters to represent the idea, it doesn't matter anymore. The once foreign terms, transliterations and loan words are now written in Chinese characters, they have integrated into the language of Cantonese and become inseparable parts of it. Loan words appear in Mandarin Chinese as well, and most likely other branches too (which I cannot testify unfortunately), but because of the difference in phonetic systems, the transliterations of Mandarin and Cantonese often differ. Although loan words is not exclusively a Canto thing, Hong Kong Cantonese has adopted a much larger amount of foreign loan words than other branches of Cantonese, Taiwanese Mandarin and Mainland Mandarin. Most of these loan words are from English, some from French and other European Languages, as well as Japanese. One of the reasons being Hong Kong's status as an Open Society for many years. For the same reason, however, there isn't as strong of a sense of "Standardized Chinese". As time passes Hong Kong Cantonese has become uniquely diversified and flexible - hence the many alternatives of transliteration / translation / phonetic transcription systems / ways of writing the characters / mix of languages. Let's see just how many everyday words were actually English. You'd be surprised. :) (note that the pronunciation of some characters may deviate from normal in loan words transliterations) 衣 CLOTHING Bikini 比堅尼 Bei2 Geen1 Nei4 Bowtai 煲呔 Bo1 Taai1 Cashmere 茄士咩 Keh1 See6 Meh1 Chiffon 雪紡 Suet3 Fong2 Ball Boot 波鉢 Baw1 Boot1 Fashion 花臣 Fah1 Sun2 Fashion Show 花生騷 Fah1 Sung1 So1 Khaki 卡其 Ka1 Kei4 Lace 厘士 Lei1 See2 Laine [French] 冷(衫) Laang1 Saam1 Salon 沙龍 Sah1 Lohng4 Set 恤(髮) Seut1 Faat3 (to cut and set hair) Shirt 恤(衫) Seut1 Saam1 Tai 呔 Taai1 Tuxedo 踢死兔 Tek3 Sei2 To3 食 FOOD Beer 啤(酒) Beh1 Dzau2 Black currants 黑加侖子 Haak1 Gah1 Leun4 Dzee2 Brandy 白蘭地 Baak6 Laan1 Dei2 Cheese 芝士 Dzee1 See2 Cherry 車厘 Tseh1 Lei4 Chocolate 朱古力 Dzue1 Goo1 Lik1 Coffee 咖啡 Gah3 Feh1 Cookie 曲奇 Kook1 Kei4 Cream 忌廉 Gei6 Leem1 Cutlet 吉列 Gut1 Leet6 (specifically fried cutlet) Doughnut 冬甩 Dohng1 Lut1 Horlicks 好立克 Ho2 Lup6 Hak1 Jam 占 Dzeem1 Jelly 啫喱 Dzeh1 Lei2 Kiwi Fruit 奇異果 Kei4 Yee6 Gwaw2 Milk Shake 奶昔 Naai5 Sik1 Mince 免治 Meen5 Dzee6 Omelette 奄列 Um1 Leet6 Ovaltine 柯華田 Aw1 Wah4 Teen4 Pancake 班戟 Baan1 Kik1 Pie 批 Pai1 Plum 布冧 Bo3 Lum1 Pudding 布甸 Bo3 Deen1 Puff 泡芙 Paau3 Foo4 Punch 賓治 Bun1 Dzee6 Salad 沙律 Sah1 Leut2 Salmon 三文 Saam1 Mun4 Sardine 沙甸 Sah1 Deen1 Soda 梳打 Saw1 Dah2 Sirloin 西冷 Sai1 Laang1 Strawberry 士多啤梨 See6 Daw1 Beh1 Lei2 Sundae 新地 Sun1 Dei2 Tart 撻 Taat1 Toast 多士 Daw1 See2 Toffee 拖肥 Taw1 Fei2 Tuna 吞拿 Tun1 Nah4 Vanilla 雲呢拿 Wun6 Nei1 Lah2 Wafer 威化 Wai1 Fah3 Waffle 窩夫 Waw1 Foo1 Food terms from other languages: Mango芒果 Mong1 Gwaw2 Mousse 慕絲 Moo1 See2 Parfait 芭菲 Bah1 Fei1 Satay 沙嗲 Sah3 Deh1 Soufflé 梳乎厘 Saw1 Foo4 Lei5 住 HOUSING Brother 巴打 Bah1 Dah2 Card 卡/咭 Kaat1 Cushion 咕辰 Koo1 Seun2 Keep/Cap 喼 Geep1 (suitcase) Lift "車立" Leep1 Number 冧巴 Lum1 Bah2 Sink 星(盆) Sing1 Poon2 Sister 絲打 See1 Dah2 Sofa 梳化 Saw1 Fah2 Spanner 士巴拿 See6 Bah1 Nah2 Stall/Store 士多 See6 Daw1 Thinner 天拿(水) Teen1 Nah4 Seui2 Wire 威吔 Wai1 Yah2 行 TRANSPORTATION Benz 賓士 Ben1 See2 Brake 迫力 Bik6 Lik1 Bus 巴士 Bah1 See2 Jeep 吉甫 Gut1 Po2 Mini 迷你 Mai4 Nei5 Motor 摩打 Maw1 Dah2 Park 泊(車) Paak3 Tseh1 Porsche 波子 Baw1 Dzee2 Spare 士啤 See6 Beh1 Taxi 的士 Dik1 See2 Tire/Tyre 胎 Taai1 其他 OTHER CATEGORIES Ball 波 Baw1 Bar 吧 Bah1 Beat 咇 Beet1 Boss 波士 Baw1 See2 Bowling 保齡 Bo2 Ling4 Boycott 杯葛 Booi1 Got3 Bungee Jump 笨豬跳 Bun6 Dzue1 Tiu3 Carnival 嘉年華 Gah1 Neen4 Wah4 Case 畸士 Kei1 See2 Cent 仙 Seen1 Certificate 沙(紙) Sah1 Dzee2 Charge 叉電 Tsah1 Deen6 Cigar 雪卡 Suet3 Kah1 Class 卡士 Kah1 See2 Coolie 咕哩 Goo1 Lei1 Court 溝 Kau1 (as in "溝女" Kau1 Neui2 - flirt with girls) Cyanide 山埃 Saan1 Ngaai1 Darling 打令 Dah1 Ling2 Deuce 刁時 Diu1 See4 Disco 的士高 Dik1 See6 Go1 Dozen 打 Dah1 Encore 安哥 On1 Gaw1 Face 飛士 Fei1 See2 Fail 肥佬 Fei4 Lo2 Fans 粉絲 Fun2 See1 Fare 飛 Fei1 Fight 揮 Fai1 (as in "冇得揮" Mo5 Duck1 Fai1 - Can't Fight) File 快佬/快勞 Faai1 Lo2 Film 菲林 Fei1 Lum2 Fluke 符碌 Foo4 Look1 Foul 否 Fau1 Gay 基 Gei1 Giga 激 Gik1 Golf 哥爾夫 Gaw1 Yee5 Foo1 Guitar 結他 Geet3 Tah1 Guts 吉士 Gut1 See2 Hippie 嬉皮士 Hei1 Pei4 See6 Laser 鐳射 Leui4 Seh6 Last 啦士 Lah1 See2 Live 拉闊 Laai1 Foot3 Malade [French] 麻甩 Mah4 Lut1 Margin 孖展 Mah1 Dzeen2 Mark 嘜 Muk1 Mic/Microphone 咪/咪高峰 Mai1 /Mai1 Go1 Fohng1 Money 蚊 Mun1 (dollar) Oral 柯佬 Aw1 Lo2 Order 柯打 Aw1 Dah2 Ounce 安士 Ngawn1 See2 Pair 啤 Peh1 Party 派對 Paai3 Deui3 Phone-in 烽煙 Fohng1 Yeen1 Pop 啪 Paak1 (as in "啪丸" Paak1 Yuen2 - pop a pill) Pose 甫士 Po1 See2 Pound 磅 Bong6 Ransom 參 Sum1 Rob 笠 Lup1 Sauna 桑拿 Song1 Nah4 Saxophone 色士風 Sik1 See6 Fohng1 Sergeant 沙展 Sah1 Dzeen2 Show 騷 So1 Size 嘥士 Saai1 See2 Snooker 士碌架 See6 Look1 Gah2 Stick 士的 See6 Dik1 Tick 剔 Tik1 Tips 貼士 Teep1 See2 Trouble 茶煲 Tsah4 Bo1 Volley 窩利 Waw1 Lei2 Warrant 窩輪 Waw1 Leun2 It is a challenge to trace back the etymology of some words, while they sound pretty similar, there are some debates whether they were actually derived from English. (There might be more...) 