REMOVING SOME BARRIERS
TO COMPREHENSION:
A NEW LOOK AT CANTONESE EXPLETIVES
K. M. A. BARNETT, O.B.E., E.D., M.A.(CANTAB.)*
(A lecture delivered to the Branch on 8 April, 1969)
SUMMARY:
Between languages of the Indo-European family and those of the Chinese family the differences in organisation, not only of sentences and phrases but of words themselves are so wide that before anyone familiar only with the former can acquire a competent knowledge of the latter, or vice versa, he must learn to rearrange his thoughts into a new set of patterns.
Mr. Barnett examines some of these patterns and suggests new methods of analysis which may help speakers of English or Cantonese to attain better comprehension of each other's languages.
"Pray, my masters, defer that angry argument which I see you are about to commence."
LREORNGWRAIV CEARNG ZRAAMSRIH MRHCROW-ZRY.1
Before I explain these two appeals for temporary peace I had better make clear what I am not intending to cover in this talk, so that any who were expecting something different may leave, and not remain out of politeness to sit through something they do not want to hear.
I do not intend, except in one respect because it has escaped notice in other people's work, to deal with matters of pronunciation.
I do not have anything polite to say to those who regard "Europeans" and "Asians" as separate species, like the witnesses in a case I heard 32 years ago almost to the day, in which the ten passengers in a New Territories bus were described by
* Mr. Barnett is well known to readers of this Journal. Various contributions from his pen have appeared in earlier numbers. He retired recently from the Hong Kong Civil Service after 37 years' service in the Administrative (Cadet) Grade, his last post being Commissioner of Census and Statistics. ...†. In this paper the SOAS romanization is used, except where noted.
REMOVING SOME BARRIERS
TO COMPREHENSION:
A NEW LOOK AT CANTONESE EXPLETIVES
K. M. A. BARNETT, O.B.E., E.D., M.A.(CANTAB.)*
(A lecture delivered to the Branch on 8 April, 1969)
SUMMARY:
Between languages of the Indo-European family and those of the Chinese family the differences in organisation, not only of sentences and phrases bur of words themselves are so wide that before anyone familiar only with the former can acquire a competent knowledge of the latter, or vice versa, he must learn to rearrange his thoughts into a new set of patterns.
Mr. Barnett examines some of these patterns and suggests new methods of analysis which may help speakers of English or Cantonese to attain better comprehension of each other's languages.
"Pray, my masters, defer that angry argument which I see you are about to commence."
**
LREORNGWRAIV CEARNG ZRAAMSRIH MRHCROW-
ZRY.1
Before I explain these two appeals for temporary peace I had better make clear what I am not intending to cover in this talk, so that any who were expecting something different may leave, and not remain out of politeness to sit through something they do not want to hear.
I do not intend, except in one respect because it has escaped notice in other people's work, to deal with matters of pronuncia- tion.
I do not have anything polite to say to those who regard "Europeans" and "Asians" as separate species, like the witnesses in a case I heard 32 years ago almost to the day, in which the ten passengers in a New Territories bus were described by
* Mr. Barnett is well known to readers of this Journal. Various con- tributions from his pen have appeared in earlier numbers. He retired recently from the Hong Kong Civil Service after 37 years' service in the Administrative (Cadet) Grade, his last post being Commissioner of Census and Statistics. ...ģ****. In this paper the SOAS romanization is used, except where noted.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.