Out of Gas screwup

[Xanderic]

I was rewatching the Series again the other week and I noticed that everything they say in Chinese is in Mandarin. When the Firefly's life support system goes down, it goes into Cantonese not Mandarin lol.

[Morbo]

Omgwtfbbq!!!

[newtrekker]

I was rewatching the Series again the other week and I noticed that everything they say in Chinese is in Mandarin. When the Firefly's life support system goes down, it goes into Cantonese not Mandarin lol.

Isn't that cause Cantonese and Mandarin are the most popular dialects of Chinese?

[The Signal]

No one even said that everything was mandarin, its only shown as being the most commonly used, so how can choosing a different dialect be a mistake?

[mckaychick]

Really i didnt even notice that. I was too buisy catching all the other bloppers to even notice wow.

[Xanderic]

Mandarin is more widely used than Cantonese. Cantonese is mainly used in the Hong Kong region. Mandarin and other village dialects are used throughout the rest of China and Taiwan.

I believe Joss Whedon said in an interview that the setting of Firefly was that only China and US was the only 2 superpowers left and everyone had to learn Mandarin and English so people were able to flip between Mandarin and English so easily.

[sueKay]

Cantonese and Mandarin aren't Chinese dialects...they're entirely different languages.

[Xanderic]

Cantonese and Mandarin aren't Chinese dialects...they're entirely different languages.

not really. They use the same written language. It's the speaking that's different. Mandarin has about 4 or 5 different levels? whereas Cantonese has 7 to 9+.. that's why you can easily tell which language is being spoken. Mandarin is spoken faster and sort of in a slur since there's so few levels. It sounds a bit more 'elegant' in comparison though. Cantonese is more slower and more pronunciated and as such, clearer. Sometimes, people speaking Cantonese sound like they're fighting. It's been said that a Cantonese person can learn Mandarin easier but it's harder for a Mandarin person to learn Cantonese because of the levels. I am Cantonese but I can't really read/write the language... I rely on memorizing as much as I can and I can read and order Chinese food which is basically what I'd need to survive. Firefly's Mandarin is sometimes lost on me as I don't really know what is being said.

[newtrekker]

Cantonese and Mandarin aren't Chinese dialects...they're entirely different languages.

It says here they are dialects of Chinese.

Definition for Cantonese:
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=e...e+Search&meta=

Definition for Mandarin, it's the last definition:
http://www.google.com.au/search?num=...G=Search&meta=

[sueKay]

Hmm...how come one of my closest friends is completely fluent in Cantonese (it's her first language) but can't speak Mandarin.

She says all the two have in common are the symbols but besides that they're completely different.

[Kirath]

I was rewatching the Series again the other week and I noticed that everything they say in Chinese is in Mandarin. When the Firefly's life support system goes down, it goes into Cantonese not Mandarin lol.

You're assuming it was a screw-up and not completely intentional. The multi-cultural aspect of the show was important to Joss Whedon and China(half the alliance) has two languages. It was probably his way of putting Cantonese into the show without having the actors learn both languages.

[mckaychick]

You're assuming it was a screw-up and not completely intentional. The multi-cultural aspect of the show was important to Joss Whedon and China(half the alliance) has two languages. It was probably his way of putting Cantonese into the show without having the actors learn both languages.

yeah that could be true

[Xanderic]

Hmm...how come one of my closest friends is completely fluent in Cantonese (it's her first language) but can't speak Mandarin.

She says all the two have in common are the symbols but besides that they're completely different.

See post above. Written is same. Speech is different. And a lot of Canto's can't speak Mando and vice versa. Once you're used to one, it's hard to understand the other unless your family speaks both. One of my friends... her mom's mando... dad's canto... parents speak chinglish... she speaks all 3 plus French since it's Canada's 2nd official language.

[Xanderic]

You're assuming it was a screw-up and not completely intentional. The multi-cultural aspect of the show was important to Joss Whedon and China(half the alliance) has two languages. It was probably his way of putting Cantonese into the show without having the actors learn both languages.

I have thought it might be intentional... considering how Mal buys Serenity from a Junkyard... that says that the firefly class is pretty old and therefore, before the alliance (or just after), the firefly was made. At that time, Canto may have been a language before... and then eventually through time, Canto usage decreased and went into existinction. The firefly may have been made in some cheap Canto speaking place.... sort of like a Railway production line with the Chinese (talking about US and the railway here)... only this time it's with ships.

[Madeleine]

Hmm...how come one of my closest friends is completely fluent in Cantonese (it's her first language) but can't speak Mandarin.

She says all the two have in common are the symbols but besides that they're completely different.

That's what I'd always understood; and I believe Japanese is also written the same.