Cantonese (was Re: Multi-Lingos)

In a message dated 2000/08/21 04:33:18 PM, Oskar wrote:

>This is one reason why I love Cantonese; there's no "right way to say it"
>and just mix in any language you like. Because "prestigious Cantonese"
>hardly exists (or at least it's not ever-present in the mind of its
>speakers, as in the case of Icelanders and probably Greeks too).
    My Dad (Cantonese-Indonesian) says Cantonese are the more "cosmopolitan
(in a rough way)" and  more adventuresome of all the Chinese peoples
[explains why there are so many Cantonese all over the world].
    He also says Cantonese is a "gutter language." (I gather he means it in a
gruff affectionate British Colonialist's fashion).
    I have noticed that my Dad's Cantonese speaking is always rougher (in
every sense of the word) than his use of English and his limited use of
Mandarin and Malay. He sometimes uses Cantonese - rather than English - with
a lot of Houston-area Chinese-Americans to make a point (he argues with a
lotta Chinese-Americans for one reason or another...)  They usually look
either stunned or shocked at his language (ab)usage.

    czHANg