My first phone call

[Orrin]

Fun stuff.  My wife is from GZ and "book Mandarin" and actual spoken Mandarin (at least in Guangdong), are WAY different.

 

http://www.xuezhongwen.net/chindict/chindi...e=worddictbasic

 

Great site, and they will verbalize the words.  When I blow it, it just go there and have the site tell me.  The guy is an Aussie, and his wife's Mandarin is Beijing-area.  (I assume its her voice).

 

Nice crutch in those early calls, and a nice extra help when you are trying those difficult conversations later.

192375[/snapback]

In Guangdon province one doesn't hear a great deal of Manderin. It's mostly Cantonese. Remember, before the revollution Guangzhou was called Canton While I was in China there was a piece on the TV news from HK about the HK government sponsoring Manderin lessons of all of the Cantonese speaking store clerks and other service workers in HK. This was all in an effort to make the new guests from the mainland feel more at home................and therefore, more easilly separated from their $$$

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

In Guangdon province one doesn't hear a great deal of Manderin.  It's mostly Cantonese.  Remember, before the revollution Guangzhou was called Canton    While I was in China there was a piece on the TV news from HK about the HK government sponsoring Manderin lessons of all of the Cantonese speaking store clerks and other service workers in HK.  This was all in an effort to make the new guests from the mainland feel more at home................and therefore, more easilly separated from their $$$

192580[/snapback]

I disagree. While the Guangdong province is situated near Guanzhou and Hong Kong, Hong Kong remains the province whose primary language is Cantonese. Mandarin remains the predominent language of China, and the Guangdong province. However when one ventures outside the city limits there are many local and tribal languages that neither Cantonese nor Mandarin speakers will understand.

[Randy W]

In Guangdon province one doesn't hear a great deal of Manderin.0„2 It's mostly Cantonese.0„2 Remember, before the revollution Guangzhou was called Canton0„2 0„2 While I was in China there was a piece on the TV news from HK about the HK government sponsoring Manderin lessons of all of the Cantonese speaking store clerks and other service workers in HK.0„2 This was all in an effort to make the new guests from the mainland feel more at home................and therefore, more easilly separated from their $$$

192580[/snapback]

I disagree. While the Guangdong province is situated near Guanzhou and Hong Kong, Hong Kong remains the province whose primary language is Cantonese. Mandarin remains the predominent language of China, and the Guangdong province. However when one ventures outside the city limits there are many local and tribal languages that neither Cantonese nor Mandarin speakers will understand.

192583[/snapback]

 

 

No - that whole area of China, including Guangdong and Guangxi, is Cantonese.

 

Makes it easier to say "bai-bai".

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

No - that whole area of China, including Guangdong and Guangxi, is Cantonese.

 

Makes it easier to say "bai-bai".

192586[/snapback]

I realize that my post may have been misunderstood after I posted it. While true, that Guangdong and hong kong have a large number of Cantonese speakers, once you are outside of cities like Hong Kong and Guanzhou, the primary language is Mandarin. For example, Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in China, and is 40 minutes from Hong Kong. The primary language there is Mandarin....

[Randy W]

From Wikepedia (the red area is primarily Cantonese) - Mandarin is taught in schools, but they still need Cantonese to be able to talk to parents and other people who didn't learn Mandarin. There are still TV stations that broadcast in Cantonese (these are Jiaying's favorites), and at least half of China's movie production is in Cantonese (from Hong-Kong).

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f7/Chi_ling3.png/300px-Chi_ling3.png

Edited February 21, 2006 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

From Wikepedia (the red area is primarily Cantonese) - Mandarin is taught in schools, but they still need Cantonese to be able to talk to parents and other people who didn't learn Mandarin. There are still TV stations that broadcast in Cantonese (these are Jiaying's favorites), and at least half of China's movie production is in Cantonese (from Hong-Kong).

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f7/Chi_ling3.png/300px-Chi_ling3.png

192598[/snapback]

Thanks Randy. Your post really got me thinking and checking also. Lan lives in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, and everyone I've met there speaks Mandarin. Though Lan speaks five languages, Cantonese is not one of them, which may be because she moved to the area late in life. Perhaps I made assumptions, as her daughter, who is now 15 speaks both fluent Mandarin and Cantonese.

 

When we've traveled about town however, most everyone there, in Shenzhen speaks Mandarin. This might be because it's a new city though

[Mylife]

Jesse,

 

Just my thoughts. You are correct that Shenzhen's primary language is Mandarin even though it is in the Guangdong province. However, the reason for its dominance by Mandarin is for a few reasons.

 

1. It is a special Economic Center, one of I think 12 cites, that the govern is dumping tons of money into to modernize.

 

2. Due to reason 1, it is a favorite city for transiants to come to SZ to obtain work. Thus a lot of people try to migrate to SZ for work opportunities.

