...Mandarin as my mother tongue. Although my first education institution was the kindergartens, I was not taught to refine and improve my language skills thoroughly. Few years after that, I was enrolled into a Chinese Primary School, St. James Primary, where most of the students there speak Mandarin as well. Starting from Primary level, I’ve been taught to refine my language skills for few more language. From listening, speaking, to reading and also writing, I learnt new words every day in my primary school life. The next language that I learnt in my life was no other than English. English was one of the most important languages in the world as it remains the most spoken and used language regardless of aspects, let it be commercial or general use or even politics. I was taught to speak English since primary level as it was introduced into our learning syllabus. But I was not granted the chance to improve and enhance my language skills until secondary school, where English was used in Mathematics, Science, Biology, Chemistry and Physics syllabus. Moreover, there are more students of different races that enrolled in the school as well, so English became one of the important language vessels to connect us and help us create bonds and friendships. There were also competitions that involve English language skills such as...
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...1. There are four main errors in this video clip. Firstly, the speaker mentions that “Chinese dialects are eight mutually unintelligible regional languages”. This statement is wrong, because in fact there are seven major dialects spoken within China. They are Mandarin, Wu, Gan, Xiang, Min, Cantonese, and Hakka. The second error is that the speaker said that Cantonese is spoken Southern China and Hong Kong, which is wrong. Cantonese is mainly spoken within Guangdong province, Guangxi province, Hong Kong, and Macao. The picture shown in the video makes wrong labels of Cantonese. In the picture, the label shows that Cantonese is spoken in Shanghai and provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, where Wu dialect is spoken. The label also covers Jiangxi province where people speak Gan dialect, and Hunan province where people speak Xiang dialect, and Taiwan where people speak Guoyu, Southern Min dialect, and Hakka. The third error is that the speaker gives wrong geographic information of Mandarin distribution in China. He says that Mandarin is spoken in northern and southwestern China. He misses the northwestern part where Mandarin is also spoken. The fourth error is that the speaker’s statement of “Mandarin has naturally become the national lingua franca, or common language”. Back to 1926, xin guoyin was set as the “national standard pronunciation” or Guoyu by the Nationalist government. After the foundation of People’s Republic of China (PRC), Guoyu was renamed as Putonghua...
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...United States of America has been a refuge for immigrants. People of different ethnicities have relocated to the United States because of the freedom and opportunity available to U. S. citizens. Consequently, the United States has evolved into one of the most diverse countries in the world. Although immigrants leave their native country behind, they arrive in American cloaked with the unique customs and diverse dialects of their former culture. In the article, Service Delivered Consideration in Working with Clients from Cantonese-Speaking Backgrounds, the authors discuss what speech language pathologists have learned from treating patients from China (Fung, 199). The lessons of the article are benefitting to read, and the concepts should be applied to treating any foreign dialect. The article, Service Delivered Consideration in Working with Clients from Cantonese Speaking Backgrounds, describes the culture and language development of the Cantonese people. More importantly the article emphasizes how these factors influence the challenges Chinese natives face when learning the English language (Fung, 199). Speech language pathologists often work with individuals who speak English as a second language. The article stresses the importance of knowing a client’s home country and culture (Fung,199). This is because culture shapes an individual’s personality, perception, and behavior. The article is beneficial to read because it relates to our project of transcribing “The Grandfather...
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...since 1974.Luckily, Hong Kong was located on a favorable geographical location, where could attract numerous of people from Western and Asian ,especially the majority of other cities in China ,for example Shanghai.( ¶1)(7)As a result, there had the reduction of multilingualism and the enlargement of Cantonese as usual spoken between 1960s and 1990s.(157)( ¶3) From my point of view, the adoption of "Biliterate and trilingual” policy (¶2) was probably good after Hong Kong handover to China. In the past, British government did not excluded the unique cultures of Hong Kong such as Cantonese and Traditional Chinese. Most of them were willing to accept and even actively to encourage people to learn. However, after Hong Kong returned to China, China government had interfered in Hong Kong Culture. Formerly, we would use traditional Chinese as our local written words. But in now society, we can find that lots of Simplified Chinese is shown in public area. Moreover, Education Bureau also encourage us use Mandarin for education.(21) As we had already handover to China, I hope that the unique culture of Hong Kong can still be kept. Works Cited Shirley C. Ingram & Rebecca S.Y Ng. Cantonese Culture, Aspects of life in modern Hong Kong and Southeast Asia....
