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Learn Cantonese - the Norwegian way!


flameproof

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Norwegian Cecilie Gamst Berg teaches some years cantonese in Hong Kong. Recently she got a featured spot on RTHK 3 (Hong Kong Radio) and gives a lesson every Tuesday at 14:00 HK time. You can listen to it live (off course not in China were everything is banned) - or listen to the archive.....: (need to look for Tuesdays, first to the air was 11th July (I believe))

http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/program_archive.cgi?progdir=radio3/naked_lunch&event_name=Naked+Lunch+%0A

I will use HiDownload to save the files.

Hint: If you use a D/L manager, there will be 2 filed for each day. One ending with "13" and one ending "14". The lesson is in the block with "14", as it starts at 14:00 . The 60 Minute block is about 9Mb.

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Update - Update - Update - Update - Update

I start to listen to it now. 11.07. was not the first lesson. There were also lessons on 13.06. and 20.06. - I just added those 2 links below. I am still not sure if that is all.....

For ASF audio files (which play i.e. with MS Mediaplayer) you can go directly to the 2nd hour with following URLs, all known ones up to yesterdays 05.09.:

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20060613/2006061314.asf

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20060620/2006062014.asf

---

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20060711/2006071114.asf

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20060718/2006071814.asf

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20060725/2006072514.asf

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20060801/2006080114.asf

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20060808/2006080814.asf

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20060815/2006081514.asf

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20060822/2006082214.asf

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20060829/2006082914.asf

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20060905/2006090514.asf

The Realaudio stream starts with:

rtsp://59.188.18.228/rthk/200606/radio3/13/2006061314.ra

However, I can't get the RA audio. Could be because I don't have RealAudio installed though....

Update - Update - Update - Update - Update

Her lessons are (of course) quite basic - but really funny. She is a "joy to listen to person". She also has a homepage: http://www.happyjellyfish.com

She also wrote a book called "Blonde Lotus" - I like her quote: "Sexual intercourse can sometimes lead to closer acquaintance" - which is true!

http://www.happyjellyfish.com/blondelotus.htm

Listen and have fun with it!

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Hi, thanks so much flameproof, that's quite a nice and funny program to listen to.

You mentioned you were going to download the files. Were you able to do it? I can only listen to it but I can't get access to the file to save it. And I don't read Chinese so I can't get around the radio station website to find the archives...

Please let me know if you found a way to download the programs. If not, I might try to simply play it on my speakers and tape it on my mp3 recorder. Quality won't be perfect but at least I'll have them in mp3!

Thanks!

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>And I don't read Chinese so I can't get around the radio station website to find the archives...

You seem not to read much English either.....

The link is directly to the achives and in English. I also mentioned the programm I use for D/L. FlashGet is another one.

Cecilie is on holiday now. I don't know if they have canned any lessons. We'll see on Tuesday.... There is no fixed schedule on how long they go to run it, means as long as Cecilie is willing to do it it will take place.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Cecilie is still alive and talking. Obviously skandinavians don't hibernate. Here are her last few lessons....

26.09.

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20060926/2006092614.asf

03.10.

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20061003/2006100314.asf

10.10.

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20061010/2006101014.asf

17.10.

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20061017/2006101714.asf

It's a bit annoying that you have to listen to 1 hour radio to get to the core. But it is possible the edit the ASF file, i.e. with CoolEdit, cut out what you don't need, and safe it as MP3.

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  • 2 months later...

OK, I did not update here for some time, but Cecilie is still giving lessons and we can still enjoy the fun - and learn something too!

24/10

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20061024/2006102414.asf

31/10

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20061031/2006103114.asf

07/11

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20061107/2006110714.asf

14/11

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20061114/2006111414.asf

28/11

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20061128/2006112814.asf

12/12

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20061212/2006121214.asf

19/12

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20061219/2006121914.asf

01/09

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20070109/2007010914.asf

(no shows on 21/11, 05/12, 26/12, 02/01)

I D/L them all with GetFlash, cut out all the part I don't want, convert to MP3. A typical lesson is then 10-15 Minutes and I am glad my car CD can play MP3 CDs...

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Fishwife: A woman regarded as coarse and shrewishly abusive. Cool!

Så morsomt at du kan snakke norsk, Bryan.

I just want to say thanks for your support to flameproof and the other listeners to our RTHK program. We would like suggestions of words/situations you might be interested in.

Yes Cantonese and Norwegian are virtually indistinguishable, so when you're listening you never know if I'm speaking Cantonese the Norwegian way or vice versa. I don't know myself. I thought in our next show we could go to Macau and try to get beaten up by loansharks.

Bye-byyyyyyyyye!

Cecilie

甘茜蓮, esq.

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Thanks, flameproof, for the URL updates - i didn't know you were still updating them - will download right away and check out cool edit - I hate converting asf files to mp3-takes forever with my app...

Thanks, Cecile, for your great lessons. When I was little, a friend of our family's in the States was an old Norwegian man who had once worked in China, and Chinese people always said he spoke Cantonese like a native, which my dad said was because they both were tonal languages. Because I didn't know Chinese at the time, I had to just take their word for it - but you are living proof!

