Cantonese, commonly known as Guangdonghua, is also called Baihua in Cantonese-speaking regions. It is a tonal language of the Sino-Tibetan language family, belonging to the Mainland Southeast Asia linguistic area. Among its common vocabulary, depending on the counting method, there are twenty percent or one to two hundred words with a Kra-Dai substrate, while also retaining a certain amount of ancient Chinese vocabulary.
It’s been five years since I left Guangdong and moved to Shanghai. In daily life, Mandarin is spoken more and more, and opportunities for Cantonese communication have become very few.
Therefore, over the past two years, I’ve increasingly felt my ability to express myself in Cantonese declining. Recently, I’ve started looking for some Cantonese programs to watch.
A while ago, I saw this video, an interview with Torres Pit托哥 in Singapore. It made me realize that if we go to live somewhere where Cantonese isn’t spoken, it will surely disappear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPfWpBg16xU
This thought made me remember the time in Guangdong when everyone launched the “Protect Cantonese” campaign. I think I will also practice more in daily life to keep Cantonese culture alive within myself.
Mainly channels from Hong Kong, as Hong Kong remains the best place for preserving Cantonese culture. I mainly found some channels on YouTube. If anyone has recommendations, feel free to leave a comment and let me know.
In the coming period, I will chat more with friends from Guangdong, hoping that through our communication, Cantonese won’t disappear from my life. I’m considering starting an audio podcast again to maintain the habit of chatting with friends.
Also, after the pandemic restrictions are lifted, I hope to meet new Cantonese-speaking friends in Shanghai. This will help me have more Cantonese exchanges in daily life.
In the environment where I grew up, diverse cultures have always occupied various aspects of my life. I hope that in the future, I can learn more languages and cultures and connect with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Let’s encourage each other, bye-bye!
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