Hello, greetings and welcome back to the almost legendary Yellow River Chronicles, distributed throughout the free world as a beacon of irritability and petulance in an otherwise content and harmonious globe.
This week, we shelve the promised "Run for the Crabs" report for an update on the climb up one of the world's steepest learning curves.....Mandarin. There are many articles on "Why Mandarin is Hard to Learn" and here is a link to a good one:
Great Article by David Moser on Why It's Soooo Hard.
So, there you have it. It is truly wonderful to have someone do our whining for us. Good work, Dave! With all that sorted out for us, we are now going to tackle the subject in the grand tradition of the YRC: with a total personal bias and general distortion of the facts. So here we GO!
Our experience has been that there are three (3) main reasons why the YRC staff smashes headfirst into the language barrier:
Reason the First: Most Chinese Would Prefer to Practice Their English Rather Than Listen to You Babbling Nonsense Like a Dental Patient. Some of the Chinese you meet in everyday life can not avoid helping you figure out how to order your noodles. (Wǒ yào miàntiáo. Shén me? Wǒ yào miàntiáo!)
In the same tradition of many cross-lingual interchanges, most Mandarin/English speaking exchanges result in the parties simply repeating the same words in their own language at a higher volume until someone gives up.
"I would like some noodles, please"
"Wo yao miantiao?"
"Noodles. I would LIKE some NOODLES!"
"Miantiao? MIANTIAO"?"
"NOODLES! LIKE HIM! NOODLES!"
However, in Shanghai, this tradition, like so many others, is rapidly changing as more and more Chinese begin to learn English. Here's a quick update from ABC News on the subject to provide some veracity the rest of the column...
For the adults, learning the language is more of a struggle but it doesn't deter them from trying. And many Chinese hope that more Americans do the same.
"I think that China is very important in the world," said one boy. "I wish that American people can speak, can study Chinese. I think that's very good for us to make friends with them."
Mandarin, Courtesy of LonelyPlanet.com
LonelyPlanet.com shared several Mandarin phrases with "World News with Diane Sawyer" as it broadcasts from China this week.
"Zhe dao cai zhenxiang" means I love this dish.
"Ganbei!" means Cheers!
"Ni neng bangwo jiao ge che ma?" means Can you call a taxi for me?
"Qingwen" means Excuse me, please?
"Wo jiao" means My name is ....
Example: A certain YRC staff member, who speaks rather good Mandarin and practices every day, recently called a restaurant to reserve a table. Mid-sentence, she was stopped by the hostess who simply said: "Why don't we just do this in English." A bit deflating, that, but a good example of Reason the First.
Reason the Second: Generally, a Mistake in Mandarin Will Create Some Very Odd Expressions and the Chinese Will Openly Point and Laugh at You Because You Sound Like a Total Idiot. As David mentioned earlier, Mandarin is a tonal language. That means that exact same word has four different meanings depending which of the four tones is used. Here's a quick review from About.com.
So, the means using the word "ma" can mean mother, hemp, horse or scold, or....(wait for it) it can also be a question, if the tone is neutral. So you can get, "How is your horse feeling?" "Is that handbag made of mother" and other tragedies of communication.
This extreme communication risk leads of a hesitancy in practicing Mandarin in public. There is always the worry that an attempt to negotiate a price on a rice steamer will end up in a situation similar to those childhood fear dreams.
You know, where an entire nation forms a ring around you and points and laughs because you are SUCH a DORK. And then there's the naked dreams and the wrestling a goldfish dreams, but we'll get back to you on that.
This week, we shelve the promised "Run for the Crabs" report for an update on the climb up one of the world's steepest learning curves.....Mandarin. There are many articles on "Why Mandarin is Hard to Learn" and here is a link to a good one:
Great Article by David Moser on Why It's Soooo Hard.
