typing cantonese characters? or standarin mandarin??

[geek_frappa]

when typing cantonese? should i use standard mandarin?

so instead of saying?

佢係唔係中國人呀 (is he Chinese?)

keui hai m hai jung gwok yan ar?

should I say?

他是中國人是不是 (is he Chinese?)

keui hai jung gwok yan hai m hai?

他是不是中國人 (is he Chinese?)

keui hai m hai jung gwok yan?

[trooper]

It depends. In informal stuff, like forums, you often see people using dialect rather than standard written Chinese. That's totally fine. I'd guess that you can use typed Cantonese in a Hong Kong/Cantonese forum but not on other forums, because not everyone's going to be able to understand you.

When you're writing formal/academic/business stuff, I guess you should write using standard written mandarin.

In what context do you want to type Cantonese?

[geek_frappa]

in a blog or a forum... or just sending friends PM or IM... or SMS...

so i guess based on your advice, typed cantonese is ok thanks.

i have problems when i download the special character set HKSC but i can manage. right? people will always understand mandarin. right?

[trooper]

In the forums I've seen, people use mandarin most of the time and occasionally do a post or the odd phrase or two within a post in dialect. But yes you're right, every literate Chinese understands written Mandarin, no matter which dialect they speak.

I think you'll find written Cantonese in magazines, some tabloid newspapers, comics, etc published in Hong Kong. I know hardly any Cantonese though, unfortunately. But it seems very colourful and lively to me, and if I were a Cantonese speaker, I'd be happy to see written Cantonese.