Quick question about the language

[Cwbguy]

Sure but we are all adults and hopefully should be able to figure out what he really meant.

Not if you have ever closely followed his so called arguments in the past!

[Watercooler]

Which celebrity is bonking who... Who carried off their fashion well and who looked like the dogs breakfast. Who is putting on weight and who might have had comestic surgery ... Same thing that passes for local popular gossip everywhere.

Ah, I knew TB is a troll, but I did'nt know he was a cultural bigot too. Do you honestly think that is the entirety of HK culture? If so, you demonstrate why you don't get local culture because you don't understand cantonese. There is a deeper and richer culture which only knowing some cantonese will help. Chinese opera and literature is fascinating. The great classics like Journey to the West, Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Or the poems by Du Fu and Li Bai. Bet you have never heard of those have you?

Don't presume you can judge a culture if you cannot access it (by not knowing the language). By what you just said, you are nothing but a bigot.

[emx]

I am sure we have all said "aiya" at some point in time here.

[Cwbguy]

Chinese opera is one of the most painful experiences ever, closely followed by Canto Pop.

[Watercooler]

Chinese opera is one of the most painful experiences ever, closely followed by Canto Pop.

You are perfectly entitled to your view of course, but how much canto pop have you listen to? You don't know what the lyrics mean. You haven't listen to enough to know what is good or bad.

And do you think Chinese Opera and Canto pop sums up the whole of HK culture? If so, ignorance-check.

[flameproof]

Chinese opera is one of the most painful experiences ever, closely followed by Canto Pop.

It does keep your flat pest free though.

[Cwbguy]

I have had to sit through way too many kareoke evenings over the years to know that I don't like it, and knowing the lyrics is totally unimportant if the music, in my view, is crap.

[imparanoic]

Ah, I knew TB is a troll, but I did'nt know he was a cultural bigot too. Do you honestly think that is the entirety of HK culture? If so, you demonstrate why you don't get local culture because you don't understand cantonese. There is a deeper and richer culture which only knowing some cantonese will help. Chinese opera and literature is fascinating. The great classics like Journey to the West, Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Or the poems by Du Fu and Li Bai. Bet you have never heard of those have you?

Don't presume you can judge a culture if you cannot access it (by not knowing the language). By what you just said, you are nothing but a bigot.

not too different from a non speaker of English who lives in UK and thinks that uk is just full of chavs, fish'n'chips, pubs, noisy music, tabloids and generous benefits system, presume these are the ones who live and believe in closed communities and don't like closer social integration

nevertheless, scratch the surface on any culture and you will discover vast wealth of knowledge and fascinating cultural differences understanding regardless of their colour or creed

[INXS]

That is because he erected an obvious strawman and tried to change the argument to that.



Not a single poster here has said learning Cantonese makes no difference. Lots of people have said you can get by without Cantonese, which is patently and demonstrably true.

He doesn't like the fact this is true, so he instead tried to change the terms of the discussion to the first fact, which is also true but nobody is denying it at all. He also threw in some insults and some stupid stuff about spring onions, for which he was rightly mocked.

Yes...I know. Well, he gave a bad example....let's move on.

[Watercooler]

]I have had to sit through way too many kareoke evenings over the years to know that I don't like it,[/B] and knowing the lyrics is totally unimportant if the music, in my view, is crap.

Or maybe your friend and colleague just have the habit of picking the bad ones....