來源有待考究 ORIGIN UNCONFIRMED: Argue 拗撬 Aau3 Giu6 Change 唱(錢) Tseung3 Tseen2 Hard Luck 蝦碌 Hah1 Look1 Ketchup 茄汁 Keh2 Dzup1 Scared 蛇gweh Seh4 Gweh1 Transliterations/Translation can look quite different from Cantonese to Mandarin, but they do share some common ones. A clever transliteration does not only give you an idea of how the word is pronounced, but also provides you a hint of the meaning of the word, what it implies, or even the visualization of it. MORE THAN JUST TRANSLITERATION: Humor 幽默 - Yau1 Muck6 - Literally: hidden silence Engine 引擎 - Yun5 King4 - Literally: lead and hold up Neon 霓虹 - Ngai4 Hohng4 - Literally: rainbow rainbow Totem 圖騰 - To4 Tung4 - Literally: picture soar Bandage 繃帶 - Bung1 Daai2 - Literally: stretch tight/binding band Rock'n Roll 樂與怒 - Lok6 Yue5 No6 - Literally: joy and anger Vitamin 維他命 - Wai4 Tah1 Ming6 - Literally: maintain his life Coca Cola 可口可樂 - Haw2 Hau2 Haw2 Lok6 - Literally: tasty and can be happy Pizza Hut 必勝客 - Beet1 Sing3 Haak3 - Literally: bound to win customers Mc Donald's 麥當勞 - Muck6 Dong1 Lo4 - Originally 麥當奴 Muck6 Dong1 No4, a bit more accurate but "奴" means slave in Cantonese so it was replaced by the most similar sounding character "勞" lo4. Actually doesn't have a clever meaning, simply a transliteration. HK locals call it "M記"、"麥記"或"老麥" (The good old Mac) Loan words also exist in English, of course! Here are some examples that you probably have already come across. LOAN WORDS IN ENGLISH: Wok 鑊 ([Cantonese] a versatile round-bottomed cooking pot) Bok Choy 白菜 ([Cantonese] a type of Chinese cabbage) Dim Sum 點心 ([Cantonese] a style of Chinese cuisine) Cheong Sam 長衫 ([Cantonese], AKA Qipao [Mandarin], a type of feminine body-hugging dress with distinctive Chinese features of Manchu origin) Chow Mein 炒麵 ([Taishanese] Chinese stir-fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu) Wonton 雲吞 ([Cantonese] a type of Chinese dumpling commonly found across regional styles of Chinese cuisine) Longan 龍眼 ([Cantonese] a tropical tree species that produces edible fruit, literal meaning in Cantonese: Dragon Eye) Tofu 豆腐 ([Japanese] bean curd. The term "tofu" comes from Japanese tōfu 豆腐. The Japanese word is itself borrowed from the original Chinese equivalent 豆腐 dòufu, literally "bean" + "curdled" or "fermented") Next time we'll take a look at common loan words that have remained in its original form, English, mixing in with Cantonese. Some of these terms are so widely used that even HK locals wouldn't remember what the Cantonese equivalent is. Further reads about transliterations and loan words in Cantonese: 粵語與現代外來詞 https://kknews.cc/education/6k8mz6m.html 廣東人說話夾英語,真不是為了顯擺!https://kknews.cc/news/zegzr5g.html 香港人的外來詞 http://bbs.cantonese.asia/thread-4310-1-1.html 《正識中文》. 作者, 梁慧敏. 出版社, 三聯書店(香港)有限公司 https://www.amazon.com/%E6%AD%A3%E8%AD%98%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87-Traditional-Chinese-%E6%A2%81%E6%85%A7%E6%95%8F-ebook/dp/B07KXXS1B7 P.S. Japanese loan words in Cantonese: 人気 - 人氣 - 人或事物受歡迎的程度 寫真 - 寫真 - 明星藝人等的個人特寫照片集 料理 - 料理 - 菜餚 賣場 - 賣場 - 指比較大的出售商品的場所 物語 - 物語 - 日語指語言類的書籍,專著 新銳 - 新銳 - 在某一領域新出現的有實力的人或物 新人類 - 新人類 - 日語中指新人、新出現的人;漢語中新人類指 1980 年以後出生的年輕人 親子 - 親子 - 父母和孩子 量販 - 量販 - 大量銷售商品 Lunguage 005 (A tribute to my beloved fellow Hong Kongers)
"Be formless, shapeless, like water. ... Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water my friend." - Bruce Lee "Be water" has become the clarion call and strategy of the HK protesters. It is a profound saying and as I thought about it more, the word "water" in Cantonese, "水", is a perfect embodiment of Bruce Lee's philosophy. You place it with another character, and it immediately takes on a new "form" and create new vivid meanings. Remember to turn on the English subtitles for the Cantonese part (not perfect translations but you'll get the point). I know the pace is really fast, so please feel free to pause! But here's the list of "water" terms mentioned in the video: 薪水 sun1 seui2 (n. salary) literally: salary water 縮水 sook1 seui2 (v. shrink) literally: shrink water 補水 bo2 seui2 (v. get paid overtime) literally: compensate water 食水好深 sik6 seui2 ho2 sum1 (adj. profiteering) literally: eat water very deep 掠水 leuk1 seui2 (v. rob/rip-off) literally: rob water 回水 wooi4 seui2 (v. refund/return) literally: return water 撲水 pok3 seui2 (v. find funds/borrow money) literally: bustle water 疊水 daap6 seui2 (adj. rich/loaded) literally: stack water 幾舊水 gei2 gau6 seui2 (n. a couple hundred dollars) literally: few units of water 磅水 bong6 seui2 (v. pay) literally: weigh water 凍過水 dohng3 gwaw3 seui2 (adj. hopeless) literally: colder than water 潛水 tseem4 seui2 (v. go MIA/disappear) literally: dive water/diving 上水 seung5 seui2 (v. show up/reappear) literally: up water/come out from water 吹水 tseui1 seui2 (v. chit-chat/brag) literally: