Hi, long time user, just signed up to the forums.
Bit of a detailed question here.
I'm transcribing some kids songs I have on VCD, so I can sing along. There are subtitles provided on the video, but they aren't always accurate. The kids sitting them obviously weren't singing from the lyrics - there are a couple of extra "aa" syllables that weren't transcribed, for example.
The melody follows the rhythms and tonality of Cantonese speech exceptionally well, almost like a schoolyard chant was converted to pentatonic. So the high level toned (1) syllables are all on a "mi" note, mid-high level (3) on "do" or "re", low-mid (6) mostly on low "la", low level (4) on a low "so", and sliding notes for some of the rising tones.
The middle line of the piece is subtitled
鷄仔大我拎去賣
Which would be pronounced "gai1 zai2 daai6 ngo5 ning1/ling1 heoi3 maai6". This would make sense as a phrase - "(When) the chickens are grown, I take them to be sold".
But what I hear the kids singing for 拎 has a clear "e" (jyutping) vowel in it like "leng". It is sung on the same note as "鷄" and other high level toned words in the song, making me think it's probably a high (1) tone word. Before I started transcribing, I actually thought it might even be 爹, as in 我爹去賣(鷄仔). But listening more closely, it sounds like "leng1" or even "lek1". Other versions of this song I've found on the Internet say 拎 or 拧 (sometimes still pronounced slightly like "leng1" or "lek1") or even 叻 although I don't quite see how the latter makes sense. Is there such a reading of 拎, or if not, any idea what word it could be?
Thanks in advance,
Jean
This is the song in question. Anyone know it?
氹氹轉(呀)菊花園
炒米餅(呀)糯呀糯米團
五月初五係龍舟節啊
阿媽佢叫我去睇
我唔去睇
我要睇鷄仔
鷄仔大我拎去賣
賣得幾多錢
賣咗幾多隻呀
我有隻風車仔
佢轉得好好睇
睇佢氹氹轉呀菊花園
睇佢氹氹轉呀氹氹轉又轉
I really like the song because of the way the melody follows the spoken Cantonese as I mentioned above, which makes me think maybe it's a traditional tune. This is compared to some other songs on the same set of discs, which have European tunes such as Frère Jacques and London Bridge, or others which are probably translations from Mandarin. I wish I could transcribe the melody as well as the lyrics here for you all to enjoy, but font spacing issues probably make that difficult. Feel free to search on YouTube instead.
Bit of a detailed question here.
I'm transcribing some kids songs I have on VCD, so I can sing along. There are subtitles provided on the video, but they aren't always accurate. The kids sitting them obviously weren't singing from the lyrics - there are a couple of extra "aa" syllables that weren't transcribed, for example.
The melody follows the rhythms and tonality of Cantonese speech exceptionally well, almost like a schoolyard chant was converted to pentatonic. So the high level toned (1) syllables are all on a "mi" note, mid-high level (3) on "do" or "re", low-mid (6) mostly on low "la", low level (4) on a low "so", and sliding notes for some of the rising tones.
The middle line of the piece is subtitled
鷄仔大我拎去賣
Which would be pronounced "gai1 zai2 daai6 ngo5 ning1/ling1 heoi3 maai6". This would make sense as a phrase - "(When) the chickens are grown, I take them to be sold".
But what I hear the kids singing for 拎 has a clear "e" (jyutping) vowel in it like "leng". It is sung on the same note as "鷄" and other high level toned words in the song, making me think it's probably a high (1) tone word. Before I started transcribing, I actually thought it might even be 爹, as in 我爹去賣(鷄仔). But listening more closely, it sounds like "leng1" or even "lek1". Other versions of this song I've found on the Internet say 拎 or 拧 (sometimes still pronounced slightly like "leng1" or "lek1") or even 叻 although I don't quite see how the latter makes sense. Is there such a reading of 拎, or if not, any idea what word it could be?
Thanks in advance,
Jean
This is the song in question. Anyone know it?
氹氹轉(呀)菊花園
炒米餅(呀)糯呀糯米團
五月初五係龍舟節啊
阿媽佢叫我去睇
我唔去睇
我要睇鷄仔
鷄仔大我拎去賣
賣得幾多錢
賣咗幾多隻呀
我有隻風車仔
佢轉得好好睇
睇佢氹氹轉呀菊花園
睇佢氹氹轉呀氹氹轉又轉
I really like the song because of the way the melody follows the spoken Cantonese as I mentioned above, which makes me think maybe it's a traditional tune. This is compared to some other songs on the same set of discs, which have European tunes such as Frère Jacques and London Bridge, or others which are probably translations from Mandarin. I wish I could transcribe the melody as well as the lyrics here for you all to enjoy, but font spacing issues probably make that difficult. Feel free to search on YouTube instead.