Your reflection raises an important issue about minority (or not “officially” recognized) languages. It’s a relevant issue in Canada as well, especially among Indigenous peoples. What I’d like to see in the final sound journal reflection is to make a connection between your sound journal work and the lectures or readings.

body sound

City Sound

This is my native language. I am from China and my native language is not Mandarin but Cantonese. Cantonese is a very special language.It has nine tones, which are very different from Mandarin. So it's a very difficult language to learn. Mandarin is now the official language in China, although in my hometown, children have been taught Mandarin at school since childhood. Fewer people speak Cantonese. I am afraid that one day Cantonese will disappear. I recorded some monologues from Cantonese songs. I think adding monologues to a song makes it more emotional and makes the listener feel like they're not just listening to the music, but like someone is telling a story. Monologues can be perfectly integrated into Cantonese songs. In my recording, I said a few wrong words. I feel that I seldom speak Cantonese since I went to university. Everyone around me speaks Mandarin or English, and I feel that my Cantonese level has declined. Hopefully this language will be known and used by more people in the future.

Language Sound

Qiyun Zhang

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Mikko Kivisto

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