When you first decide to learn Chinese, you are faced with a dilemma. Which Chinese language should you learn – Cantonese or Mandarin? The answer depends on what you want.
Maybe the choice isn’t up to you. If you already know someone who speaks Chinese, then the language you want to learn depends on the Chinese language they know.
But if the choice is yours, you have to think about your end goal. The official language in China and Taiwan is Mandarin. Mandarin is also easier to learn than Cantonese.
But if you eventually want to learn more than one Chinese language, then you should begin with Cantonese. Cantonese has nine tones, while Mandarin has only four. Cantonese learners tend to learn traditional Chinese characters, while Mandarin speakers usually learn simplified Chinese characters.
Cantonese and traditional Chinese characters have a longer history. If you want to understand the Chinese language and culture, Cantonese is the way to go.
After learning the traditional Chinese characters, it will be much easier to transition to their simplified counterpart. Also it is easier for Cantonese speakers to learn Mandarin since the written language is the same. Only spoken Cantonese is different from Mandarin.
In my family we speak both languages. My native language is Cantonese, while my husband speaks Mandarin. My two children learned Cantonese first, but in elementary school they started learning both languages at the same time.
That’s when I realized there aren’t any books for children who speak both Chinese languages. So, I created my Chicken and Duck comics.
Now I’m turning those comics into a Chinese picture book called When Chicken and Duck Talk. This picture book is for anyone learning Chinese. It’s for Cantonese speakers learning Mandarin, Mandarin speakers learning Cantonese, and for anyone trying to learn both Chinese languages.
So, maybe you don’t need to choose between Cantonese and Mandarin. Maybe you can learn both Chinese languages at the exact same time.
If you are interested in learning more about When Chicken and Duck Talk, consider signing up for the early bird e-mail list to learn about this innovative new book.