blow water 吐苦水 to3 foo2 seui2 (v. get something off one's chest) literally: spit bitter water 潑冷水 poot6 laang5 seui2 (v. discourage/put a damper on) literally: splash cold water 散水 saan3 seui2 (v. leave after something) literally: disband water 乜水 mut1 seui2 (n. who the heck) literally: what water 浸鹹水 dzum3 haam4 seui (v. study or live abroad) literally: dip salty water 游乾水 yau4 gon1 seui2 (v. play mahjong) literally: swim dry water/dry swimming 水 seui2 (n. money) literally: water 醒水 sing2 seui2 (adj. quick-witted) literally: smart water 笠水 lup1 seui2 (v. retreat out of fear/cower) literally: (not sure about the actual character/origin of this term) 拖落水 taw1 lok6 seui2 (v. drag into something) literally: drag down water 放水 fong3 seui2 (v. leak information/intentionally perform poorly) literally: release water 提水 tai4 seui2 (v. help cheat/give a hint) literally: remind water 半桶水 boon3 tohng3 seui2 (adj. 50% effort or completion) literally: half bucket of water 一頭霧水 yut1 tau4 mo6 seui2 (adj. completely muddle-headed) literally: one head fog water 唔湯唔水 mm4 tong1 mm4 seui2 (adj. unpresentable) literally: not soup not water 威水 wai1 seui2 (adj. glorious/awesome) literally: awe-inspiring water 心水 sum1 seui2 (n. favorite/desired) literally: heart water 整色整水 dzing2 sik1 dzing2 seui2 (adj. put on a show) literally: make color make water 插水 tsaap3 seui2 (v. diving in soccer/worse rapidly) literally: insert water 睇水 tai2 seui2 (v. keep watch) literally: watch water 抽水 tsau1 seui2 (v. snipe at someone/something) literally: draw water Further Reads: “Be Water!”: seven tactics that are winning Hong Kong’s democracy revolution https://www.newstatesman.com/world/2019/08/be-water-seven-tactics-are-winning-hong-kongs-democracy-revolution Be water, my friend: Hong Kong protesters take Bruce Lee’s wise saying to heart and go with the flow https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3015627/be-water-my-friend-protesters-take-bruce-lees-wise-saying Yes, it is time to tackle the topic of tones!! Here is a supplementary blog post to the Lunguage 003 video, for those who are interested in learning a bit more, and where my resources came from, etc. Overview of tonal languages Many Asian and African languages, such as Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Punjabi, Yorùbá, Igbo, Ewe and Zulu, are tonal languages. While most Indo-European languages such as English, German, French, Russian and Greek, are non-tonal languages. Some languages lie in the middle, they emphasize on the pitch accent instead of tones, such as Japanese, Hebrew, and Swedish. Tonal Language is a language in which different "tones" can not only give hints of emotional information, but more importantly change the meaning of a word, even if the pronunciation of the word is otherwise the same. So it is essential to identify the different tones to understand and make yourself understood in a tonal language. Cantonese is known for its complicated tonal system. In fact, tones are one of, if not the most challenging aspect especially for English (or any non-tonal language) speakers. You'd be surprised, even the locals, despite being able to speak Cantonese fluently, are not so familiar with their own tonal system. Don't be discouraged, though, we believe there are ways to make it easier to understand for learners from different language backgrounds. And mastering the tones opens the door to many more fun experience Cantonese has to offer. The Cantonese tones, 9 or 6? Just how many tones are there in Cantonese? Traditionally speaking there are "THE NINE" (A.K.A. the 9 tones of hell), which consists of what they call the "9 sounds 6 tones". No no, that does not mean there are 15, but that there are 9 different "sounds", and within the 9, there are 6 different "tones" (or pitch). Huh? Way to confuse people already. So more recently (or actually I can't even trace back to when) it has been simplified to the 6 main tones to make it less confusing than it already is. There are debates about that, too, of course, as always in the field of linguistics. So here we are going to explore how the original 9 came about, and why some scholars think it is more appropriate to lump the last 3 into the main 6, while some might beg to differ. To put it simply, if "tone" merely refers the use of "pitch" (the degree of highness or lowness of a tone) in language to distinguish lexical or grammatical meaning, there would be 6 tones/contrasting variation of pitch in Cantonese. But if we are defining the actual Chinese word "聲調" (the closest but not exact translation to "tone"), it would include also the Entering/Checked Tones, which are not tones in the phonetic (pitch) sense but rather a syllable that ends in a stop consonant or a glottal stop (-t, -k, -p). Entering-Toned words have an abrupt and unique sound that makes them stand