Epic fail
After spending some time studying both mandarin and cantonese concurrently (well not quite, rather I'll take a class or study one for a couple of months, and then focus on another for another couple of months), I have come to the conclusion that I am confused.
That is to say, if I were to try and read a bunch of characters on a page, assuming I pass the first hurdle of being able to recognize the characters in the first place (a rather difficult hurdle at this point) I will blurt out a strange combination of cantonese and mandarin words. This is because by studying both at the same time not only do I have to remember the character and its english translation, but also associate a distinct mandarin and cantonese pronunciation with each character. I often mix up these pronunciations, with the result being that if I were to read something aloud I would only succeed in confusing a listener.
This sadly defeats the purpose of learning a language in the first place.
When I'm trying to speak, I can still shift between "mandarin" and "cantonese" modes, so that is something. Maybe I can eventually be an illiterate but vocal chinese speaker? Or maybe I should just accept the fact that I'm a twinkie.
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With the widely heralded and championed "digital revolution" in photography, the world has been inundated with a deluge of high quality digital photos which are high quality and efficiently produced.
However, at the same time, the number of photographic prints have dropped significantly. Even with photo printers, it's rare to be have physical objects one can hold in their own hand as keepsakes, short of always carrying a laptop around and flipping it open when appropriate.
That is to say, if I were to try and read a bunch of characters on a page, assuming I pass the first hurdle of being able to recognize the characters in the first place (a rather difficult hurdle at this point) I will blurt out a strange combination of cantonese and mandarin words. This is because by studying both at the same time not only do I have to remember the character and its english translation, but also associate a distinct mandarin and cantonese pronunciation with each character. I often mix up these pronunciations, with the result being that if I were to read something aloud I would only succeed in confusing a listener.
This sadly defeats the purpose of learning a language in the first place.
When I'm trying to speak, I can still shift between "mandarin" and "cantonese" modes, so that is something. Maybe I can eventually be an illiterate but vocal chinese speaker? Or maybe I should just accept the fact that I'm a twinkie.
-------------
With the widely heralded and championed "digital revolution" in photography, the world has been inundated with a deluge of high quality digital photos which are high quality and efficiently produced.
However, at the same time, the number of photographic prints have dropped significantly. Even with photo printers, it's rare to be have physical objects one can hold in their own hand as keepsakes, short of always carrying a laptop around and flipping it open when appropriate.