User Comments - calkins

Posted on: A Visit to the In-laws

Xiaofrosty, I'm just curious, why would your teacher have to avoid being detected as someone with a Sichuan accent. Taiwanese hold no animosity towards mainland Chinese, and people from both sides travel back and forth openly and easily (for business, travel, to visit family, etc.). I'm genuinely curious why your teacher would have to speak English to hide that she has a Sichuan accent. And what does she do when she's speaking to someone who can't speak English?

Posted on: A Visit to the In-laws

You're right Light, we'll need as much luck as we can get to get the pinyin completely standardized. I am amazed with how bad pinyin spellings are in Taiwan, even on new signs. I went to 烏來 (wulai) this weekend. Most of the signs say "Ulay", ha ha! At least sometimes it provides a good laugh, but man I wish someone would send the Taiwanese government a pinyin chart.

Posted on: A Visit to the In-laws

light, I just wanted to point out that hsin vs. xin isn't a "Taiwanese spelling." This is just a difference in pinyin, Wade-Giles vs. Hanyu. Taiwanese don't use pinyin to learn Mandarin. The government only uses it on signs and whatnot for the convenience of 大陸人 and foreigners who have learned Chinese using pinyin. Unfortunately, Taiwan is still a hodgepodge of Wade-Giles and Hanyu pinyin. Taiwanese use Zhuyin (bopomofo ㄅㄆㄇㄈ) for learning Mandarin.

Posted on: Skincare: Moisturizing Cream

Sorry sorry! Just realized this is ele. and I should use pinyin or English.

Lujiaojie, I have a similar question, can I trouble you to help me? My friend sent me a text message and said “我再一下下回去。” I understand “一下下” and most of the rest, but I don't understand why she used “再”. She couldn't explain it to me. Thanks for your help!

Posted on: Skincare: Moisturizing Cream

lujiaojie, 可以麻煩妳幫我一下，我有一樣的問題。我朋友發了簡訊給我，說“我再一下下回去。” 我懂“一下下”的意思跟另外的，但我不懂為什麼她用了“再”。她不會給我解釋。謝謝妳幫我！

Posted on: A Visit to the In-laws

Saying "maybe you should concentrate on English" isn't really pointing out their weaknesses, it's pointing out (in a very child-like way) that their English is less than perfect. Pointing out their weaknesses so that they can improve would be you nicely correcting the mistakes they made in the sentence. For example:

This is the first Chinese lesson I have ever studied.

or...

This is my first time using ChinesePod.

or...

This is my first visit to ChinesePod.

Much more productive and friendly than simply saying "maybe you should concentrate on English". I'm always amazed by the non-native English speakers here who learn Chinese. Now that must be hard!

Posted on: How to Protect the Environment

I have also heard Taiwanese use 電梯 (though I've also heard 電扶梯 used) for escalator. Perhaps it's just a Southern thing, as Mandarin seems to be "lazier" in the south!

Posted on: Toothache

RJ, I'm not sure about the Mainland, but here in Taiwan people rarely get their teeth cleaned. They go once or twice a year for a checkup, but no cleaning. When I go to the dentist here, I have to specify that I want a cleaning, and even then it is not nearly as thorough as in the U.S.

Just like 忠Jaron's wife, the kids here go with their class. They are literally in the chair for less than 2 minutes. I have no idea how the dentist does a checkup that quickly.

I'm not sure about the frequency of cavities here, but most Taiwanese have stained teeth (brown). Chinese medicine (which kids take way too often here) is the cause of that.

Posted on: Job Shopping in Modern China

Hee hee, you know I have a hard time resisting a good debate. It usually brings out the worst in me, but oh well :) And it is good to see a little spice back into the boards, so I can at least thank RCK for that.

Posted on: Job Shopping in Modern China

"RCK's sincerity and loyalty is something we can all learn from."

Personally, I'd rather not learn anything from someone who puts down "ghetto punks from the hood," "hicks from Texas," taxi drivers in China, British English, the Taiwanese accent, and pretty much any accent that isn't a NE one. I don't want to learn from someone who has little respect for women. Oh, and he called me ignorant ... I don't like being called ignorant, ha ha :)

Anyway, I don't want to learn from someone who believes he is so superior to everyone else in so many ways. I agree with you that he does have passion and enthusiasm, but then again so did Hitler, Stalin, Osama bin Laden, and a long list of others who also felt superior to others (yes yes, quite drastic comparisons!).

God helps those who help themselves. The only thing I could say to RCK is move to the Northeast if that's the only place in the world where "correct" standard Mandarin is spoken. Until then, accept the hundreds of other Chinese accents as just a fact of life.