Quick Guides to Mandarin, Bahasa Melayu and Shanghaiese

These two books are not exactly for bedside reading but if you are into languages and love learning and practising a few well chosen phrases in your next overseas trip, then perhaps you could find the time to dip into the pages of these two very practical books. Learning languages is a matter of interest and passion. Even a child can pick up some foreign phrases. So be a child again!!



Say It Right - A Quick Guide to Mandarin, Cantonese &
Shanghainese

Say It Right - A Quick Guide to Mandarin, Bahasa Melayu &
Bahasa Indonesia
Publisher: Times Editions - Marshall Cavendish


THE art of learning languages is a fascinating experience which many
desire to master but few ever achieve.
First, discipline is a prerequisite. Second, passion is a vital key.
Third, the importance of the right aids and tools can never be
overestimated.
Luckily, we are all living in an age where technology and intelligence
abound. The two books in this review are part of a learning process which
has benefited some of the more determined among us.
The two books have Mandarin as its main feature, the reason being that
Mandarin is the most widely-used language in the world. China has 1.3
billion people and Mandarin also opens many doors in Hong Kong, Macau,
Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Mandarin is known as putonghua in China and hua yu in Malaysia and
Singapore. In many parts of China, dialects still prevail. So is the case
in Singapore and Malaysia, but Mandarin is the bridge that links all gaps
created by dialects, hence its paramount importance.
The first volume encompasses Mandarin, Cantonese and Shanghainese. It
divides neatly into three categories the questions or remarks made under
the most common circumstances as experienced by travellers.
Let's take, as an example, the question "where is the restroom?". In
Mandarin, it is Wei sheng jian zai na li? Cantonese puts it as Sai sau gan
hai bin dou? And the Shanghainese would ask Ci su le gai sa di fang? Now
if you were in dire need of a restroom while sojourning in some remote
part of Shanghai, you would definitely need to make yourself understood.
This handy book may just add some relief to your life.
These guidebooks have neatly-organised chapters covering Basic Words,
Scenarios, At the Doctor's, Shopping and Social Settings. High marks are
given to its intelligent format, of which those who can converse in
Mandarin may find that their ability to make themselves understood with a
smattering of true Shanghainese can only elevate their status in the eyes
of the locals.
A close scrutiny of the various common expressions on popular topics
reveals that the Chinese, no matter what language or dialect they converse
in, are not that different after all. Any student of languages will tell
you that passion and interest lubricate the tongue and smoothen the
passage of communication.
In this region, notwithstanding the significant Chinese populations,
Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia hold sway in Brunei, Indonesia and
Malaysia.
Indonesia has thousands of islands and about 300 languages and dialects.
In a nation of about 210 million, Bahasa Indonesia acts as a common
platform on which the diverse ethnic and linguistic groups communicate
their wishes and fulfil daily needs.
Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia have been enriched over the centuries
by the adoption of Sanskrit, Arabic, Javanese and Dutch words. Thus today,
what may seem like "pure" is actually an amalgam of an evolutionary
linguistic process that started hundreds of years ago.
The second book of Say It Right opens avenues of communication that hold
endless surprises for those who love the spoken word. For example, if you
want to say "you have overcharged me", in Mandarin it is Ni duo suan wo
le. Bahasa Melayu puts it as Awak terlebih meminta bayaran dari saya. In
Bahasa Indonesia, it is Anda kelebihan menagih saya.
Both books are compact-sized and they can easily be tucked into your
hand luggage. All possible scenarios conceivable for any well-travelled
person are illustrated.
There's nothing more frustrating than not knowing how to tell the
person manning the counter that you are looking for an item for your wife.
Your near-zero knowledge of the local dialect results in the salesperson
staring at you as if you have just stepped off a space ship. Sign language
can only go so far.
If you want to learn more about the languages that have forged and still
form a common bond in Southeast Asia, then these two volumes of Say It
Right should be part of your travelling items.
Read, memorise, absorb and practise. Knowledge is now literally at your
fingertips. That's the fun part of travelling and learning.