learning chinese

[donnam]

my boyfriend is a linguist. He currently speaks European languages only. He has been interested in learning a Chinese language as there are increasing business opportunities in this area of the world. I am trying to find a teacher for him in the Birmingham area, but I'm not sure if I should be looking for Cantonese or Mandarin. Any clues as to which would be most useful?

[Beswad]

Cantonese use to be the official language in Hong Kong but after the handover to China school children are now taught Mandarin.

So the safest bet is to learn Mandarin as it's China's official language.

[Bangkok]

In Asia, recruiters are far more interested in Mandarin as a skill, and most young Cantonese also speak Mandarin

[Laura-sakura]

mandarin

[Emily Ball]

Tell him to enquire at Brasshouse Passage off Broad Street in the city centre. Tel.no. will be in the directory.Mandarin is taught there- Beginners and advanced..

[Emily Ball]

Coincidentally, my son is improving his Mandarin and learning Japanese there and a letter arrived for him today with the full address :-

Brasshouse Language Centre

50 Sheepcote St.

Birmingham

B16 8AJ

tel.no.  0121 3030114

[alice-hk]

Mandarin is more popular and is widely spoken. Usually if students go to school to learn Chinese they are taught Mandarin. But on the other hand, not too manny are able to speak Cantonese and Cantonese is quite important as Hong Kong is one of the major financial centers.

[Sherry13]

Actually,i am very delighted to answer this question.As a student who has studied Chinese for more than 10 years, i am entitled to say that you should learn Mandarin other than Cantonese.Because Mandarin is much more widely used in the mainland while Cantonese is only popular in Guangdong Province.Indeed,for the beginners,you should try online Chinese lessons first.That will be very helpful for your study.
http://www.echineselearning.com/free-trial/