Learning Chaoshanhua?

Gabriel just posted a comment on ‘Hello again!’ about a comprehensive Chaoshan dictionary. I have made several serious attempts to study Chaoshanhua, and in the last attempt actually made good progress, until I found I couldn’t satisfactorally split my language learning time between two languages so decided to learn to write Mandarin.

What stopped me the other times is that no one knows the tones of Chaoshanhua these days, they just speak it. What kept me going the last time is a book and tape set that I found in one of the Xinhua bookshops. There’s no point in me telling you which one, even if I could remember, because they won’t order anything in for you, you just have to go with what’s on the bookshelves at the time. But you can get them to check if they have it if you speak really nicely.

It’ll be in the audio section. Chao zhou hua yi yue tong (潮州话一月通). Chaoshanhua, Mandarin and English. Forgotten the price. The units start off simple, unlike the vcd book I have, and the tones are pinned reasonably accurately - and the tapes let you hear them, so you can learn to differentiate, although friends can only tell you if you’re right or wrong, not How.

I also have a Chaoshanhua dictionary! A student gave it to me when I told him I was learning. Chaoshan 18 Tone Dictionary. (Chaoshan shibayin zidian 潮汕十八音字典) 18 tones? Have I translated that wrong? It has about 8, right?

Interestingly, there are spaces under many of pinyin sounds - for the reader to add their own? It’s from Chaoshanhua to Mandarin. 30rmb.