User Comments - auntie68
auntie68
Posted on: Behind the Scenes at the Beauty Pageant
February 23, 2008 at 11:58 AMYes! That's it. Thank you so much, changye, for patiently putting into clear words what I was struggling to say... thank you!
Posted on: Behind the Scenes at the Beauty Pageant
February 23, 2008 at 9:16 AMOops, sorry for the confusion, changye. The "kita" is definitely "non-inclusive" in the sense that it only addresses Singaporeans, whilst acknowledging that people from other nations may be listening. Guess this is a good example of a language lesson in one language which may not have any valuable lessons for learners of another, very different, language! So sorry!
Posted on: Behind the Scenes at the Beauty Pageant
February 23, 2008 at 9:08 AMAnd this Auntie is -- very definitely -- in with you, changye, on 咱门. In the Malay example I gave, using "kita" (NOT inclusive) for "we/us" in the national anthem was friendlier for two reasons: First, because it addresses the anthem directly to fellow Singaporean citizens (hence evoking informality, camaraderie, closeness as in the Chinese sense of 咱们. And second, because by making it clear -- with the "non-inclusive" form -- that the bold national aspirations expressed in the anthem were only addressed to Singaporeans, we made it clear to our dear Malay-/Indonesian-speaking neighbouring countries that we weren't trying to speak for their citizens, which would have been rude. ;-)
Posted on: 最低工资
February 23, 2008 at 3:41 AMsmartie -- yup. And 蓝领 is "blue-collar". The example sentence given in my dictionary is: 他是蓝领， 但一心想成为白领。 It does look like it isn't always necessary to add a further noun (eg. -工人 etc) following these words... Is that right?
Posted on: Behind the Scenes at the Beauty Pageant
February 23, 2008 at 1:22 AMHello changye. I'm not really sure about any "make it friendly" function of "kita" (inclusive), but it sure sounds rousing in my country's national anthem ("Majullah Singapura"), which is in the Malay language. The lyrics are crammed with "kita"-s: Eg. Let's be united! Let's march together towards prosperity! etc etc. However, the Mandarin version of our national pledge uses only 我们 (non-inclusive), as in "我们是新加破公民..." I suspect that the inclusive/non-inclusive distinction is sharper in the Malay, Filipino, and Bahasa Indonesia, than it is in the Chinese language. Just as well, because the "we"-word used in our national anthem was "kami" (non-inclusive), it could well sound threatening to neighbouring countries. Just think of the ominous ring to the words "We Shall Assimilate!" if it's coming from the mouth of a Borg...
Posted on: 简体字与繁体字
February 22, 2008 at 12:08 PMDear daixiong, it all sounds as fun and wild as Hong Kong, character-wise! Don't you enjoy this?
Posted on: Hot Soup
February 22, 2008 at 11:36 AMHere's the hanyu pinyin (not researched; not fact-checked, bet this bugs the hell out of Ken Carroll): 酸溜溜 suan1 liu1liu1 脚酸 jiao3 suan 心酸 xin1 suan1
Posted on: Hot Soup
February 22, 2008 at 11:30 AMDear nicolas, this Auntie is willing to bet that the fermented mare's milk yogurt brought to Chinese palates by invading Mongolian hordes in ancient times was probably quite a bit stronger in taste than the mild stuff you find in those cute little "petit' miam" pots that my nephew the Stunt Toddler has become addicted to. In the Chinese language, the word "酸“ (suan1) connotes fermentation. Hence 酸奶 is "fermented milk"; i.e.. milk which has "turned". Chinese pickled vegetables are popularly known as "冬菜" (dong1 cai4) because they are traditionally considered to be a staple food for getting through the lean winter months. Another name for pickles is... 酸菜 (suan1 cai4). Get it? But the word 酸 has another, uniquely Chinese meaning: try looking up "脚酸" or "心酸" if you have the time. Good luck!
Posted on: I Have Class
February 21, 2008 at 12:27 PMnicolas - 20/20. Again. yay!
Posted on: Bank Hours
February 24, 2008 at 3:01 AMpsstt... 营业 ying2 ye4 means "to do business/ to carry out some business activity". The character 营 ying2 means "seeking or operating", while character 业 ye4 refers to a business or an occupation. 营生 ying2sheng1 = making a living (Cf 生活 sheng1huo2; "life" or "a living") 学业 xue2ye4 = studies 商业 shang1ye4 = commerce/ trade 工业 gong1ye4 = industry Bye...