I have decided to switch my language study from Cantonese to Mandarin. I had heard that Mandarin is easier than Cantonese because it has only four tones instead of nine. Also, Mandarin uses simplified characters, which is supposed to make it easier to become literate. And I wasn't progressing very well with Cantonese. I haven't been able to go much beyond basic greetings, numbers, and "Happy New Year."I had my first lesson a few days ago, using my new textbook, "Survival Mandarin." Any hope I had of Mandarin being easier than Cantonese were dashed after the first half-hour or so, as my teacher went over the tones. By my count, there are actually five tones. In addition, unlike Cantonese, Mandarin has a few rules where the tones change when placed in certain combinations.
Then there are the sounds themselves. I think that the actual vowel and consonant sounds of Cantonese are fairly easy for Westerners to reproduce, but I had a bit of a struggle with the Mandarin sounds. My tongue just doesn't curl naturally in the way it's supposed to when saying things like "zhi." There is a long pause right before I say those sounds, as I work my tongue up into the proper position (and try not to laugh as I do so!).
Even after this lesson, I'm still hopeful about doing better in Mandarin than I did in Cantonese. The sole reason for my optimism is the ton of extra material out there that will help me study (first described here). The bookshops are crammed with CDs and flash cards, and workbooks to help you learn the characters. I can also get apps for my iPhone, and download podcasts. I didn't find this so true of Cantonese, and in any event, the lack of standardized romanization made any extra study material just confusing.
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