Hi Gang,
This
past Monday, we covered pages 2 and 3 in our textbook. I also strongly
recommended that everyone read the introductory pages from the very
beginning of the book up to page 1. It is always a good idea to know
what to expect before you come across new material in a course.
This
past Monday night, we covered a brief dialogue based on a simple case
of mistaken identity. I went through syllable by syllable, tone by tone,
then we reviewed the entire short dialogue via the Recapitulation, and
then we broke up into small groups for 10 minutes to allow pairs and
tables to run the dialogue back and forth several times. I was
encouraged by what I heard and by the accuracy of the tones when
everyone was repeating immediately after me. This leads me to conclude
that ALL of you are capable of producing the correct tones in
real time in theory. The trick is to eventually be able to connect
everything you are learning so you can produce the correct tones in real
time ON YOUR OWN without repeating after someone with correct
pronunciation.
In general, I feel like we are
off to an excellent start. Next week, we will begin to look more in
depth at tones and we will begin to explore the basic syllabic building
blocks of the sounds of Cantonese Chinese. Please PREVIEW this material
from pages 3-12. This is the material that we will cover over the next 2
classes.
HOMEWORK:
- Read from the very beginning of the book through page 1.
- Review pages 2-3, which were covered in class.
- Preview pages 3-12, focusing on pages 3-10.
- LISTEN TO THE MP3 THAT ACCOMPANIES LESSON 1. Try to listen to the entire mp3, so you can begin to allow the sounds of Cantonese to seep into your mind.
Best wishes and see everyone next week,
Brendan
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