An Exploratory Comparative Study on Semantic Differences of Mandarin and Cantonese: Define and Explain Non-Cantonese Speakers’ Learning Difficulties

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B.A. Thesis Luo Dan April 20th, 2014 First Draft An Exploratory Comparative Study on Semantic Differences of Mandarin and Cantonese: Define and Explain Non-Cantonese Speakers’ Learning Difficulties Abstract Evidence has been accumulating that shows the great difference varying from phonetics to grammar between Mandarin and Cantonese (钱伟, 2010) and non-Cantonese speakers showing considerable interest but finding it hard to understand Cantonese (香港文汇报, 2012). In view of the lack of general frameworks which explicitly show the differences between the two languages from a multidimensional perspective, this paper reports on an exploratory comparative analysis of semantics properties between Mandarin and Cantonese covering various aspects. Besides, it also aims at locating the areas where non-Cantonese speakers’ cognitive and learning difficulties lie. Mandarin and Cantonese Versions of the Greed of Heart, a top-rated TVB drama, are transcribed and literally translated into shared vocabulary to analyze. Four fluent Cantonese and Mandarin speakers assisted in double checking the texts in two languages to ensure the quality. Differences are classified into two main categories (with four sub-categories) according to the semantic framework of Lyons (1981) with a combination of Hu’s grammatical classification (2001) as well as features of Cantonese language. 45 students participated in a test employing Likert’s 5-point scale to see how they understand these differences on lexical areas and grammatical area. The results of the study depict a general picture of the semantic differences between Mandarin and Cantonese. And it shows that the differences mostly appear on lexical level, which is where most difficulties lie for non-Cantonese speakers. Moreover, it offers advice for non-Cantonese speakers to better learn and understand Cantonese. Key words: Mandarin,

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