Now I wish I would have learned Norwegian as a kid. In our family it was only used by the old folks when they didn't want the barne to understand so my dad didn't learn it, and neither did I. Now I wish I did, not just for heritage's sake, but maybe it would have helped me with all those Chinese tones! Thanks again!

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Here are the latest 2 Cecilie airings:

01/16 (no canto, Cecilie presents her new book)

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20070116/2007011614.asf

01/23 (canto again, new years greetings)

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20070123/2007012314.asf

Here in my safe home I D/L the lessons, cut out all the the non-Cecilie stuff (incl. the news and music) and convert to a handy MP3 file. So far it's 25 MP3 and 185Mb.

I wonder if this can be made available to all learners which are technically more challanged. Sure, technically no problem, but I mean in terms of copyrights...

Cicilie, what you think? Is there a way?

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Ha ha, well you'd better ask my handler Sarah Passmore, it is she who rules the waves.

But I can't see why not? They're only words aren't they? To be honest I've never listened to the program as I don't have a radio and hearing oneself on tape is only marginally less excruciating than seeing oneself on film, so as far as I'm concerned, you can take them all! Provided you don't sell them. Or if you do, share the spoils with me.

Yes Sarah said there be an onslaught of new students after we started the programs. I think we started them... last....? So far the onslaught of new students has been: Zero.

That's why I have to write these books you see, so I have something to fall back on economically in 2047.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The next lesson ws of course on 30/01

mms://202.177.192.108/rthk/radio3/20070130/2007013014.asf

In the meantime I spoke to "Sarah" to check if I can make my cut out lessons available. But since RTHK is quite a large organization, and a public service run by public servants the answer could take some time, if ever...

On the positive side, because of the feedback, RTHK plans podcasts of all previous and new lessons in the very near future. Now that is great news!

And a VERY great thanks here to Cantofishwife to do those lessons for RTHK - and to join in here!

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All in a day's work, I'm sure! Meanwhile RTHK will very shortly set up a poddee castee where you can hear all the lessons, 28 and counting, in their entirety.

The name will be Naked Cantonese, and we might even have a visual treat for all our faithful listeners out there. Watch this space.

We're really pleased with the great reactions we've got so far and will work hard to make Naked Cantonese a global force to be reckoned with, and a (for me anyway) a weapon in the fight against linguistic imperialism.

A hundred years ago Norwegians looked down on their own language and preferred to use French, Swedish or Danish when they wanted to stand out from the plebs. The Norwegian language has since come into its own, and has rid itself of its former colonial Danish background. The Norwegian language now boosts a proud literary heritage on par with that of Britain or Ireland.

Several hundred years ago even English was but a frowned-upon dialect spoken by the poor: anybody worth their salt would speak French, or in religious matters, Latin. The English language used to be that of servants and serfs but is now ruling the world, if not in numbers of native speakers so at least in impact.

Cantonese is now under threat according to some people; every foreign person in Hong Kong who has ever expressed a wish to learn it will know what I mean. "You should learn Mandarin instead! Cantonese is useless!" is the knee-jerk reaction every would-be Canto learner hears everywhere.

I see today's Cantonese as the Norwegian of a hundred years ago, looked down upon as the language of the lower classes. We must protect and cherish it as the vibrant, fun and funky language it is, and not let it go the way of many other Chinese languages, deemed by the rulers and thereby the people, to be somehow inferior.

Putonghua is boring and set in stone. Cantonese is living, full-on, wild and strangely beautiful as well as the one constantly evolving within a language group - Chinese, whose written words haven't changed for thousands of years. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, boring Putonghua purists!

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Hello Cecilie,

I've read your book Blonde Lotus. You've got one interesting life. I still need to make the trip to Lantau Island to meet you, however, my Cantonese is currently substandard.

In regards to the RTHK production, I think the level is far too basic and there is simply too much English. I would prefer you teach either intermediate or advanced Canto using only Cantonese. If you keep teaching basic Cantonese, it doesn't really help and I think using too much English is kind of time wasting.

If you get a chance, please take a look at the MP3s my wife kindly records to boost my Cantonese listening comprehension. My listening skill is unfortunately now much more advanced than my 口窒窒 hau2 zat6 zat6 oral skills.

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In regards to the RTHK production, I think the level is far too basic and there is simply too much English.

To be fair, remember it's an English language radio station and the program also need to appeal to the not learning audience. Based on that, I say it's excellent.

If you want to learn more intermediate or advanced Cantonese, feel free to take my course any time. Teaching Cantonese is what I do for a living,

I was considering one of those pub meetings, but I am afraid of any excessive alcohol contact, which currently conflict with certain car driving regulations.

Cecilie, it would be good to see what's on offer. Your web page does not give many details. For me, the problem is always time. Evening classes are just too inconvenient. Some sort of "Cecilie run" ChinesePod.com would be great, but a bit more structured and less chaotic.

Her webpage is: http://www.happyjellyfish.com

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