out from those that end with a vowel or nasal consonant, that is why they have traditionally been treated separately; despite sharing the same pitch, the sound of 7th is not exactly like 1st; 8th not exactly 3rd; and 9th not exactly 6th. Since the word "tone" is understood by English speakers quite differently, it is probably best to stick with the definition of "the differentiation of pitch" to avoid confusions. As the existence of "tones" is already a daunting enough thought for non-tonal language speakers, having 9 or more tones definitely would not be very encouraging. Sometimes compromising in translations between languages and cultures would mean the loss of some important things. So it is necessary to still introduce the Entering Tones, (tone 7-9) to Cantonese speakers and learners, even if the 6-Toned System would eventually replace the other. We dare not to omit the traditional 9 Toned-System just to make it easier, as it was classified as such for historical and linguistic reasons. Besides, it is always helpful to be aware of the possible gaps between two drastically different languages, and not assume all other languages must work the same way as our own. The value and history of tones Anyway, be it 9 or 6, tones are an indispensable part of not only Cantonese, but also Classical Chinese literature, as characters in poetry and prose were chosen according to tones and rhymes for their euphony. The use of language helps to reconstruct the pronunciation of Old Chinese and Middle Chinese (as the Chinese writing system is logographic rather than phonetic). Interestingly one would find that Cantonese resembles and preserves more characteristics of Middle Chinese more so than some other Chinese variations, for instance, Mandarin. Entering tone is one of these characteristics. Entering tones are legacy of Middle Chinese. Among the main Chinese variation groups, Cantonese, Wu, Hakka and Min are ones that have preserved this characteristic, while in most of the Mandarin and other dialects it has been lost. Understanding and explaining the relationship between modern Cantonese (or other variations) with Old/Middle Chinese concerning its Entering Tones would probably take a life time of studying and investigation, but if you have interest in the history, origin, and the appearance of Entering Tones in different Chinese Variations, please feel free to check out the links below: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checked_tone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Chinese As mentioned above, in contrast with the words ending with stop consonant, -t, -k, -p (A.K.A Entering Tones), it is the words that end with a vowel, or nasal consonant (-n, -ng, -m). There are only 6 possible consonant endings in Cantonese. You can transform a non-entering-toned word to an entering-toned word by changing its consonant ending accordingly: -n → -t e.g. 新 (new) sun1 → 失 (lose) sut1/7 -ng → -k e.g. 撐 (prop up) tsaang3 → 拆 (dismantle) tsaak3/8 -m → -p e.g. 甚 (very, what) sum6 → 十 (ten) sup6/9 The 2 secret additional entering tones Well, maybe no one ever told you before, but there are actually 2 addition tones, if you count Entering Tones as a separate thing. They are used in rarer and informal occasions and do not really have official names. Most don't even consider them tones, but a special case. But if they actually had names, they would be: 10. 上入 Mid Rising Entering (shares the same pitch as 2nd) 11. 下陽入 Low Falling Entering (shares the same pitch as 4th) Tone 10 occurs in a common Cantonese phenomenon (Taishanese too apparently) called Changed Tones (小稱變調), where a word takes on the Mid-Rising tone (Tone 2) due to a certain context or meaning. Modified tones are usually used in the second character of compounds and reduplications. For instance, 牙刷 (tooth brush) should be pronounced as "ngaah4 tsaat8" formally, but it is widely referred to as "ngaah4 tsaat10" instead by locals; 捉賊 (to catch a thief) "dzook7 tsaak9" becomes "dzook7 "tsaak10". This phenomenon also exists outside of entering tones, but that would not add an extra tone to the system. For example: 妹妹 (little sister) "mui6 mui6" becomes "mui4 mui2"; 擒擒青 (in a hurry) "kum4 kum4 tseng1" becomes "kum4 kum2 tseng1". (Other examples, 人日, 扇葉...) Tone 11 is rarer, it is when an Entering Tone takes on the Low Flat/Falling tone (Tone 4). It almost always appears with the use of Tone 10 in a reduplication. Example: 𠽌𠽌聲 (slurping sound) "suet7 suet7 seng1" becomes "suet11 suet10 seng1". This is also one of the points Chaaak raised in his article "粵語聲調 6 個 定係 9 個?" arguing why Cantonese should just have 6 tones, since the exceptional cases above would inevitably bring two more tones to the already confusing system. So to make things easier, all the Entering Tones are lumped together with their counterparts that share the