Learning Cantonese via DVD

DVD's are a fine example of consumer technology making a leap forward.  For the same price as a video cassette, you can now buy the same film on DVD with some or all of the following benefits:

• Anamorphic widescreen picture - without getting too technical, this means that on a widescreen TV, the picture quality should look absolutely stunning.
• Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS surround sound - if you have a decent sound setup you will be able to recreate a cinematic soundscape in your home.
• Extras - consumer demand has meant that film companies are now almost obliged to include a variety of "extras" on the disc.  These can be as simple as a few still photographs behind the scenes of a film, the original theatrical trailer or full length documentaries and other programmes.

However, as students of Cantonese, the features of DVD that should interest us most are:

• Multiple soundtracks - because more information can fit on a single disc, it is now normal to be able to choose which language to play.  This means discs are more likely to have a full Cantonese soundtrack.
• Multiple subtitles - again, many discs now contain an option for chinese subtitling.

These two features mean in is possible to watch a film in Cantonese with English subtitles and see how many phrases you understand.  You can also listen to the film in English with Chinese subtitles and use your pause button to see if you recognise any of the characters.

These methods are by no means foolproof as the translations can vary widely to what is actually being said.  However, this website is assuming that you are a beginner and at this level it is only reasonable to expect to recognise a few words or phrases.  

Even the process of listening to Cantonese being spoken fast and fluently can be incredibly useful and it is genuinely encouraging when you understand a few words from a sentence being spoken at what seems like 300 words per minute!  In the same way, if you try and read the Chinese subtitles you should be able to recognise single characters and some sentences will definitely begin to make sense when you can hear the english translation.

Here are a few tips on using DVD's to help you learn.

• Try and watch a film you have an interest in.  If you are spending an hour or more trying to learn you may as well enjoy the film!  Personally I am a fan of Kung Fu films, and there is no finer source than Hong Kong Legends - their discs generally contain a lot of extras as well as a superb main presentation of the film.
• If you do recognise a spoken phrase, repeat it aloud as this will help your accent and use of tones.
• You can watch and listen to films on your computer if you have a DVD drive and some suitable software.  
• Don't bother trying to write out any of the Chinese subtitles as you have no way of telling what the exact translation is (the chinese subtitles, cantonese soundtrack, english soundtrack and english subtitles will often all be different for a given sentence - this is inevitable for various reasons).  Your textbooks will be better for this kind of revision.  Instead, use the subtitles to speed up your recognition of individual characters and occasionally pause a simple sentence to see if you can understand the way it is written.