Language Kaleidoscope 語言萬花筒

Is there a seventh tone in Cantonese?

One of our listeners asked, and so we answered! In this episode, Professor Matthews and Professor Yip explain the mysterious seventh tone and their take on whether it really exists in Cantonese.  * Episode Transcript [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rBRbOUD8auGFI05PhsCeofHpnlWI2ETs8_dQzduykvk/edit?usp=sharing]

How many tones are there in Cantonese?

Some people say there are 6 tones in Cantonese, some say there are 9. Why is that? In this episode, Professor Matthews weighs in on the debate and shares a few tricks to remember all of the tones.  * Episode Transcript [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GH7ypgcmAXmTHC4XWyiVu-gQIaaVnuAtCcce36jhw9k/edit?usp=sharing]

Learning Cantonese tones as a second language learner

How hard is it to learn Cantonese and its tones? In this episode, Professor Matthews takes a walk down memory lane as he reflects on his journey as a Cantonese learner and how he and Professor Yip came to write a Cantonese grammar.  * Episode Transcripts [https://witenterpriseshk.com/language-kaleidoscope-transcripts/] * Cheung, Hung-Nin Samuel 張洪年 2007.香港粤語語法的研究 [http://www.sudoc.abes.fr/cbs/xslt//DB=2.1/SET=3/TTL=1/CLK?IKT=1016&TRM=%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E7%B2%A4%E8%AA%9E%E8%AA%9E%E6%B3%95%E7%9A%84%E7%A0%94%E7%A9%B6]  A Grammar of Cantonese as Spoken in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press. 增訂版. * Matthews, Stephen and Virginia Yip. 2011. Cantonese: a Comprehensive Grammar [http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415471312/]. London: Routledge. 2nd edition [book website [http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/lin/cbrc/CantoneseGrammar/]] * Yip, Virginia and Stephen Matthews. 2007. The Bilingual Child: Early Development and Language Contact [http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521544764]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Reviews of Yip and Matthews (2007) include the following: * ~ Francis, N. 2008.Journal of Child Language 35: 917-922 [http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/lin/Faculty_vyip_files/JCL2008book_review2007.pdf]. * ~ Myers-Scotton, C. 2008. Journal of Linguistics 44: 791-796 [http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/lin/Faculty_vyip_files/bookreview_Lx2008.pdf]. * ~ Logan-Terry, A. 2009 Studies in Second Language Acquisition [http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/lin/Faculty_vyip_files/Logan_Terry_2009.pdf] 31: 507-508 [http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/lin/Faculty_vyip_files/Logan_Terry_2009.pdf]. * ~ Li, A. 2011. Journal of Chinese Linguistics 39: 492-500. * ~ Kupisch, Tanja. 2011. First Language 31: 373-376 [http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/lin/Faculty_vyip_files/kupisch373-376.pdf]. * ~ Field, Fredrick. 2012. Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages 27: 183-186 [http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/lin/Faculty_vyip_files/Fredric_Field_review.pdf] * Yip, Virginia and Stephen Matthews. 2017a. Basic Cantonese: a Grammar and Workbook.  [https://www.routledge.com/Basic-Cantonese-A-Grammar-and-Workbook/Yip-Matthews/p/book/9780415815598]London: Routledge. (eBook is available) * Yip, Virginia and Stephen Matthews. 2017b. Intermediate Cantonese: a Grammar and [https://www.routledge.com/Intermediate-Cantonese-A-Grammar-and-Workbook/Yip-Matthews/p/book/9780415815611] Workbook. [https://www.routledge.com/Intermediate-Cantonese-A-Grammar-and-Workbook/Yip-Matthews/p/book/9780415815611] London: Routledge.

Ideophones in Cantonese and English

Ideophones are words that evoke a sensation with their sound. In this episode, Professor Matthews explains the phenomenon of ideophones in Cantonese, and how they convey color, taste, and so on.

Reduplication and baby talk in Cantonese and English

What do the recently named panda cubs "Huan Lili" and "Yuan Dudu", choo-choo trains, and baa baa black sheep have in common? They’re all cases of reduplication, which is the repetition of a syllable or a word. In this episode, let’s take a look at reduplication in Cantonese and English and why babies love it. * Experiment by Prof. Usha Goswami at Cambridge University from BBC Earth Lab [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA0KoMk3ulQ] * Cantonese: A Comprehensive Grammar [https://www.routledge.com/Cantonese-A-Comprehensive-Grammar/Matthews-Yip/p/book/9780415471312] * Book Website [https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/lin/cbrc/CantoneseGrammar/]