[PDF] language cantonese mandarin

What is the difference between Mandarin and Cantonese?

• Cantonese is older of the two languages being in existence 2000 years ago while Mandarin is just 700-800 years ago. • The characters in Mandarin have been simplified in 1950 while characters in Cantonese are still traditional. • Cantonese has 9 tones while mandarin has just 4 making it easier to learn than Cantonese.

Is Cantonese the same as Mandarin?

Mandarin and Cantonese are both tonal languages, although they differ in tones. To the untrained, the sound of Cantonese and Mandarin may be similar. However, for those who speak the language, they recognize that the sounds of spoken Cantonese and spoken Mandarin are vastly different.

What is traditional Chinese Mandarin?

Mandarin (/ ? m æ n d ?r ? n / (); simplified Chinese: ??; traditional Chinese: ??; pinyin: Gu?nhuà; lit.: 'speech of officials') is a group of Sinitic (Chinese) languages spoken across most of northern and southwestern China.The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese.Because Mandarin originated in North China and most Mandarin ...