same pitch. The Six Main/Basic/whatever you call it Tones: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 The Entering Tones and Their Counterparts: 7=1, 8=3, 9=6, 10=2, 11=4 So... yea. We'll just go with 6. But just know that it was not really 6. Haha. (The world is full of lies!!!! *runs away*) A musical way to learn tones As Cantonese is a tonal language that's all about pitch, music is actually a helpful way to learn tones. No worries, it does not require a whole lot of musical knowledge, as long as you can sing or know about Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So, that is all it takes. Each of the tone/pitch is like a solfège (or sol-fa), so it is not strictly a musical note like a G, or a C, but rather it is moveable and relative from one key to another; the "Do" in the key of C is a different pitch from the "Do" in the key of A, for instance. Imagine the "key" as the range of your own voice, you get to set the tone of how low the lowest (Tone 4) - your "Do" - goes down to, and how high the highest (Tone 1) - your "So" - goes up to. Your range could vary, of course, depending on the context, emotions, or how your throat feels that particular day. But once you have an anchor point, all the other tones are relative to that. By the same token, you would understand other people perfectly fine even if their range is different from yours and their Tone 4 is much much lower. There are some mnemonic devices to help memorize the different tones. The Cantonese numbers 1-10 conveniently embodies the 6 tones (all 9 actually), when read in this particular order, "3 9 4 0 5 2 7 8 6" (saam1, gau2, sei3, ling4, ng5, yee6, tsut7, baat8, look9), it will give the nine tones in order. Another common one is "三碗半牛腩麵一百碟" (saam1 woon2 boon3 ngau4 naam5 meen6 yut7 baak8 deep9), which literally just means "3.5 bowls of beef brisket noodle soup a hundred plates". As you can imagine, writing lyrics for Cantonese songs can be nerve-racking, to fill melodies with words that fit the particular pitch running up and down... Luckily its relativity makes the lyrics intelligible still in the context, but sometimes it could really miss the mark. Traditional Christian hymns translated directly from English (or Mandarin) to Cantonese in the earlier days have some pretty horrible examples unfortunately. A Life of Numbers by George Lam (intro and outro of Lunguage 003) is a famous and memorable song with lyrics of Cantonese numbers, written to fit their respective pitch. Well written Cantonese lyrics are not only easy to pick up and memorize with the melody, but also retains the beauty and implicit charm in rhyme or sound of the Cantonese language. Lastly, here is the original song for you guys. Don't miss out on the crazy middle part! Enjoy. :) Further Reads:
粵語聲調 6 個 定係 9 個?- 阿擇 (Chaaak) https://medium.com/@chaaak/%E7%B2%B5%E8%AA%9E%E8%81%B2%E8%AA%BF-6-%E5%80%8B-%E5%AE%9A%E4%BF%82-9-%E5%80%8B-4bacef5e029e Tone Language https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_language Cantonese Phonology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantonese_phonology Checked Tone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checked_tone How to read Nine "Tones" of Cantonese? (粵語九聲調)- Hong Kongese Speak Cantonese https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdxT1OEAbvg The World’s Most Musical Languages - John McWhorter https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/11/tonal-languages-linguistics-mandarin/415701/ Why Tonal Languages Aren’t as Hard as You Think - Jeremy Ginsburg https://www.fluentin3months.com/tonal-languages/ The Most Musical Languages in the World - What is a Tonal Language? https://asianabsolute.co.uk/blog/2018/07/30/the-most-musical-languages-in-the-world-what-is-a-tonal-language/ Recapping Lunguage 001 here:
Lunguage 001 - The Two "Thank Yous" in Cantonese - 多謝 VS 唔該 In Lunguage 001 we talked about the two "Thank yous" in Cantonese, 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) VS 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1). There is only so much time in the video, so we will put the summary of each episode up on Lunguage Blog, a further discussion as well as other resources if you would like to explore more on each topic. Recapping the basics As we know now the two "Thank yous" in Cantonese carry their own connotation and cannot be used interchangeably. We have a brief summary (updated!) of the situations where you would use 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) or 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1) below. It basically boils down to the following rule of thumb: - 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6), literally "many thanks", is used for things that are given to you: from the physical or monetary gifts, food or drinks, to the intangible words of