White American teaching Mandarin/Cantonese to HKers

[Ian_Lee]

Dr. Robert S. Bauer, an American working as an assistant professor at the HK Polytechnic University, is in charge of lecturing Mandarin/Cantonese/linguistics to the HK students. Read:

http://www.singpao.com/20040930/feature/614162.html

I guess someday some fellow posters will be as capable as Dr. Bauer is

[wannabeafreak]

Sorry for bringing up a 2 year old post.

Here is Robert in action:

PART 1:

PART 2:

PART 3:

[skylee]

Thank you very much for posting. I will watch the programme when I return home.

[geek_frappa]

hopefully some native speakers will be as capable as dr. bauer... this is nice. thanks for the post.

[Quest]

Sharon Balcombe

PART 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9-PPFA48AY

PART 2:

I love hearing her talk, faultless.

[hkkevin]

Sharon Balcombe is just a Chinese, in western look.

And it's wonderful that she speaks Cantonese without "lazy sounds" .

[randall_flagg]

I'm so jealous! I want to be able to speak Cantonese as well!

Nevertheless, it still is pretty strange (and sad) that Westerners enjoy somewhat of a celebrity status just because they speak Chinese/Cantonese.

[geek_frappa]

I'm so jealous! I want to be able to speak Cantonese as well!

you can! ^^ just practice, practice, practice. you can do it!! ^^

Nevertheless, it still is pretty strange (and sad) that Westerners enjoy somewhat of a celebrity status just because they speak Chinese/Cantonese.

chinese are dealing with a pandemic right now: they are easily amused.

[skylee]

I've just watched the programmes above (finally).

Sharon Balcombe's is perfect Hong Kong Cantonese. The professor's is not bad.

[smalltownfart]

I still think the professor is more impressive. He started learning Chinese late ( IIRC, in his twenties? ) wheareas Sharon and many ppl like her started speaking Cantonese almost from birth. I have worked with Indians in HK who speak Cantonese perfectly, but they always turn out to be native HKers.

I would love to find out if there is someone out there who started on Cantonese late in life, but who managed reach fluency at something like Sharon's level (e.g. a Cantonese Dashan) I have always wondered if it was even possible. It's like when you hear someone learn to speak Cantonese, it always sounds so much worse than a Mandarin learner, makes me wonder if perfect Cantonese can only be taught to the very young...

[calibre2001]

I don't think Sharon and Dashan are comparable. Dashan still sounds non-native though his Chinese is excellent. I can't see Sharon as a foreigner, just a typical HK-er....

[bhchao]

Just watched Sharon's video. Quite impressive.