So, there you have it. It is truly wonderful to have someone do our whining for us. Good work, Dave! With all that sorted out for us, we are now going to tackle the subject in the grand tradition of the YRC: with a total personal bias and general distortion of the facts. So here we GO!
Our experience has been that there are three (3) main reasons why the YRC staff smashes headfirst into the language barrier:
Reason the First: Most Chinese Would Prefer to Practice Their English Rather Than Listen to You Babbling Nonsense Like a Dental Patient. Some of the Chinese you meet in everyday life can not avoid helping you figure out how to order your noodles. (Wǒ yào miàntiáo. Shén me? Wǒ yào miàntiáo!)
In the same tradition of many cross-lingual interchanges, most Mandarin/English speaking exchanges result in the parties simply repeating the same words in their own language at a higher volume until someone gives up.
"I would like some noodles, please"
"Wo yao miantiao?"
"Noodles. I would LIKE some NOODLES!"
"Miantiao? MIANTIAO"?"
"NOODLES! LIKE HIM! NOODLES!"
However, in Shanghai, this tradition, like so many others, is rapidly changing as more and more Chinese begin to learn English. Here's a quick update from ABC News on the subject to provide some veracity the rest of the column...
Ganbei!! China Embraces English Language
In an effort to promote internationalism, China is learning English.
In the next five years, all state employees younger than 40 will be required to master at least 1,000 English phrases, and all schools will begin teaching English in kindergarten. The government also is funding extensive teacher training programs to find new models for language learning and develop new textbooks.
Check the end of this story for a few phrases in Mandarin, courtesy of LonelyPlanet.
Parents who can afford to, are sending their children -- some as young as 2 -- to private language schools that are popping up all over the country. By the time they are 10, the children will be fluent.
"China is more open to the world," said one teacher. "We [the older generation] want our kids to open their eyes to get to know the world [and] look at China not only from standing in China but from outside of China as well."
State-run TV launched an "American Idol"-type of reality show where kids have to sell themselves in English to clinch the judges' votes.
Signs in not-quite-right English -- "Car Repairable," "Cosme Toulogy" and "Welcom Go Home" -- can be found across the country.
ABCNEWS.com
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For the adults, learning the language is more of a struggle but it doesn't deter them from trying. And many Chinese hope that more Americans do the same.
"I think that China is very important in the world," said one boy. "I wish that American people can speak, can study Chinese. I think that's very good for us to make friends with them."
Mandarin, Courtesy of LonelyPlanet.com
LonelyPlanet.com shared several Mandarin phrases with "World News with Diane Sawyer" as it broadcasts from China this week.
"Zhe dao cai zhenxiang" means I love this dish. "Ganbei!" means Cheers! "Ni neng bangwo jiao ge che ma?" means Can you call a taxi for me? "Qingwen" means Excuse me, please? "Wo jiao" means My name is ....Reason the Second: Generally, a Mistake in Mandarin Will Create Some Very Odd Expressions and the Chinese Will Openly Point and Laugh at You Because You Sound Like a Total Idiot. As David mentioned earlier, Mandarin is a tonal language. That means that exact same word has four different meanings depending which of the four tones is used. Here's a quick review from About.com.
The Four Tones of Mandarin
By Qiu Gui Su, About.com Guide
Mandarin uses four tones to clarify the meanings of words. Since many characters have the same sound, tones are used to differentiate words from each other.
The four tones in Mandarin are:
- high level – first tone
- rising – second tone
- falling rising – third tone
- falling – fourth tone
Pinyin uses either numbers or tone marks to indicate the tones. Here is the word ‘ma’ with tone marks:
- First tone: ma1 or mā
- Second tone: ma2 or má
- Third tone: ma3 or mǎ
- Fourth tone: ma4 or mà
The tones are used to determine the meaning of a Mandarin word. So mǎ (horse) is very different from mā (mother).
When learning new vocabulary you must practice both the pronunciation of the word and its tone. The wrong tones can change the meaning of your sentences.
