User Comments - podster

Posted on: Internet Slang (Part One)

mclarty,

This lesson and the accompanying discussion may be of some use to you:

http://chinesepod.com/lessons/copy-and-paste

Posted on: Internet Slang (Part One)

mclarty,

pardon my ignorance, but could you give some examples of "plain computer interface language" in English? I looked through all the lessons tagged "computer" and suspect that what you want exactly is not there, but I'm not quite sure what you are referring to. Is this the sort of thing that a network administrator would use? Since I am a bit uncertain, maybe the CPod lesson creators would be too.

Posted on: An Insider's Insights into Chinese Tourism

I agree Dilu is doing a great job. Maybe we will have another etymology discussion thread if someone says her new avatar photo makes her look "phat"

哈哈

Posted on: Internet Slang (Part One)

I had to dig around to find the "Popular Slang from 2011" Qing Wen. 

http://chinesepod.com/lessons/popular-slang-from-2011

To my surprise, clicking on the "slang" tag in this BST page did not even turn it up.  If I remember right the QW lesson also has some Internet slang in it. 

Posted on: I'm gonna be Late

Oh no! Change it back! I loved the classic kitsch. I have the same figurine in my house. (Okay, well, yes, it is in the bathroom). 真不好意思。 开玩笑了。

Posted on: An Insider's Insights into Chinese Tourism

my uneducated guess is that "The Bomb" derives from Brazilian Portuguese "Ta Bom"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mylastbite/4694924825/

Posted on: I'm gonna be Late

given your avatar I might have guessed the topic would draw you in。 嘿嘿。 Now how about a CPod lesson on Beavis and Butthead?

呵呵呵。

Posted on: Discussing Loan Repayment

I don't think 确定 is limited to business contracts. I think you could call a friend to 确定 a date, for example. If your friend says, “no, it's not today but tomorrow that we agreed on”, you might come back with “你肯定吗？ ”

I think these words have fairly distinct meanings, but I can's swear that none of the meanings overlap. There are probably some usages of each that I am not familiar with. For the most part though, they are not interchangeable. 我肯定。

Posted on: What'll it be?

The dictionary says that 咕 is the sound an empty stomach makes, and 咕噜 is onomatopoeia for a gurgling sound, so maybe sweet and sour pork is what the staff brings you when they hear your stomach growling. I would say 咕噜 and 咕咾 are close enough in sound that there could be a connection. (I think I heard Jenny say 咕噜咕噜 to describe the sound of a stomach growling. )

CPod Lesson on Chinese onomatopoeia http://chinesepod.com/lessons/chinese-onomatopoeia

Posted on: Discussing Loan Repayment

George,

Well I'm not a native speaker either, so this may be a case of the blind leading the blind, BUT: 你肯定吗 means "are you sure?" or "are you sure about that?" In the context of the dialog sentence, the speaker is casting doubt on the other person's assertion. By contrast, 你确定吗 means "did you confirm it?" and since the speaker is referring to the money that the other speaker personally lent to him it would sound strange to ask if the transaction were "confirmed" or "verified." I think 确定 is something you might do with your dinner reservation, or something you might be doing when you click the "are you sure you want to order 10,000 fax machines?" button on your computer screen with your mouse.