Question about the cantonese possessive word "ge"
Home New Posts
Login: Pass: Log in or register for standard view and full access.
anthonylok817 -
Hi, I am a ABC, and I only know how to speak cantonese. I do not know how to write or read in
chinese.
I just had a long discussion with my girlfriend, who speaks mandarin, about the word "ge" or "duh"
in mandarin.
First off, does the word "ge" spoken sound like "goh"? And "ge" is used to show possession correct?
So used in a sentence, would it be:
(Sorry, I do not know how to correctly transcribe the word, so I will write it as how I speak it)
----------------------------------------
1.) This dog is mine.
-Lee goh gou hay aw. (Cantonese)
or
-Lee goh gou hay aw goh. (Cantonese with the "goh" added at the end.)
-----------------------------------------
The reason I ask this is because my girlfriend says that in mandarin, they add a "duh" at the very
end to show the possession.
-------------------------------------------
2.) This dog is mine.
-Nee duh gou sih wo duh. (mandarin with the "duh" added at the end.)
--------------------------------------------
If it is true that we add the "goh" at the very end, then would it not end up translating like
this, leaving the sentence unfinished?
3.) Lee goh gou hay aw goh. (Cantonese)
-This dog is my.
Thanks for helping me out,
Anthony
Pleco Software Learn Chinese with our Dictionaries for Palm and Pocket PC.
Learn Chinese in China Learn to speak Chinese 1MonthChinese.com -Mandarin School in China.
Chinese Textbooks Wide range, cheap, varied languages. Also Chinese cartoons, toys, gifts.
Study Chinese in Beijing Affordable Mandarin language courses at BLCU with ChinaUnipath.com.
HNHSoft Dictionary Learn Chinese on Smartphone and PDA with real person's voice.
XueXueXue IQChinese Get beyond the plateau.Take your Mandarin to a new level.
Chinese in Lijiang Short term Chinese study in a beautiful town with a focus on daily life.
MandarinTube Chinese Access to current everyday Chinese language and culture, 24/7.
Learn Chinese Homestay Chinese course, cultural activities & volunteer events in China.
Learn Chinese Online 1-on-1 instant tutoring, diverse courses, native teachers. FREE trial now!
Nihao Chinese Progam Free one-on-one Chinese lesson. Win 5-years of free lessons now!
About Ads (and how to hide them) -- Your message here
lgna2000 -
I think it pronounce in pinyin "de1".like simple chinese 的.Yeah, it represents possession.
skylee -
Quote:
First off, does the word "ge" spoken sound like "goh"? And "ge" is used to show possession correct?
It is pronounced as "ge", though depending on its function the tone can be different. Sometimes it
can be pronounced 個 "goh", sometimes not.
Quote:
(Sorry, I do not know how to correctly transcribe the word, so I will write it as how I speak it)
The character is 嘅, which is a cantonese character (i.e. not used in the standard language).
Quote:
1.) This dog is mine.
-Lee goh gou hay aw. (Cantonese)
or
-Lee goh gou hay aw goh. (Cantonese with the "goh" added at the end.)
Neither is right, as the count word for "dog" in cantonese is not "goh". In cantonese the sentence
is 哩隻狗係我嘅 (lei zek gao hai ngo ge, expressed in jyutping). You can see that the count
word is 隻/zek, not 個/go/goh. The possession is shown by the 嘅/ge at the end of the sentence.
In mandarin, the sentence is 這隻狗是我的. The structure is exactly the same. Your
girlfriend is right. And do note that in Cantonese I/me is not "aw", it actually has "ng" before
the vowels.
Quote:
2.) This dog is mine.
-Nee duh gou sih wo duh. (mandarin with the "duh" added at the end.)
I suppose you meant to express it in mandarin. Please note that "this" in mandarin is not "Nee".
It is 這/zhe. I would think that what you have written means 你的狗是我的, which translates
to "Your dog is mine".