compliments, blessings, advice, suggestions, comfort and respects, to the even more abstract ideas such as effort, cooperation, contribution, participation, attention, hospitality, appreciation, support, opportunity, time, help, custom or patronage. - 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1), literally "should not"; when it means "thank you", is used for acts of service that are offered or done (meaning you can say it before and after the actual act). This includes nice gestures people do with no obligation, such as holding the door, picking up something you dropped, friendly reminder, etc., and also small favors you ask people for, such as borrowing money or items, buying lunch for you (and paying them back), etc.. It can also mean "Please" and "Excuse me", as in getting someone's attention, whether to ask a question, or to ask them to kindly move out of the way (notice it does not have the meaning of interruption, disagreement, or apology as in English). We shall talk more about this as we dive deeper into the etymology of 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1). Rejection Just as English, you would still say "thank you" even if the offer is rejected. Nothing too complicated here (yay!), it works the same in Cantonese. - Do you want this (offering to give it to you)? No, thank you. 唔使喇,多謝 (Mm4 Sai2 La3, Daw1 Tze6)。 - Do you need a ride (offering an act of service)? No, thank you. 唔使喇,唔該 (Mm4 Sai2 La3, Mm4 Goi1)。 When the line blurs It may be an oversimplification to categorize the kinds of things to express gratitude for as shown above, sometimes the line can be blurry. If you want an easier formula, generally you can ask yourself a few questions: - For a physical or monetary item: "Am I borrowing this and will be returning it?" If so, you would definitely use 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1), as saying 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) would imply the item was given freely to you, that would be awkward. But if whoever lent you the thing ended up giving it to you, then you have all the rights to say 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6). - For an action: "Is this an act of service?" If so, you most likely want to use 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1). - For words: "Is this a friendly reminder (there is broccoli in your teeth) or more like an advice (maybe you should try listening to other people better)?" You'd say 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1) for friendly reminders and for anything more formal, serious, or flattering, 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) is usually safe to say. It all comes down to how we define the categories. Some of them are easier to understand, such as patronage, or a gift as opposed to a borrowed item, but some others, not so much, especially the more abstract ideas: Action fulfilling duty, responsibility, and obligation: Effort, cooperation, contribution, participation, attention... etc. Action as a gift, or something given to you (conditionally or not): Hospitality, appreciation, support, opportunity (e.g. job offer), time, help, volunteer... etc. Well, yes. "Time". I guess there is no returning of that. So there. It's a 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6). But wait a second, don't hospitality, help, and volunteer also count as "acts of service"? That is the tricky part. When 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) is used for the examples above, it is usually referring to the bigger picture, the complete act of such. So for instance, you're invited to someone's home for dinner, the host hands you a glass of water or a napkin, tells you where the bathroom is, etc., you would say 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1). When you leave at the end of the night, you would say 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) for the overall hospitality offered to you. Help can be even more tricky, as there are all kinds of help out there, big (donating a kidney) and small (holding the door); sometimes even just the thought of helping means a great deal that a gratitude is expressed. Help can be a gift for sure, expecting nothing equivalent in return; it could also just be a kind gesture, received as a borrowed item, returned as a favor, or passing it on through doing it unto others. It would depend on the context whether to use 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) or 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1). But if you think a certain favor or help is so significant that it morally entails a debt of gratitude, almost in the form of grace (which is "恩 (Yun1)" in Cantonese / Chinese), 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) is the one to use. While I cannot find any reference to back myself up on this, I do think this is not necessarily because 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) is somehow a more sincere or serious word of gratitude, but more so because of the complicated connotation of 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1). 