This book is the first publication on record that systematically and comprehensively addresses the acquisition and development of Cantonese in early childhood. It draws upon evidence from up-to-date reviews of associated literature, on the outcomes of numerous research studies conducted by the authors and on the outcomes of an in-depth study of the largest corpus of early childhood Cantonese. To supplement and illuminate published trends in the literature, carefully gathered reliable and valid empirical data are critically scrutinized. The evidence is used to clarify and examine theoretical assumptions and to outline putative developmental trends in early childhood Cantonese pragmatics.

This large-format book is perfect for introducing new learners and children to their first words in spoken Cantonese. Encourage your child to be bilingual by introducing Cantonese words at an early age, through colourful illustrations and photos that make the vocabulary fun and easy to learn. Over 400 words are written in traditional Chinese, accompanied by the Jyutping pronunciation and English translation. You can scan the QR codes at the back of the book to hear the words spoken by a native speaker, and play the audio whilst you are reading along to help with pronunciation. Topics include: Colours Shapes Numbers to 100 and beyond Seasons Months Days of the week Time Weather Nature Solar system Parts of the body Feelings Relatives and family tree Animals Insects Ocean life Vehicles Sea & air transport Fruit Vegetables Food Clothes

Accurately differentiate between errors that are related to second-language influence or are due to a communication disorder. Is your student having difficulty because they have an impairment or because they are learning a second language? Improve instructional targets for culturally and linguistically diverse students in the general education classroom as well as make gains and improve referrals for special education. The framework used in this book makes it easy for any education professional to distinguish between language differences and language disorders regardless of your own language background.

Written for local students of early childhood education, kindergarten teachers and child care workers, this book presents a detailed picture of normal early child development in Hong Kong. The information will help the understanding of Chinese children aged between three and six years, and can be used to prepare develop-mentally appropriate learning activities.

FROM THE BACK COVER A heart-warming story about one little girl who celebrates her birthday with family and friends. Today is a special day for this little girl: she's turning ten and all of her family and friends are coming to her birthday party! She greets each of the guests as they arrive with birthday cake and presents. After a fun filled day of fun and games, it's time to pack up and go home, a little older and wiser. Perfect for Cantonese speakers and bilingual/multilingual families who want to encourage their children to speak more Cantonese. Children ages 2 to 6 will love the fun and engaging rhyme of the everyday conversational Cantonese phrases. Designed for non-native speakers and native speakers who struggle with reading Chinese. Phonetic Jyutping romanisation is included alongside Traditional Chinese to help with pronunciation. No dictionary required! Visit www.catlikestudio.com/readalong/ for the free read-along audio books in Cantonese and English.ABOUT THE AUTHOR Deborah Lau was born in Hong Kong but grew up in Australia. As a child, she loved to read but hated Chinese school: there was too much rote memorisation and not enough fun. When her daughter turned 3, Deborah searched for Chinese/bilingual books like her beloved English children's classics: captivating stories with vivid characters told in everyday language?but she struggled. Most are written for Mandarin speakers or assume the adult reader is fluent-and she can't even read the Chinese menu in a restaurant. It was hard to keep her daughter interested when she always had to stop reading to look up or explain the Chinese characters and phrases (especially since standard written Chinese is very different to spoken Cantonese). So she wrote a book they could read together?without a dictionary!

Is this the right course for me? This new and improved Edition of Complete Cantonese will take you effortlessly from beginner to confident speaker. Whether you are starting from scratch, or are just out of practice, Complete Cantonese will guarantee success! It is fully updated to make your language experience fun and interactive. You can still rely on the benefits of a top language teacher with years of teaching experience, but now with added learning features within the course and online. The course is structured in thematic units and the emphasis is placed on communication, so that you effortlessly progress from introducing yourself and dealing with everyday situations to using the phone and talking about work. This course uses the widely-accepted Yale Romanisation system and includes a helpful pronunciation guide at the beginning of the textbook. By the end of this course, you will be at Level B2 of the Common European Framework for Languages: can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and interactive features: Not got much time? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started Author insights Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. Grammar tips Easy-to-follow building blocks to give you a clear understanding. Useful vocabulary Easy to find and learn, to build a solid foundation for speaking. Dialogues Read and listen to everyday dialogues to help you speak and understand fast. Pronunciation Don't sound like a tourist! Perfect your pronunciation before you go. Test yourself Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress Extend your knowledge Extra online articles at to give you a richer understanding of the culture and history of China. Try this Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

Although Chinese societies have generally become striking as the classic over-achievers in international measures of academic performance, there has been no specialised publication exploring early childhood curriculum in Chinese contexts. Through this book, readers will learn more about how the Chinese context and culture collide with educators’ beliefs about the right activities for children and educators in early childhood settings. This book will be the first one of its kind to focus on early childhood curriculum in Chinese societies – from social context and culture to reforms and practices, and finally to the lessons that researchers, policymakers and practitioners could learn, as well as future directions. Is play valued? Are young children schooled earlier in Chinese societies? How do Chinese children learn in kindergartens? What is valued by Chinese educators when they implement early childhood curricula? How do Chinese teachers deliver early childhood curricula for their young children? Why were Chinese early childhood curricula implemented in these ways? Answers to these questions and more will be provided in this pioneering book.