Quote:
If it is true that we add the "goh" at the very end, then would it not end up translating like
this, leaving the sentence unfinished?
3.) Lee goh gou hay aw goh. (Cantonese)
-This dog is my.
No it would not. But do note that your cantonese version is incorrect. It should be
哩隻狗係我嘅 (lei zek gao hai ngo ge, expressed in jyutping), as mentioned above.
If you want to learn more about cantonese, this website might be useful (personally though I don't
use it as I am a native speaker).
Woodpecker -
Quote:
Originally Posted by skylee
And do note that in Cantonese I/me is not "aw", it actually has "ng" before the vowels.
I understand there is a mixture of pronunciation with some speakers saying "oh" and others "ngoh",
although "ngoh" is correct. On the other hand I'm still learning the language, so...
Also, in this sentence:
Quote:
1.) This dog is mine.
-Lee goh gou hay aw. (Cantonese)
Shouldn't it be "Ni jek gau haih ngoh ge" (In Yale) with "Ni" instead of "Lee"?
Quest -
嘅 and 的 are pretty much identical except in Cantonese, measure words sometimes function as
possessive with 嘅 omitted.
我【嘅嗰】只狗叫旺财。(cantonese)
我的【那只】狗叫旺财。(mandarin)
L-F-J -
Quote:
Shouldn't it be "Ni jek gau haih ngoh ge" (In Yale) with "Ni" instead of "Lee"?
N's are often pronounced as L's in spoken cantonese.
Woodpecker -
Quote:
Originally Posted by L-F-J
N's are often pronounced as L's in spoken cantonese.
Ah, thanks
trien27 -
You have posted the exact same question at another forum haven't you? I have seen the exact same
question elsewhere. At this other forum, there's many answers given and if it was you, then you
really need to LEARN to WRITE and READ in Chinese. If not, then it's just the same question posted
by 2 different people. Besides your Cantonese isn't really correct. It's never LEI, it's NEI.
Quote:
N's are often pronounced as L's in spoken cantonese.
That's wrong. It should be N, instead of L, but most people also speak either Mandarin or other
Chinese dialects or subdialects, so they might have been influenced by that. I always speak
Cantonese with an N when it should be an N sound, not an L sound. People call those "lazy sounds",
but that's incorrect as far as I know.
Can someone please read this if you still insist on pronouncing it with an "L" sound, when it's
supposed to be "N" sound: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Ko...#Pronunciation
Woodpecker -
Quote:
You have posted the exact same question at another forum haven't you?
Not guilty, unless you can link to the specific thread? I'm not the only 'Woodpecker' on the
internet.
sebhk -
Quote:
That's wrong. It should be N, instead of L, but most people also speak either Mandarin or other
Chinese dialects or subdialects, so they might have been influenced by that. I always speak
Cantonese with an N when it should be an N sound, not an L sound. People call those "lazy sounds",
but that's incorrect as far as I know.
In theory it might be incorrect to pronounce 你 as lei, but in Hong Kong 你 is pronounced with a
'n' only by some older people (60+), Chinese teachers, and a few guys who strongly object to lazy
sounds. Most other people pronounce 你 as lei now and in fact it has been a while since I last
heard anybody use nei. So IMHO using the 'l' and other lazy sounds is the de facto standard in
Hong Kong Cantonese now. Not sure about the situation across the border though.
All times are GMT +8. The time now is 04:52 PM.
chinese language, learning chinese china, HSK, learn chinese writing, learn chinese characters, HSK Exam, chinese school, teach chinese, chinese schools, learn mandarin, learning mandarin, learning chinese, study in chinese, learn chinese abroad, speak chinese, chinese studies, how to learn chinese, learn chinese china, learn chinese online, chinese language online, learn chinese in china, study chinese online, chinese language program, chinese language school, chinese language schools, chinese speaking, learn chinese, learn mandarin online, learn to write chinese, beijing chinese language school, chinese language china, chinese language classes, chinese language courses, chinese language learning,
