Cantonese Learning Journey with Jyh Wee Sew Lo Shi at NUS

Terrendip Kaur (A0172589M)- SEM1 AY20/21

Nei hou. Before I enrolled into the module, I was feeling anxious about taking up a class on the Cantonese language. I had heard that it was one of the most difficult languages to pick up. I also wasn’t sure how rigorous the module content would be or whether I would have any disadvantage taking up the module, as an existing non-Mandarin speaker. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the pace and content of the module was very beginner-friendly and manageable.  This is definitely attributed to how the course was designed, from learning directly through YouTube tutorials to the interactive and interesting assignments that we had to complete. Additionally, the course progression- from basic introductory level learning of pronouns, names, greetings, numbers to more intermediary phrases such as idioms, allowed me to internalize the subsequent content better.

Every Cantonese session was wonderful.  From the first session of learning the key pronouns nei (U), ngo (I), hai (is/are), I realized it was not that bad to grasp. The in-class questions from our teacher (Lou shi) kept our attention and helped me to cross-check on whether I understood what was being said at each point of the tutorial. I especially appreciated when we got to incorporate Singapore-themed words such as Harbourfront into the YouTube phrases which helped to contextualize my learning better. Moreover, I started having conversations about the language with my Cantonese speaking friend outside of class, who then introduced me to the song 一生何求 by Danny Chan, which I subsequently decided to use for my song remix assignment.

The song remix assignment was challenging but really fun. I faced initial challenges in remembering the rhythm and tone of the song to fit my Cantonese words into. My approach to the song was to retain the main line of the chorus “in life, what does one wish for? 一生何求” so that listener would still be able to relate to the song, as I change the context of the story to include friendship ties and motivation for a friend to face challenges in his/her life. Trying to find a suitable proverb to insert into the lyrics was also difficult but I eventually decided on 佛都有火 (meaning: to a degree that is intolerable, “that’s the limit!”), which I felt fit the context best. My second assignment on the conversation with a Cantonese speaking law student was a good one too. It was insightful to experience a real-time conversation with a speaker in Cantonese who shared with us some of the generational gaps she faced with her parents and differences she saw between Singapore and Hong Kong.

Additionally, I really appreciate the additional videos from Lou Shi- be it Jackson the 70-year old singer or Shanghai Beach parody by Rahimah Rahim which helped me to constantly gain knowledge on the Cantonese language and its usage in a broader sphere, which definitely helped me to appreciate it more overall. On that note, I am really glad I took up this module. Thank you to Lou Shi and Shi Jie for all the guidance and support for the past 12 weeks. Lessons from the class will stick with me a long way and I will try my best to practice and expand on my learnings whenever I can ahead 🙂 All the best!