User Comments - go_manly

Posted on: The Super Bowl

OK, Rugby players behave as though they have more intelligence. Although that is probably changing with the money now available in Rugby.

Of course many individuals in Aus will look down on others who they perceive as being beneath them, as happens everywhere. But I have never noticed a group mentality that equates with people feeling that they belong to a particular class (except in a racial sense). And we don't have a system of peerage that feeds that sort of mentality - although Lizzie Windsor is still the nominal head of Australia.

Posted on: The Super Bowl

I've always wondered why Australia and Britain use opposite words to describe State and non-state schools - over here state schools are Public, non-state are Private. My (perhaps distorted) sense of logic tells me our naming makes more sense, but perhaps Public and Private are not the best words to describe the difference. What is used in the US?

Class is not a big issue in Australia. It is true that Private schools tend to play Rugby, and Public schools tend to go for League. And perhaps Rugby players have a few more brain cells, and a bit more money. But that tends not to manifest itself in a class division.

Regarding toughness, I couldn't say - never played. I don't have a footballer's physique. Cricket was my thing.

Posted on: The Super Bowl

... team huddles, umpires explaining every decision to the fans, quarter and three-quarter time breaks, measuring 10 yards, ...

Posted on: The Super Bowl

OK, the strategy involves guesswork? So the team that guesses best has a strategical advantage?

In a typical 80 minute game of Rugby League you would have just shy of 600 plays (tackles), and of course each play is also a potential scoring opportunity. And play is (almost) continuous. And the 80 minutes play is typically over within an hour and three quarters. Really for anyone who has grown up on a fast paced game like Rugby League or Rugby Union, American football has nothing (except in a highlights package).

Posted on: The Super Bowl

An American football game was played in Sydney a decade or so ago. The entire game was shown on TV. I have never seen anything so dull. It seemed as though 50% of the programme was ads, to fill in all the empty space. There was no continuity to the game at all. Watching highlight packages we get the illusion it is a fast-paced game, but nothing could be further from the truth. I think the game lasted 3 or 3.5 hours - how much playing time is there in that?

Posted on: Useful Phrases #1

Thanks again Connie.

Posted on: Useful Phrases #1

Thanks, that makes perfect sense. Since jù also means 'phrase', and huà can be translated as 'words', I guess we could interpret it as 'this group of words', or 'this word-phrase'.

I would be interested to know which is more commonly used:

这句话 (zhè jù huà) or 这个句子 (zhège jùzi) ?

Posted on: Useful Phrases #1

So if jù is a measure word, and huà doesn't mean 'sentence', I don't understand where the meaning of 'sentence' is coming from.

Posted on: Useful Phrases #1

So, are you saying huà carries the meaning of 'sentence' here?

Posted on: Useful Phrases #1

I have a question about the expansion sentence:

这句话的意思，你理解吗？(Zhè jù huà de yìsi, nĭ lĭjiĕ ma?)

Its translated as "Do you understand what this sentence means?"

The question concerns 句 and 话. I'm not sure whether:

1. 句话 is a word by itself (but I can't find it in the dictionary).

2. 句 is the measure word for 话. But 话 doesn't mean 'sentence', does it?

3. 句 carries the meaning of 'sentence', in which case I don't understand the purpose of the 话.