The following table has sound clips which allow you to hear the tones. Listen to each tone and try to mimic it as closely as possible.
The Four Tones of Mandarin
| Pinyin | Chinese Character | Meaning | Sound Clip |
| mā | 媽 | mother | audio |
| má | 麻 | hemp | audio |
| mǎ | 馬 | horse | audio |
| mà | 罵 | scold | audio |
So, the means using the word "ma" can mean mother, hemp, horse or scold, or....(wait for it) it can also be a question, if the tone is neutral. So you can get, "How is your horse feeling?" "Is that handbag made of mother" and other tragedies of communication.
This extreme communication risk leads of a hesitancy in practicing Mandarin in public. There is always the worry that an attempt to negotiate a price on a rice steamer will end up in a situation similar to those childhood fear dreams.
You know, where an entire nation forms a ring around you and points and laughs because you are SUCH a DORK. And then there's the naked dreams and the wrestling a goldfish dreams, but we'll get back to you on that.
Example: One of the YRC staff (the one who is not nearly as fluent as the other one) was conversing with a doorman about the weather (Is it hot outside?) to which the doorman laughed and said "You're hungry?"
He walked away chortling and we were happy to have made his day. He probably still tells the story at his local club, the Laughing Doorman.
Reason the Third: You are a Talking Dog. Most gweizi are in Shanghai for a short period of time and don't have enough time to learn much Mandarin. This, along with the relative isolation of the expat community and the ability of many Shanghaiese to speak English, means that most foreigners in Shanghai start a conversation assuming that the other party will know enough English to keep things moving.
This, friends, creates the Talking Dog effect. Any attempt to speak Mandarin (Ignoring the first two reasons) that actually says the right thing at the right time creates a response similar to a dog suddenly making polite conversation.
Example: A common Mandarin greeting is "nǐ chī le ma" or, "have you eaten"? It is similar to "How Ya Doing?" or "S'up?" in American English. The phrase is not generally used by the expat population because we are taught the totally dorky and wrong greeting phrases to identify us as foreign dorkoids in language schools run by foreign Master Dorks.
The YRC staff accidentally used the correct phrase with the correct tones recently in a apartment elevator. The response was the look of someone who has just met...the Talking Dog in a Disney movie. "What did he just say?? He can talk!!" The crowd in the elevator collapsed in amazement and wonder as the Dog meditated on consequences of Reason the Third.
And, we hope you will have a Reason to come back next week when we discuss "Invasion of the Senior Lonely Hearts." Woof! WOOF!
He walked away chortling and we were happy to have made his day. He probably still tells the story at his local club, the Laughing Doorman.
Reason the Third: You are a Talking Dog. Most gweizi are in Shanghai for a short period of time and don't have enough time to learn much Mandarin. This, along with the relative isolation of the expat community and the ability of many Shanghaiese to speak English, means that most foreigners in Shanghai start a conversation assuming that the other party will know enough English to keep things moving.
This, friends, creates the Talking Dog effect. Any attempt to speak Mandarin (Ignoring the first two reasons) that actually says the right thing at the right time creates a response similar to a dog suddenly making polite conversation.
Example: A common Mandarin greeting is "nǐ chī le ma" or, "have you eaten"? It is similar to "How Ya Doing?" or "S'up?" in American English. The phrase is not generally used by the expat population because we are taught the totally dorky and wrong greeting phrases to identify us as foreign dorkoids in language schools run by foreign Master Dorks.
The YRC staff accidentally used the correct phrase with the correct tones recently in a apartment elevator. The response was the look of someone who has just met...the Talking Dog in a Disney movie. "What did he just say?? He can talk!!" The crowd in the elevator collapsed in amazement and wonder as the Dog meditated on consequences of Reason the Third.
And, we hope you will have a Reason to come back next week when we discuss "Invasion of the Senior Lonely Hearts." Woof! WOOF!
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