User Comments - dewei
dewei
Posted on: The Old Man Who Moved a Mountain
June 21, 2007 at 4:27 PMI am crazy enough to try to learn both Mandarin and Cantonese. It is often double work - pronunciations always different, vocabulary often different, grammar sometimes different but here it pays off with the two了! Knowing Cantonese clears the confusion ( as in 做 and 作 - same pronunciation in Mandarin zuo4 with similar meanings, buth Cantonese zou6 and zok3) There are indeed two 了 in Mandarin 'perfective' aspect marker and 'inceptive' (implying a change or becoming aware of a change) modal particle. There is a good explanation here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_grammar In Cantonese, the perfective aspect marker is zo2 and the inceptive modal partcle is laa3 So 你挡了我的路了 becomes 你挡 zo2 我 ge3 路laa3. (ge3 being the cantonese 的). having heard more Cantonese over the years I do have any major problem with the two 了! Of course, nothing is ever simple with languages and corresponding words in Mandarin and Cantonese will still have nuances. Mother has come! 媽媽來了! (Mandarin) 媽媽嚟 zo2! (Cantonese - 嚟 used instead 來 of colloquially) Mother has now decided to come! 媽媽來了! (Mandarin) 媽媽 嚟laa3! (Cantonese) but 讲了半个多小时 讲zo2半个多小时 have talked for over half an hour 都讲了半个多小时了 have talked, it has been for over half an hour... ( i am still talking) 都讲zo2半个多小时laa3 Here in Cantonese, the laa3 is not quite the same as 2nd 了 in the Mandarin version. Laa3 is definitely asserting/emphasizing the fact that 'have talked for over half an hour... but does not as strongly imply ' have talked, it has been for over half an hour... and still is speaking' as in Mandarin. Anyway this is my understanding as a learner of the 2 languages. I welcome views of experts in the 2 languages!!!
Posted on: The Old Man Who Moved a Mountain
June 21, 2007 at 4:30 PMPlease read in my previous post Having heard more Cantonese over the years I do NOT have any major problem with the two 了!