User Comments - xiaohu
xiaohu
Posted on: She's Easy
June 25, 2007 at 3:35 AMSo Dave, I guess you liked Zoolander?
Posted on: Studying Japanese
June 25, 2007 at 3:29 AMMy Chinese professor once had me read an article he translated into Chinese, originally published in (I think) the Wall Street Journal about which languages are coming into the forefront and which are going out, English and Spanish were marked as the 2 really quickly going out, while Chinese and Hindi were slated to, 40 or 50 years from now to be the 2 most dominant languages in the world. If you look at the tremendous economic growth both in China and India, it seems to make sense. Anyway before reading that article I already felt that China was poised to make a move in the world and shift from a 3rd world country to a world superpower.
Posted on: She's Easy
June 25, 2007 at 2:37 AM很高兴帕丽斯·希尔顿- Paris Hilton 快要从监狱出来了。开玩笑！ 顺便提及， 我特别喜欢“任贤齐的小白脸“， 这首歌。 认真地说，我很高兴有这样一门课程可以让我写一些关于社会的负面的报道。 因为别的课程不会包括这种主题。 这样可以让我们学习中文知识更丰富呀！
Posted on: Studying Japanese
June 25, 2007 at 12:32 AMI actually ment to say "Mellifluous", I guess, with a combination of typing quickly and not proofreading (along with a moment of slight brain malfunction) I inadvertantly created a new word! So now I have to give my new work "mellifluent" a definition, lets say from now on the meaning of "mellifluent" refers to a learner of a foreign language who's language level is so advanced that, not only do they speak the language on the level of a native speaker, but also with beautiful intonation, let's say the Chinese definition means, 外语说的又流利又好听！， LOL!
Posted on: Studying Japanese
June 24, 2007 at 5:14 PMIt's really interesting to see so many Chinese learners that have at one time in the past or are currently studying Japanese. I myself am in the former category. I studied Japanese for almost 2 years, learned quite a lot but never was able to gave even a simple conversation with a Japanese person. I also feel the Chinese culture is so much more interesting, and having a lack of honoriffic language attracted me. Maybe because I'm the kind of person that believes regardess of a persons social status or accomplishments or sex, we are all at heart equal. There are people who are highly accomplished at what they do, who have achieved absolute excellence in a certain field and they have their own personal shortcomings, so for me to have to adjust my language to fit a perceived notion of the listeners position, is quite tiring indeed. Also I MUCH prefer the sound of Chinese. Not only is it a much more mellifluent language (I know there are people out there who would NEVER agree with that but that's how I feel), but it's also got so much more history surrounding it. Also the Chinese people believe in balance, I believe that comes accross in the language, with a balanced amount of different categories of sounds. Of course Chinese is not the simplest language to speak CORRECTLY, but I feel if one is willing to put in the time it takes, the rewards are limitless. Just check out the article on this site, Mandarin Chinese is spoken by more people than any other language in the world, and China has the fastest growing economy in the world. Just wait and see, in 20 years, learning English will be completely out of fashion bordering on useless, and Mandarin Chinese will be the dominant world language.
Posted on: Resisting Relocation
June 20, 2007 at 6:16 AMI just wish IF they are going to say your Chinese sounds "so good", "你的中文说得那么好“，then they should at least wait until you've said at least more than 3 words. One time I said, "你好“ and a Chinese woman's reaction was VERY exaggerated, she didn't just say, “哇，你的中文说得那么好“，she went on and on, "哇， 你的中文说得比我的好！说得比北京人还好啊，真的，我不骗你。。。哎呀你这个老外，说这么好听的这么流利的中文，说得那么好“ All this after saying, "hello". I know they just want to be encouraging, so you won't be nervous, and I guess it's better than getting a blank stare, or for them to act annoyed or to be unresponsive, but I guess I'd just prefer for everyone to keep it real because sometimes that over zealous response can throw you completely off, it did that to me.
Posted on: Resisting Relocation
June 5, 2007 at 10:09 PMClarence: I don't know what the degree of your fluency in the Chinese language but if you're at the intermediate level EVEN AFTER 10 YEARS and your not immersed the language on a daily basis then I think you're still doing pretty well. I think you can proudly say 10 years and not bat an eye because I once met a white woman in a Chinese restaurant who studied for 8 YEARS in Beijing and she was not very good. She heard me talking to my wife and remarked I was speaking way to fast for her to understand, but because I'm a perfectionist and want to make sure every tone and sound is perfect, I wouldn't say I speak particularly FAST. So there are people out there with quite a number of years experience in the language who still arent' very fluent. I'm often not sure how to react to the Chinese people's reaction to my Chinese. They always say I sound very authentic, they always say, "哇！你的中文说得这么好！ 你没有美国口音“！ But if I get this reaction after saying to a waiter or waitress, “一个人”it's hard to take them seriously. By the way. Monterey Park is my favorite place in all California, great restaurants, lots of Chinese people, lot's of MANDARIN speakers, a PERFECT way to get exposure and practice in Chinese!
Posted on: Resisting Relocation
June 1, 2007 at 5:53 AMClarence, what do you mean it's impossible for an American to learn Chinese? I hope your joking because I think this website proves there are many, many, MANY Americans who can successfuly learn Chinese! By the way I hope your still really actively studying Chinese it's much more useful than Vietamese. If your studying for fun that's one thing, but if you've got a professional goal in mind with your language than there is no other language in the WORLD than Mandarin Chinese!
Posted on: Studying Japanese
June 25, 2007 at 4:30 AMUser 35602, The best equivalent to Mellifluous / Mellifluent is: 优美动听 "I like the sound of the Chinese laguage because it's mellifluous" 我喜欢中文的声音，因为是优美动听的