OT- Mandarin Chinese

laurentyvan

If I knew Mandarin Chinese, the four and one half hours I just spent with Pao Yeu Hsu would have gone much more smoothly.
As it was, mission accomplished, but I felt so stupid in front of a brilliant mind.

tbirde56

Yeu who?

0john0

Luckily it is not that tough to pick up the basics, and the sentance structure is pretty easy. At least there are no articles to worry about or gender concerns, like in Spanish. I was sent to China to live and work for several months while working on my Masters and the 100 or so words I picked up made it really easy to get around. They young ones there speak better English than half of the people here in New Orleans, too!
-john

laurentyvan

OjohnO, the basics are beyond me. However, the Chinese instinct for bargaining would have half the coin dealers in america pulling out their hair. Since they have a language advantage, I am at a disadvantage. English can be awkward in a moment like that.

0john0

I remember bargening while I was there. I would say something that sounded like "Door sh-ow chen" (meaning how much is that), and as soon as the seller would answer with a price I said "tie gwai lah" (meaning too much). I learned the number system too which wasn't that tough so I could give counter-offers. It was kind of fun. I know my pronunciation was terrible but they never made fun of me.
-j

laurentyvan

Language, an exhaustive knowledge of my product (Mazda's), and whatever charm I can muster are my stock in trade.

As a helpless listener I can do no more than they will allow me with their questions and comments.

She's a chinese language teacher in Rochester. Perhaps lessons from her would allow me to sell more cars
to that ancient people... (what's the chinese term for white devil?)

historygeek

gwai lao

laurentyvan

Historygeek, you knew that way too fast-Whaz up?!!

historygeek

Well, I do speak Cantonese. ( Not very well)

sumnom

Gui le!

Expensive!

0john0

gwai lao

They all called me the reverse of that, Lao Wai. What did that mean again, literally? "Old Outsider" I think.

historygeek

John are you Chinese? Then they would have said "lao wa kui."

0john0

No, I'm Irish. I was just working in China.

I stood out quite a bit. Once I made a toddler cry on a bus by taking off my sunglasses and opening up my blue eyes as wide as possible.

I was told that Lao Wai was a derogative term used for outsiders. I also got that idea clearly when the old timers would point at me and yell LAO WAI, LAO WAI!!! as I walked down the street, or got on or off the bus. That kind of sucked.

-j

historygeek

Oh, "gui" might be a better romanization.

sumnom

I don't know how to romanize Cantonese. In fact, I know almost nothing about Cantonese.

I looked up lao(3)wai(4).

1. layman
2. foreigner

historygeek

Are we talking about the same character for ghost?