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... John Whelpton The reminiscences and reflections collected here cover almost six decades of language learning, from childhood in Nottingham, where I was born in 1950, through study at Oxford (1968-72), teaching English in Nepal (1972-74), working as a civil servant in London (1975-81), graduate studies and teacher training in London, Nepal, India and Manchester (1981-87) to the last twenty-two years when I have been teaching English in Hong Kong but paying regular return visits to the UK and to Nepal. I began the compilation early in 1997, when I was teaching only part-time and occupied mainly with an intensive course in Cantonese and with work for an M.A. in Applied Linguistics. At the suggestion of my course director, Professor David Nunan, I had decided that my M.A.dissertation would be a diary study of my efforts with Cantonese and I needed a summary of my previous language learning experience as part of the exercise as well as for incorporation, in condensed form, in the eventual dissertation (completed in September 1998). I included any language which I had been formally taught for any length of time and also any others which I had worked at on my own over long periods, but not those which I occasionally looked at just out of linguistic interest or to learn a few phrases for short holiday trips. Earlier drafts were circulated to friends and colleagues for comments in the light of their own experience as language learners. I slightly updated it slightly...
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...thirty thousand immigrants across from the Canton also know as the Guangdong region of China. Normally, Chinese restaurants are owned and operated by small, hardworking ethnic Chinese families. In Chinese cooking the “wok” is often said to be very important in food making, it's a large metal pan with a rounded bottom. China is a quite large country so it have several cooking styles for example, Szechuan, Hu nan, Cantonese and Northern Style in Beijing each with its own culinary style and flavors. Cantonese food is best known in the US and Canada for its dim sum small bites, steamed and fried dumplings stuffed with meat or seafood. Dim sums are individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. This style of food is also known as “yum cha”, which means tea drinking. Dim sum consist of many different variety of food. A traditional dim sum selection includes various types of steamed buns such as cha siu bao, dumplings and rice noodle rolls which is “cheung fun” in Cantonese, which contain a large varieties of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, shrimp and vegetables. Many dim sum restaurants also offer plates of steamed green vegetables, roasted meats, congee porridge and other soups. Dessert dim sum is also available and many places...
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...Position of English as a Global Language: Political and Cultural Factors English has achieved a global significance that no other language has ever been able to do so, in such a scale. A language earns its global status when it culturally and politically dominant across the continents. Also, it is notable that the most salient feature of a global language is not how many people use it, rather how strongly the people who speak this language is socially and politically established. In fact, perhaps the most significant force that makes a language global is political power of its speakers. The spread of English beyond Europe and the British Isles is accredited to four centuries of colonialism and British imperialism, which led to English being spoken by over three hundred million people. (Crystal 14) The first significant stride in the advancement of English towards its pre-eminence as a world language occurred during the early trade in the Atlantic. Crystal also articulates that by the year 1600, England had gained trading contacts across three continents, which retrospectively provided a powerful platform on which the English language was to flourish and become the globally dominant medium of communication that it is at present (39). Trading companies such as the Newfoundland fur trade, the ivory and gold trade on the western coast of Africa and the East India Company brought speakers of English into economic contact throughout the world. English and the English-based pidgins...
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...For an undocumented Chinese immigrant, Chinatown has huge effect on the experiences of immigrants like my grandfather. According to Ling in “Hop Alley”, ethnic associations in China town were especially important in helping immigrants’ adaptation. For example, it provides tangible support and intangible support. Herman not only received housing and job through the help of ethnic organization, but also provided cultural familiarity when surrounded with Cantonese speaking in a foreign country. The feeling of resentment from the mainstream American society was still strong in the 1950s, the forming of a bachelor society (Nee, 1972) helped immigrants to retain their culture and identity when facing the unfamiliar...
