About this ebook
“Cantonese Step by Step” is designed for English speakers who have no prior knowledge of
Cantonese. Based on our extensive teaching experience over the past decades, a selection
of useful vocabulary list and daily expressions are presented to cater to learners' practical
needs and curiosity. Cultural elements are also incorporated to interest learners and enable
learners to taste the essence of Cantonese culture.
When compared to European languages, Cantonese is unique in features in terms of
phonetics and syntax. With this in mind, we put emphasis on proper pronunciation skills
and conversation abilities.
Our book adopts Jyutping, a Cantonese romanization system developed by the Linguistic
Society of Hong Kong (LSHK) back in 1993. After years of development and enhancement,
Jyutping has become the de facto romanization standard of Cantonese in learning, teaching,
and academic research. Learners will find Jyutping practical in Chinese typing, as Jyutping
keyboards are widely available in different platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux,
iOS, and Android.
