User Comments - user2707
user2707
Posted on: Something to Do Tomorrow
October 9, 2007 at 9:43 AM下次, as pronounced colloquially in this lesson sounds to me as Xia4, Ci neutral tone, and not xia4 ci4, when pronounced as a vocabulary item in this same lesson. Am I hearing right? What I would like to know as well is if the correct colloquial pronounciation of 下次 is the one I seem to be hearing. Thank you.
Posted on: Calling Roll
April 19, 2007 at 9:45 AMWhat happened to the script one could see on the Windows Player screen at the same time you could hear the lessons? It was very convenient. And I think it is not fair to downgrade the free features of the site, specially for the long time users and once paid subscribers to the site.
Posted on: 自然灾害
April 18, 2007 at 6:08 PMAndy, I love you for your comments. Traditional characters will come back. It will happen and we must help it happen as you have done with your little comments. Simplified characters were promoted by the West, against the Chinese culture. Looks can be deceiving and simplified characters are not simple at all they are not only illogical, buy very "complex" as unstructured. 簡體字太麻煩啦!
Posted on: The Clogged Toilet
April 16, 2007 at 9:19 AMToday, it is the first time this has happened, the characters did not appear on the screen of the Windows Media Player while I was listening to the program, maybe it is my computer. Anyway, thank you Ellen, I am also devoted to traditional characters. I am absolutely sure that the competent authorities will soon reverse to traditional characters!
Posted on: New York City
October 26, 2007 at 11:02 AM紐約客，as Ken points out somewhat in passing, it does sound like New Yorker. Well, this is not just a simple phonetical coincidence but a brilliant example of how translitarations are done, elaborated, in Chinese: a match between sound and mening, the prefered way, as far as possible. Indeed, even with proper names the Chinese tendency is to transliterate the original sound of the word PLUS choosing among fitting homonyms a suitable meaning. In the present case, we have on the one hand the translitieration city of the city of New York as: 紐約; 扭 meaning turn, button, etc., whereas 約 means appointment or agreement, 紐約, "to accord an agreement", not bad for a city holding the Headquarter of the UN! On the other hand, we must not forget that the normal way for New Yorker, and it is of course perfectly correct, would be 紐約人。 But the beautiful thing about the 紐約客's transliteration is that it goes step further, looping the loop, in an effort to come to a perfect match between sound and meaning, 紐約客 "feel like a guest 客", while in New York and SOUND like a New Yourker "紐約客" while in New York, New York... This reminds me that my favorite transliteration of San Francisco (there is another merely phonetic one), is 舊金山，"the Old Mountain of Gold", a fitting reminder of the "gold rush" from San Francisco. And though it is not the moment to expound on the subject, the Chinese language makes all this possible (and indeed necessary), thanks to the versatility and wisdom contained in the characters which in my view are inextricably linked to the phonetics of the language. It is not just a pity, but utterly absurd that the spoken word in Chinese should be studies detached from its written counterpart. In this sense, it is also amazing that many students and teachers of Chinese, don't know what to do or for that matter, think about the Chinese script, considering it a hindrance or advocating its eradication!! But for my part, I prefer Chinese script not to be taught if the would be teacher has not got a proper understanding of the significance of the script, as it often the case, as one often sees commentaries which just are fancy elaborations, mere mnemonics, on the part of the teacher, and which can only confuse the student in the long run. I must say on behalf of ChinesePod, that it is the perfect site for spoken Chinese, as for written Chinese, well, let it be... I don't know of any site where the teaching of Chinese, from elementary level to advanced, is undertaken properly considering the spoken and written word at the same time. It is of course possible to find on the Internet all the information you need on the subject of the script, but it scattered here and there, and sometimes addressed to linguist or to inquisitive students, it is not viewed (in language courses) as a must, but rather optional. I have serveral thousands sites on the subject but I'd be inmensely grateful to anyone providing me with additional ones. Thank you very much in advance, and sorry I was carried away... Eugenio Llorente, from Madrid Spain.