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...identical, the Chinese term is written once. Chinese 汉语/漢語 or 中文 Hànyǔ or Zhōngwén Hanyu trad simp.svg Hànyǔ (Chinese) written in traditional (left) and simplified (right) characters Native to China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, the United States, Canada, Indonesia, and other places with significant overseas Chinese communities Ethnicity Han Chinese Native speakers unknown (1.2 billion cited 1984–2001)[1] Language family Sino-Tibetan Sinitic Chinese Standard forms Putonghua (Standard Mandarin) Dialects Mandarin Jin Wu (incl. Shanghainese) Huizhou Gan Xiang Min (incl. Amoy, Teochew, Hoochew) Hakka Yue (incl. Cantonese, Taishanese) Ping Writing system Chinese characters, zhuyin fuhao, Latin, Arabic, Cyrillic, braille. Ancient use of 'Phags-pa script. Official status Official language in China Hong Kong Macau Taiwan Singapore Burma Wa State, Burma United Nations Recognised minority language in Canada Malaysia United States Regulated by China National Commission on Language and Script Work[2] Taiwan National Languages Committee Singapore Promote Mandarin Council Malaysia Chinese Language Standardisation Council Language codes ISO 639-1 zh ISO 639-2 chi (B) zho (T) ISO 639-3 zho – inclusive code Individual codes: cdo – Min Dong cjy – Jinyu cmn – Mandarin cpx – Pu Xian czh – Huizhou czo – Min Zhong gan – Gan hak – Hakka hsn – Xiang mnp – Min Bei nan –...
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...buildings are mainly concerned. These features did not only apply for the palaces, but also apply for the humble farmhouses. Apart from the main buildings, the open courtyard and/or the “sky well” can be easily found within the building complexes. Open courtyard and the “sky well” is an empty space surrounded by buildings that connected one building to another one building either directly. Chinese Siheyuan in Beijing is a very good example showing the symmetry, use of open courtyard and “sky well”. Another important feature of Chinese architecture is that Chinese architecture emphasizes on width, in contrast, Western architecture emphasizes on height. The wide halls of Forbidden City and castles in Western countries are very good examples in respect of Chinese and Western architectures. In relation to the structural materials, bricks, stones and wooden timber (frame and roof) are frequently used. Chinese architecture was well developed since ancient times, timber frames are mainly constructed by dowel, it is seldom to use glue or nails. Feng Shui Feng Shui is an ancient art related to the environment and the power of nature. It’s a systematic study based on the elements of astronomy, astrology, geology, physics, mathematics, psychology and intuition. It is mainly...
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...modifying them accordingly to use them in the present. There are many areas where these practices are more specifically designed toward native English speaking students, and to be used in the American business community. This offered a somewhat limited perspective on communication. The author also shares her opinion that the teaching of business communication is in transition at this point. Globalization is causing major changes to the way people communicate, and this would have an obvious effect on the ways teachers convey the topic. Where as communication has in the past been geared toward the American business climate, now communication transmissions undergo translation into many different languages and many different countries, cultures and communication dynamics. This has an obvious effect on the construction of the messages conveyed today. The author talks about some of the challenges faced by business communications teachers. Also new mediums of communication have emerged. Electronic communication has taken precedence over traditional mediums, making communication instant, sometimes thoughtless. The author discusses how she has modified her teaching style to accommodate the new era of business communication. She adapted some new skill building exercises, one transitioning from past to present, and the other transitioning from the present to the future. She accomplished a simulation of the cultural climate of Hong Kong. She had several Cantonese students participate in one...
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...How To Use Chopsticks Will you eat a sandwich with a spoon or use a fork to have an ice cream? No? Why? Because every food, to taste better, must be consumed using the right vessels and cutlery! Same is the case with Chinese and Japanese foods which seem to taste better when eaten with chopsticks. The origin of chopsticks can be dated back to China, around 3000 to 5000 years ago. Widely used in Japan, China, Korea and Vietnam to eat all kinds of foods, most of the chopsticks are made of bamboo while some are also made of ivory, plastic, silver and jade. They are considered as extensions of the fingers and are considered much better than spoons and forks in their usage. Although the respective Asian communities use chopsticks as effortlessly and naturally as Europeans use forks, it doesn’t really come that easily for the rest of us. Despite the fact that most of the world thinks of them as impossible feats, chopsticks actually provides your hands with a physical affinity with the food — something that our quintessential spoons, forks and knives can never boast of. Having said that, we also acknowledge that eating with chopsticks could require some training and hence the next section that talks about how to use chopsticks. Eating With Chopsticks * Clasp one chopstick between your thumb and middle finger. The chopstick must be in such a position that it is placed at the base of your thumb and at the lower joint of the middle finger. While the bottom chopstick remains intact...
