The course is designed for beginning learners of Cantonese who do not speak Chinese as a native language, with an emphasis on pronunciations. Cantonese phonology based on the Yale Romanization System, and basic vocabulary and sentence structures will be taught. By the end of the course, students will be able to grasp foundation characteristics about the Cantonese sound system, make pronunciations with the aid of phonetic transcriptions, speak simple words and short phrases, and understand brief and slow-paced Cantonese conversations on fundamental issues of living and communication, such as greeting and introduction, numbers and time, roaming around the city, shopping, food and dining, etc.