Today was the first day of Cantonese class. A friend sent me information about the class and I decided to join because I've been living in Hong Kong for one year and still know very little Cantonese; it's a bit embarrassing. I think it would be rude to not, at least, learn the basics. I've been apprehensive about trying up to this point because Chinese is very different from English. There is no alphabet and pitch directions play a significant role in proper pronunciation. Since I am a music teacher, I feel that I should be able to grasp these pitch directions a bit better, but it is still difficult. In class, I took notes as fast as I could and even brought a voice recorder so that I could practice throughout the week.

One of the first phrases we learned was "Lay ho ma^" (How are you?). It was explained to me that "ma" is an expressive word that has no meaning, but is placed at the end of some phrases. When saying the entire phrase, the pitch direction of "ma" should go up. After listening to and repeating the teacher, it occurred to me that these three syllables sound like the first three pitches of the song "Dona Nobis Pacem" (Grant us Peace). BAM! When I was able to relate this new phrase to a melody I was already familiar with, I felt connected to the inherent musicality of the Cantonese language. I knew that Cantonese was very melodic, but this was the first time I experienced it through my own voice.

As I practice throughout the week and attend classes every Sunday through December, I hope to more closely experience the musicality and beauty of the Cantonese language.