We have to memorize each of these words as either colloquial or literary?
We don’t have to memorize each of them because many of them can be used in both colloquial and literary context.
For instance, when you talk with a friend and mention that a third party is local born, you would say 土生 (saang1) with a colloquial reading. But when you give a public speech, you might use the idiom 土生土長 (sang1) with a literary reading. The same is true for 生長, 生疏, etc.
For Canto-only terms such as 生猛, 生鬼 and 生手, they are always used in colloquial reading saang1. Just remember that colloquial readings are mostly Canto-only whereas literary readings are influenced by Mandarin terms.
We don’t have to memorize each of them because many of them can be used in both colloquial and literary context.
For instance, when you talk with a friend and mention that a third party is local born, you would say 土生 (saang1) with a colloquial reading. But when you give a public speech, you might use the idiom 土生土長 (sang1) with a literary reading. The same is true for 生長, 生疏, etc.
For Canto-only terms such as 生猛, 生鬼 and 生手, they are always used in colloquial reading saang1. Just remember that colloquial readings are mostly Canto-only whereas literary readings are influenced by Mandarin terms.