ChineseTiger1986
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In movies and television it's not too bad, but when people are talking on the streets of Wanchai for instance, it can get pretty loud.
Also, Hong Kong Cantonese is full of very "coloquial/slang" expressions that are often quite rude. Check out ham ga tsan, diu lei lo mo, etc.
In mainland cities like Guangzhou though, their Cantonese is much closer to the written form. Which is another reason I like Mandarin so much, because it corresponds much better with the written Chinese.
This is all about "谈吐和修养", it has nothing to do with the dialect itself.
Learning the Mandarin it is just to make everyone easier to communicate with each other, since it is the standard Chinese dialect.
BTW, i think the Cantonese is better in regard of "书面语" than the Shanghainese.
At least you guys talked about "饮" when it comes anything to drink, but Shanghainese uses "吃" all the time whether it comes to eat or to drink or to smoke.