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) literally means "many thanks", hence it is the most straight-forward way to express pure gratitude without any other possible meanings. The etymology of 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1) As briefly mentioned in the video, 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1) literally means "should not" in English, as in "you should not have to do this for me". You may be scratching your head thinking how it ended up being a word of gratitude, that does not make any sense. The "undeserving" sense of the word, however, is an evidence of its history as a humble speech. It is also the reason why 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1) has adopted not only the meaning of gratitude, but the other two, "please" and "excuse me" as well. The purpose of humble speech is not so much to degrade oneself or flatter others, but rather as a reminder to not take any service, help, or kindness for granted. The culture and mentality behind Language is complexly intertwined with its related culture. You will find a culture's mentality or worldview deeply engrained in even the simplest phrases like 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) or 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1), not only in the etymology of the word/phrase itself, but how it is used in the culture. 晒 (Saai3) is a very commonly used word in Cantonese, it is a auxiliary word often added after 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) and 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1). You will hear the locals say that (or a variation/ combination of such) all the time, instead of just 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) or 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1). It sounds more natural and has a softer tone. Don't overlook it though, 晒 (Saai3) also carries its own meaning and can subtly attach additional connotation to the context. As we get deeper, you will see the crucial significance of auxiliary word and modal particle in Cantonese. 唔該晒 (Mm4 Goi1 Saai3) can be used both before and after the act of service is done. When it is used before the act of service is done, or even if it was never done, it means that the person asking for the favor already considers the action done and wants to show the appreciation only by the other person agreeing to help or offering to help. In English there is a saying "consider it done" meaning one will gladly do something that he or she has been asked to do. It is very interesting to see how the role is switched in Cantonese, the person asking for help is supposed to express this very same implication and assume the other is very glad to do so. However the paradox lies in the literal and original meaning of 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1), "should not". So the mentality behind is: This is something you shouldn't have to do for me, but I will assume that you are doing this gladly, and I appreciate it very much that you have such a heart of gold, so thank you! Wow. Complicated right? When it is used after the act of service, it quite simply has the meaning of "all" and "everything". As for 多謝晒 (Daw1 Tze6 Saai3), you will likely only hear it after the act of giving is done, in that case it means "thanks for everything (that you have given)". Lost in translation due to cultural differences Perhaps merely learning how to say "thank you(s)" in Cantonese is much more complicated than you thought. In reality, meanings get lost in translation so easily that we almost take the culture that comes with the language we speak for granted. The revelation of the complicated mentality behind an ordinary phrase such as 唔該晒 (Mm4 Goi1 Saai3) might be mind-blowing to English speakers, because the person in need of help should always assume the other is willing. In the English speaking culture, this can be seen as a rude imposition: Not that I don't want to help, but why must you imply that I "shouldn't have to do it" yet at the same time assume that I am willing as if this is an obligation? While in the Cantonese speaking culture, such assumption does not necessarily lead to an obligation, rather it highlights the kindness of the person offering help (even when the action has not been done yet). As mentioned above, the "undeserving" connotation of 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1) is an evidence of its history as a humble speech, which is one of the honorific systems still widely used in other East Asian languages such as Japanese and Korean. Such