Wo Bu Jiang Pu Tong Hua (I don't speak Mandarin)

Wanted: Fluent Mandarin Language Ability
Missing: 5 Years Saturday school, 2 years Tutoring

Where has all my years of schooling in the art of PutongHua (Mandarin) gone? I think I've totally regressed. I used to be much better than my brother, used to practice writing but it's just gone MIA. I've made no effort to read/write/speak Mando for ages. I had a lesson the other day and its just plain shocking. Personally, considering that I've grown up in Australia, and only barely speak Cantonese at home, I feel that my Chinese isn't that bad. I wouldn't say that I'm socially proficient but in everyday situations I'm ok eg. if my parents friends speak to me, i can tell them what's going on at my house, etc, although they do insist on speaking to me in English for some unknown reason........ ( just don't ask me to order coke in a restaurant).

Let's see if my language skills will be adequate enough in China. I'm gonna take my learn to speak chinese book as well as my lonely planet guide.

But why is Chinese, especially mando so hard to learn? Firstly, there's a character for every word out there. Unlike English, the whole system can be broken down into 26 characters, unlike chinese which has like literally thousands. The language is built on memorising characters. Someone (a honkie) once told me becoz of this, that is why Chinese students are excellent at memorising and learn best this way and further said that is why a lot of overseas asian students struggle at uni (besides the english barrier) becoz there is less memorising more thinking/analysis . i think there may be a valid point there.

If you don't know the character, you can't work out the word unlike English eg. if you see the word angry you can work out how to pronounce them becoz you'll know the individual letters.

With Chinese, there are clues eg. for words that have to do with oil, there's these three strokes/dots which look like water drops next to the letter. On the one hand, I love the intricacy of the Chinese characters and how some of them look like things eg. the word for person has a head and two legs. And I am impressed how the word heart is built into the word love. On the other hand, its a pain in the ass trying to remember all these words, or coming across words which you don't know.

Oh yeah, and then there's the intonations i.e. how to pronoune the word. If you ever see the english pronounciation it may have one of four little squiggles above it, sorta like above french words. It tells you which words have a up, down sound, bounce, flat or no sound emphasis.

One day I swear, I will be fluent. Sometimes I wish that i that the chinese language could be zapped into me, matrix style i.e. stick a cord into my neck and upload the language into my brain. But i'd never fully appreciate the language. It's the journey that's important, the pain, the struggles, the laughs, the hours spent studying, the satisfaction of being able to go into a restaurant and order a coke instead of bbq pork, being able to name all the dishes at yum cha.

Being Chinese is a part of me. I can't deny my own heritage. It's who I am. I look into the mirror and I see a Chinese person staring back. I have to learn chinese, there's no other option. I don't want to reach the age of 40 and not be able to speak Chinese, having to speak to my kids in English, saying to myself i wish i had learnt when i was young. Now is the time when i have time and motivation.

For me learning mandarin is like rediscovering a part of myself and being able to communicate to my grandma and parents better. It's like this holiday to china. In fact it's more than a holiday, perhaps even a personal journey for me cause it's where my family is originally from, where my ancestors are at, finding out more about the history and wonders of China.



DJ HO's hypotheticals

If you were the GM of the Indiana Pacers, what would you do with Ron Artest?

a. TRADE HIM.
b. KEEP HIM.
c. SEND HIM TO ANGER MANAGEMENT COURSES.
d. MAKE HIM PRESIDENT (Answer for Howard only)