Language Kaleidoscope 語言萬花筒

Stephen Matthews and Virginia Yip

Join award-winning linguists Professor Stephen Matthews and Professor Virginia Yip for an exploration of languages and linguistics. What we discover about language is like what we see through a kaleidoscope -- incredibly rich and colourful, but arranged in systematic patterns. Tune in to hear about fascinating linguistic phenomena, with a focus on Cantonese and English. 國際知名學者馬詩帆教授及葉彩燕教授將會和大家一同踏上探索語言與語言學的奇妙旅程。語言就像多姿多彩的萬花筒，有千變萬化的可能性，同時亦有規律與系統性。讓我們一起發掘不同的語言現象，尤其是粵語和英語中的有趣例子。

Episodes

  1. 14/01/2022

    Is there a seventh tone in Cantonese?

    One of our listeners asked, and so we answered! In this episode, Professor Matthews and Professor Yip explain the mysterious seventh tone and their take on whether it really exists in Cantonese.  Episode Transcript

    6 min

  2. 31/12/2021

    How many tones are there in Cantonese?

    Some people say there are 6 tones in Cantonese, some say there are 9. Why is that? In this episode, Professor Matthews weighs in on the debate and shares a few tricks to remember all of the tones.  Episode Transcript

    7 min

  3. 17/12/2021

    Learning Cantonese tones as a second language learner

    How hard is it to learn Cantonese and its tones? In this episode, Professor Matthews takes a walk down memory lane as he reflects on his journey as a Cantonese learner and how he and Professor Yip came to write a Cantonese grammar.  Episode Transcripts Cheung, Hung-Nin Samuel 張洪年 2007.香港粤語語法的研究  A Grammar of Cantonese as Spoken in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press. 增訂版. Matthews, Stephen and Virginia Yip. 2011. Cantonese: a Comprehensive Grammar. London: Routledge. 2nd edition [book website] Yip, Virginia and Stephen Matthews. 2007. The Bilingual Child: Early Development and Language Contact. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Reviews of Yip and Matthews (2007) include the following: ~ Francis, N. 2008.Journal of Child Language 35: 917-922. ~ Myers-Scotton, C. 2008. Journal of Linguistics 44: 791-796. ~ Logan-Terry, A. 2009 Studies in Second Language Acquisition 31: 507-508. ~ Li, A. 2011. Journal of Chinese Linguistics 39: 492-500. ~ Kupisch, Tanja. 2011. First Language 31: 373-376. ~ Field, Fredrick. 2012. Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages 27: 183-186 Yip, Virginia and Stephen Matthews. 2017a. Basic Cantonese: a Grammar and Workbook. London: Routledge. (eBook is available) Yip, Virginia and Stephen Matthews. 2017b. Intermediate Cantonese: a Grammar and Workbook. London: Routledge.

    6 min

  4. 10/12/2021

    Ideophones in Cantonese and English

    Ideophones are words that evoke a sensation with their sound. In this episode, Professor Matthews explains the phenomenon of ideophones in Cantonese, and how they convey color, taste, and so on.

    8 min

  5. 10/12/2021

    Reduplication and baby talk in Cantonese and English

    What do the recently named panda cubs "Huan Lili" and "Yuan Dudu", choo-choo trains, and baa baa black sheep have in common? They’re all cases of reduplication, which is the repetition of a syllable or a word. In this episode, let’s take a look at reduplication in Cantonese and English and why babies love it. Experiment by Prof. Usha Goswami at Cambridge University from BBC Earth Lab Cantonese: A Comprehensive Grammar Book Website

    6 min

  6. SEASON 1 TRAILER

    Trailer

    Get a taste of what you can expect from Language Kaleidoscope with Professor Virginia Yip and Professor Stephen Matthews.

    2 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Join award-winning linguists Professor Stephen Matthews and Professor Virginia Yip for an exploration of languages and linguistics. What we discover about language is like what we see through a kaleidoscope -- incredibly rich and colourful, but arranged in systematic patterns. Tune in to hear about fascinating linguistic phenomena, with a focus on Cantonese and English. 國際知名學者馬詩帆教授及葉彩燕教授將會和大家一同踏上探索語言與語言學的奇妙旅程。語言就像多姿多彩的萬花筒，有千變萬化的可能性，同時亦有規律與系統性。讓我們一起發掘不同的語言現象，尤其是粵語和英語中的有趣例子。

Information