HamBaangLaang is a rare and unique set of booklets for families and learners interested in learning spoken Cantonese.
Text is deliberately written in "colloquial/spoken" Cantonese (口語/白話), instead of standard written Chinese (書面) typically found in traditionally published books. This is helpful for families who do not read Chinese, to be able to narrate these stories in a more "natural" spoken Cantonese way.
A "Colloquial/Written Comparison" reference is included at the back of every booklet for those who do want to learn what the equivalent written text would be. Useful for those interested in eventually pursuing Chinese literacy later on.
Every book also includes jyutping, displayed in a unique and intuitive format to better visualize the Cantonese tones. Cantonese/English audio is available for free if you need to hear native pronunciation.
The booklets are graded by levels of difficulty in spoken vocabulary based on the Hong Kong education system. Level 1 corresponds to Lower Kindergarten, Level 2 & 3 corresponds to Upper Kindergarten, and Levels 4 & 5 corresponds to Primary 1.
Created in Hong Kong, stories also often highlight local customs and everyday life, (e.g. uniquely local transportation like red minibuses and star ferries!), making this collection not only a great introduction to the spoken language, but also the culture in Hong Kong!
