User Comments - orangina

Posted on: Addressing Family Members

As an Ellie, I certainly don't mind when my fellow students and my teachers use 汉字 only at Intermediate level or above. But I do find the long comments by native chinese speakers disheartening. I have many opportunities to read and hear authintic materials. (This was also true before I moved to China.) I think exposure to authentic materials is important... but so is having a safe environment to study with fellow students and teachers. Of course, some people like Cassielin (I am assuming she is native chinese and not a learner) are helpful, friendly, and inviting. But most of the time when a native speaker suddenly shows up it is like a random person walked onto my school's campus and says "I am an authority, listen to me." Well, that may be true, or it may not be true. Either way, they are not the ones I am paying to teach me chinese. And they are not my classmates. I think there are many resources out there to find language partners, if that is your desire. Sign up for QQ if that is what you want. But I think this space should be respected as a classroom. I think this is the environment John is trying to maintain, and I appreciate that.

Posted on: Addressing Family Members

Not that this isn't complicated enough, but how are step and half family members considered?

Posted on: Addressing Family Members

On the pdf 表哥 is listed as maternal younger male cousin. (表弟 is not listed.)

Cousins don't seem to tricky as long as I can remember 表 for maternal and 堂 for paternal. Although is is weird for my family since I was raised with my "outside" family, and barely know my "main hall" family. 呵呵

Do you always ad 夫 for someone's husband and 妈 for someone's wife? That is a little strange.

Posted on: Having One's Nails Done

baba,

哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈！！！！！！ (sigh)

Posted on: Having One's Nails Done

haha! Thanks John.... That is so funny, it seems so basic in English. There is a character for 嗯 nonverbal grunt as interjection, but not "ouch."  Crazy world.

Posted on: Having One's Nails Done

噢，I meant 幸亏，not 秦亏。对不起。

Posted on: Having One's Nails Done

真的dropped_chopstick,如果去掉所有死皮特疼的。秦亏她们只去掉一点点。 （听的时候我有同一意思。喔唷！）

nciku gave me 喔唷 for "ouch" but mandarin popup did not confirm it, is that the right word?

Posted on: I Want a Thick Blanket

Hmm, so 拿 is kind of like "grab," at least in American English. [I will try not to speak for everyone. ;) ] So 你拿小包，我拿大包 could be translated You grab the small bag, I'll grab the big one.

Also, I definitely agree with JasonSch on the whole '被子/blanket/doona/duvet/quilt/comforter' issue. I was going to throw a fit about it isn't a quilt people! But since my reaction to Bodawei's it isn't a blanket people! comments was that he should chill out, I decided to follow the advice myself (and have a little more sympathy for Bodawei's perspective.) I just decided that regardless of how it is made, if a fitting verb for what it does is ‘to blanket', then perhaps 'blanket' is also a suitable noun to name it.

Posted on: Having One's Nails Done

原因我想这课是我不想鸡爪子。我不知道为什么她们做这样！或方。啊呀！可是我很喜欢泡脚。非常好。

Posted on: I Want a Thick Blanket

I have to say, I don't understand all the fuss about using the word air conditioner for heater. In fact, as a kid I asked my Mom why the car has an air conditioner and a heater... shoudn't something called an air conditioner condition the air however it is needed? There is nothing in the word air conditioner that implies that it only cools the air. We just infer it.

Tirade over. ;-)