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...Kung Fu movies Name: Institution: Course: Tutor: Date of submission: Introduction {introduce kung Fu movies] 0.5 Kung Fu movies are part of a subgenre of martial arts films. They are set in the modern period of futuristic martial arts. Kung Fu has its origins in China, which before being modernized, was popularly known as Wuxia (Greene, 2014). This film genre is an important creation of Hong Kong Cinema. The main difference between Kung Fu and Woxia is that the former has less sword play, instead, used more armed combat. It however found its way to the West, where it was embraced in Hollywood as one of them most loved action film genres. The genre was first played on screen in the 1930s in a film known as The Adventures of Fong Sai-Yuk (Kato, 2012). The first directors choreographed the fights to become more realistic on screen. The genre reached its heights in the 1970s and overtook some of the most famous genres of the time. Today, Kung Fu has reached international audiences across the world. The genre is mainly produced Hong Kong, main land china japan and India. This paper looks at the genre as produced in these countries, contrasts and compares them. Characteristics of kung Fu movies in Hong Kong, main land china japan and India The Hong Kong Kung Fu films combine action, mainly as codified by Hollywood, and Chinese storytelling. This is interwoven with aesthetic traditions, which combine to create a distinctive form that has a wide transcultural appeal. However...
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...I. Introduction: Chinese cuisine is served anywhere , even in our own homes. Even at our simple gatherings we usually include Chinese cuisine in our entrails. Chinese cuisine is introduced in the Philippines as early as the 10th century. From appetizers to main curses like dim sums, noodles, meat dishes like sweet and sour, asado, roasted and many more. We Filipinos love to eat Chinese foods. Most Filipinos loved Chinese foods because Chinese influences them to their cuisine. Filipino cuisine is influenced principally by China, Spain, and the United States, integrated into the pre-colonial indigenous Filipino cooking practices. When restaurants were established in the 19th century, Chinese food became a staple of the pansiterias, with the food given Spanish names. The "comida China" Chinese food includes arroz caldo rice and chicken gruel, and morisqueta tostada fried rice. When the Spaniards came, the food influences they brought were from both Spain and Mexico, as it was through the vice-royalty of Mexico that the Philippines were governed.In the Philippines, trade with China started in the 11th century, as documents show, but it is conjectured that undocumented trade may have started even two centuries earlier. Trade pottery excavated in Laguna, for example, includes pieces dating to the Tang Dynasty. The Chinese trader supplied the silks sent to Mexico and Spain in the galleon trade. In return they took back products of field, forest - beeswax...
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... This is it. The final installment in the kung-fu movie trilogy that dramatizes the life of the legendary Chinese folk hero: Ip Man. And what a colossal letdown it is. While less disgustingly nationalistic than the second installment, Ip Man 3 lacks the Cantonese humor and the glowing humanity of the first one and is overall a lackluster conclusion to what was supposed to be a kung-fu epic. Donnie Yen returns yet again to play the role of Ip Man, the martial arts master who taught the “Wing-Chun” style to hundreds Cantonese students including the young Bruce Lee. Unsurprisingly, Ip Man is the canonical hero who embodies the Chinese values of familial love, filial piety and flipping men over walls to protect the underdogs of society. Most of the characters in Ip Man 3 are one-dimensional and extremely polarized. For example, Patrick Tam plays the zougou (what the Chinese called fellow countrymen who served their colonial masters), the one who betrayed his master for money. He is lackadaisical, an absolute evil with neither depth nor duality. Ip Man 3’s cast is predictable and even worse, boring. Perhaps the worst thing about Ip Man 3 is its weak pedestrian plot chock full of clichés. So many Chinese movies use either a corrupt Westerner or a barbaric Japanese invader as the main antagonist that it has become a cliché. Ip Man 3 subscribes to the same formula and underwhelms me with its lack of imagination. Ip Man himself is a stoic, impassive and uninteresting hero...
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