Chinese (Can) Phase 1, Unit 01-05

Learn to Speak and Understand Cantonese Chinese with Pimsleur Language Programs

By: Pimsleur

Narrated by: Pimsleur

Length: 2 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

The Pimsleur® Method: the easiest, fastest way to learn a new language. Completely portable, easily downloadable, and lots of fun. You’ll be speaking and understanding in no time flat! Each lesson in Cantonese Chinese Phase 1, Units 1-5 provides 30 minutes of spoken language practice, with an introductory conversation, and new vocabulary and structures. Detailed instructions enable you to understand and participate in the conversation. Each lesson contains practice for vocabulary introduced in previous lessons. The emphasis is on pronunciation and comprehension, and on learning to speak Cantonese Chinese.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©1999 Simon & Schuster (P)1999 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Pimsleur programs provide plenty of positive reinforcement that will keep learners on track, and we found that Pimsleur gave us more proficiency and confidence in speaking the new language than any of the other language programs we reviewed." ( AudioFile magazine)

The Lesson Plans and Format are Well Structured. But people don’t really talk this way.

The only reason I’m giving this an overall 4 star rating is because I’m grading on a curve. There isn’t much else out there for Cantonese language courses.

I gave the performance 3 stars because the
male narrator is a 2/5 stars and the female narrator is about 4/5 stars.

The “story” rating is based on the introductory vocabulary the authors chose to include. I gave it 2 stars because it didn’t include key basics terms if you were a tourist.

For the first lesson, I would expect to learn the basics of any conversation, like the following: hello, goodbye, excuse me, thank you, asking for directions, asking for help, introducing yourself, saying nice to meet you, pardon my accent I am American, and just the basics. The vocabulary word choices are odd. They are useful but you would have to have a baseline knowledge of Cantonese to understand or catch how they use the term in a sentence.

I have heard good things about this particular language series. I do like the format and structure they use to teach the language. And it’s much more organized and easier to follow than other instructional guides. There aren’t very many options for Cantonese language courses. Of the ones available on audible, this is probably the best option.

BUT, it requires supplementation with a more modern day conversational course that also includes Cantonese “slang terms.”

I’m trying to brush up on my vocabulary. I am a native speaker but I wanted to expand my vocabulary since I only know what my dad and grandma taught me growing up. I’m hoping that the more advanced lessons would be more helpful for my goals.

As a native speaker of Cantonese, I noticed quite a few glaring errors in tones, pitch, and emphasis of sounds when the male narrator was speaking. The female narrator is better. But the lessons have both narrators using strange terms that people don’t really use in real life conversation. don’t talk that way in real life. Sometimes, it sounds too textbook. Other times, they are way too familiar with one another and that could be interpreted as rude. I’m picky about vocabulary and using it correctly in the right context. There’s a difference in,” No thank you,” vs. “No, I don’t want to.” And the terms aren’t interchangeable. The lessons don’t account for context.

The female narrator does a much better job of using the correct tones and emphasis on terms in her manner of speech.

The guy is just kinda weird and creepy. He speaks way too fast and is a bit rude. It’s not okay to go around saying “Hey Lady. Do you or don’t you want to go to my place for drinks?” That’s just NOT ok. And small differences in tone and pitch can mean a completely different word. The male narrator doesn’t have enough variation in his tones, pitch, or emphasis on the tonal quality of the language. speed at which he speaks to correctly convey the lessons. Cantonese is a very tonal language. And placing the correct emphasis on certain parts of a word are just as important when speaking Cantonese. He speaks way too quickly which makes him sound monotone.

Overall: 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This teaching format is well structured. It’s a good pace for a student. Each lesson starts with a review of key takeaways from the previous lesson. The lesson plan format is easy to follow. BUT, people don’t really talk this way. Since there aren’t very many instructional options for Cantonese, I’m being generous with my rating. It might be helpful to supplement this series with a course in modern Cantonese Slang?

Performance: 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The male narrator gets 2 stars and the female narrator gets 4 stars.

Story: 2 stars ⭐️ ⭐️
The introductory vocabulary in lessons 1-6 don’t include enough basic key terms to get around if you’re a tourist. But the title does say “Review.” It’s a decent review of some vocabulary.

could be better, but not bad

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

If you're a visual learner, you can probably find a better language learning series than Pimsleur, but if you do buy this, you will learn, although perhaps not as fast as you could.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The words and phrases that it starts off with are not really the one's I'd tend to start with in a new country. THANK YOU is one of the most important phrases one can know. People appreciate when you can say that even if you can say nothing else. And you'll find you'll use that a LOT!!

Did Chinese (Can) Phase 1, Unit 01-05 inspire you to do anything?

Yes. It's inspired me to see if I can find a language learning system that is more aligned with the way I learn and use language. I don't mean that in a disparaging way. I just don't think Pimsleur is a good match for me. I'm glad Audible has this and I was able to pick it up in a pinch and listen to it discretely even if I wasn't learning as fast as I might have with another system.

too simple, too little content

What would have made Chinese (Can) Phase 1, Unit 01-05 better?

include more information, Cantonese lessons 101 is much better choice

What could Pimsleur have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

more vocabulary would be helpful. I wasted one full hour, only to learn a few words which I can learn in 5 min

Which character – as performed by Pimsleur – was your favorite?

NA, not a fiction book

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Chinese (Can) Phase 1, Unit 01-05?

NA

Any additional comments?

no

Chinese friends told me not to continue

I loved the method and was super excited to be making progress. Then I tried to use some of it with my Cantonese speaking friend and they told me I was using odd words and the pronunciation was weird. I thought maybe I was butchering the language but after playing the audio for my friend they told me the speakers sounded odd as well. I decided to return it. Ill try something else.