speech is used more flexibly in Chinese languages nowadays, so Cantonese speakers may not be required to think about it every day like the Japanese. As the language evolves, however, the mentality remains, even without the speakers realizing it sometimes. By stressing how undeserving the receiver him/herself is and assuming how willing the person offering help is, the act of service by contrast is seen as an ultimate expression of kindness which the speaker does not take for granted. Would you have guessed 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1) possesses such profound meaning? On another note, I have noticed the repeated use of words of gratitudes like 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) and 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1) is far more common in the Cantonese culture than in the English culture. The repetition is of course a way to stress how thankful one is for the other, it could also serve as a "softener", as I will call it, so it doesn't sound as blunt as a single 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) or 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1), or as dramatic (or sarcastic in some cases, just like how the word "thanks" is sometimes used in English) as a whole phrase of "真係多謝/唔該晒你!" (literally "really thank you very much"). That explains why maybe the seemingly redundant "多謝多謝!" or "唔該晒唔該晒!" is used more often in general. So the more culturally accurate English equivalent for "多謝多謝!" would be "thank you very much" instead of literally "many thanks, many thanks". If you have read up to here, you might have already noticed the omission of pronoun in the Cantonese words of gratitudes. In English, while the word "thank" can be a noun and used as a plural to express gratitude casually, the pronoun "you" is often connected with the verb "thank" to specify whom the speaker is being grateful for and express gratitude in a more formal way. In Cantonese, words of gratitudes are often used without a specific pronoun, because it is mostly likely implied in the context. So in case you were wondering, saying 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6) or 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1) without the pronoun you, 你/您 (Nei5), is more than sufficient and does not have the same casual connotation as "thanks" in English. In fact, pronouns in East Asian languages are not as commonly used in general as in English. The overuse or misuse of pronouns can seem unnatural or even rude in some cases. Maybe a little bit of TMI for now, but we will be sure to talk more about this another time. :) Fear not. Languages are confusing. Still confused? No worries. After all, languages are living things spoken by living people, shaping a certain community's culture and worldview, there are bound to be a lot of ambiguity, confusions and even exceptions as a language developed over hundreds and thousands of years. Even the locals would be confused sometimes! But one of the best ways to learn a language is still to immerse yourself in that culture. Practice hearing it and speaking it. The more you hear it the more you will get the feel of it. As Cantonese speakers we never officially learned the differences between 多謝 & 唔該, yet we just know which one to use, only because we hear it and use it so much in our every day lives. Same for English speakers, for example, ESL learners may be caught up in the whys of a certain grammatical rules, yet without understanding fully what the grammatical logic behind may be, an English speaker will not make a mistake such as "I look forward to hear from you soon". So fear not, take your time! Languages can be confusing, it is completely okay to be confused. Just keep trying, and don't ever be afraid to get deep into the history and culture behind to grasp it better. Last but not least, thank you, 多謝 (Daw1 Tze6), for sharing your time with us! Naomi realized she forgot to say that in the very video that talks about "thank yous", haha! Special thanks, 唔該 (Mm4 Goi1), to Wai Ming Chow for catching that. :p See you all next time! References (unfortunately there really isn't very many resources in English on this topic, we tried our best to incorporate the following resources and explain it in English): 粵語學習網(學說廣東話)-多謝、唔該同唔該晒 http://www.fyan8.com/wugai.htm 我恒我訴:唔該與多謝 https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/lifestyle/20110404/00329_001.html 「多謝」還是「唔該」? http://languagemystery.blogspot.com/2013/12/blog-post_11.html 唔該 @Wiktionary https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%94%94%E8%A9%B2 課堂 25 「曬」與「晒」之別 http://www.cantonese.asia/attachments/oncc/lessons/025.htm Blurring the Line between Language and Culture https://www.languagemagazine.com/blurring-the-line-between-language-and-culture/ |
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