 

Guangzhou,, the capital of Guangdong province, which is only about 45 minutes away from SZ is undiputedly the capital of the Cantonese language(also known as Guangdong hua). Although, most educated people in GZ can speak Mandarin, cantonese is the language for their friends and family, and the locals. Outside of the hotels, and nice restaurants, the locals speak Cantonese. HK's primary language has always been Cantonese, English, and Mandarin in that order. The increase in Mandarin speaking in HK is driven purely by necessity as more people come to HK from the mainland, and more business opportunites arise between the mainland and HK

[dstarsboy]

Actually, its funny that you guys mention saying goodbye. That was awful too. She was at work and she kept saying "I work" so I thought she meant she was at work, so I was, like, "Um... ok, weirdo, duh, I know that." But about 20 minutes later I guess she meant that she needed to get back to work. I wish there was better things to say before you hang up. In American culture you don't just talk then say bye. You usually do a "Bye. See ya soon. You're nifty. Have fun at work." sort of stuff, but it felt so "unlike" goodbye when we're talking and it was. "No bus stop no far my home... ShenSai." (click). It just feels like something is left hanging out there.

 

Of course, everyone else here probably has a more diverse vocabular and can do "American" goodbyes.

 

Also, thanks for all the websites you posted and ideas on chat/translators/better phone etiquette. And Joanne, trust me, an hour on the phone with goofy kids like me and my SO will probably slowly degrade your mental health, and I think your health is worth more than 30 bucks an hour.

[Joanne]

And Joanne, trust me, an hour on the phone with goofy kids like me and my SO will probably slowly degrade your mental health, and I think your health is worth more than 30 bucks an hour.

192661[/snapback]

Thank you so much!

 

My marketing strategy didn't work.

[dstarsboy]

Just an update, my second phone call just happened (week later) and it went really well! Everyone is right, it gets way better. I think everything everyone mentioned completely helped a bunch and makes sense now, but one thing that I found helpful that some have not mentioned (maybe no one has this problem?) but it seems really important to end the call when it seems its starting to go down hill (running out of things that the two of you can say to each other that you both understand) rather than trying to prolong the call by making up odd questions out of the blue that make no sense or scrambling around looking up translations. That way it ends on good terms and you're pumped about the next call. Also, my solution for when to hang up was that I would say, "Sai-Tien Ma?" when there's a bit of a lull in the conversation, that way she can either say, "yes" or say "no" and ask me another question. But all in all, phone calls are AWESOME now! Now... if only i can get her that computer and a webcam...

[Yuanyang]

Also avoid slang, idioms and the likes.

For example: "I can't wait to see you." - Does that mean you will not wait? I'm sure others can insert scores of other examples. I found it to be a healthy exercise in rediscovering the English language.

[SheLikesME?]

Yuanyang, Looks like I am headed back to school next semester for a grammer class. We read stuff together for her upcoming MBA. Her way of learning is to look for the key words in the sentence and learn from that one sentence literally. I try to get her to look at the surrounding material, but since I forgot how to diagram a sentence I am well.......Lets just say her text book grammer is perfect.

 

I did get her to say a beautiful Texas drawl on a word yesterday. Oh she will be so understood if that one seed grows into many. It sounded rather romantic coming from her too.

 

PS: She got real mad at me taking a Manderin class. I need an English class!!

 

dstarsboy, Glad you young guys are having fun starting this new relationship. I wish you all the luck.

Edited February 28, 2006 by SheLikesME (see edit history)

[nygatl15]

Just an update, my second phone call just happened (week later) and it went really well! Everyone is right, it gets way better. I think everything everyone mentioned completely helped a bunch and makes sense now, but one thing that I found helpful that some have not mentioned (maybe no one has this problem?) but it seems really important to end the call when it seems its starting to go down hill (running out of things that the two of you can say to each other that you both understand) rather than trying to prolong the call by making up odd questions out of the blue that make no sense or scrambling around looking up translations. That way it ends on good terms and you're pumped about the next call. Also, my solution for when to hang up was that I would say, "Sai-Tien Ma?" when there's a bit of a lull in the conversation, that way she can either say, "yes" or say "no" and ask me another question. But all in all, phone calls are AWESOME now! Now... if only i can get her that computer and a webcam...

193666[/snapback]

Dell is selling computers $299 I beleive. Just a thought.

[david_dawei]

(maybe no one has this problem?) but it seems really important to end the call when it seems its starting to go down hill (running out of things that the two of you can say to each other that you both understand) rather than trying to prolong the call by making up odd questions out of the blue that make no sense or scrambling around looking up translations.

193666[/snapback]

first, don't consider it a 'problem'... it's a new (and dare i say, better) way of communicating.

 

You'll probably find her practical to a fault, and a phone is used to.. uh, talk... particularly if she's in public or at work, it might be kept shorter.

 

My SO used to say, "you have a question" ... and that was the signal that time was up.

 

Enjoy every minute of it !!

[dstarsboy]

Sorry to bring this old topic up again, but I took Jim Julian's suggestion and went with eDynasty and its awesome. However, I'd like her to be able to give me a call whenever she wants as well.

 

For those of you that don't know, eDynasty works with a typical

 

1) Call this 1-800 number

2) Enter your pin

3) Dial her number

4) Talk and be merry!

 

Can I give her my pin so she can give me a call, ya know, if she's bored or is in trouble or something. Please take into consideration.. my SO does not have a computer. She does not even have a lan line, she uses a mobile phone (I guess this is normal there).

 

Also, if the pin thing will work, do I have to add country code and bunch of other stuff to my number and the 1-800 number before giving it to her?