Chinese words in daily life

• BanguIzai

  9 Jul 11, 00:34

  Originally posted by Rock^Star:

  Tks :) Interesting. Funny that they call Indonesia �度尼西亚 instead of �尼。 Haha.

  Who are "they" ?

  Isn't it more obvious å�°åº¦å°¼è¥¿äºž is a syllable-to-syllable transliteration of In-do-ne-si-a ?   å�°å°¼ is the clipped form wat.

• Rock^Star

  9 Jul 11, 00:52

  Originally posted by BanguIzai:

  Who are "they" ?

  Isn't it more obvious å�°åº¦å°¼è¥¿äºž is a syllable-to-syllable transliteration of In-do-ne-si-a ?   å�°å°¼ is the clipped form wat.

  Oh, I mean the chinese haha. I mean since they have short forms for places and they use the long form of �度尼西亞 for Indonesia.

• BanguIzai

  9 Jul 11, 00:57

  Originally posted by Rock^Star:

  Oh, I mean the chinese haha. I mean since they have short forms for places and they use the long form of �度尼西亞 for Indonesia.

  Forms like �度尼西亞 are translations borrowed by the Chinese from Japanese who first coined the countries names through Western academic influence during the Meiji Era.

  See this post:   Click here

   

• BanguIzai

  9 Jul 11, 01:43

  Originally posted by Rock^Star:

  Oh, I mean the chinese haha. I mean since they have short forms for places and they use the long form of �度尼西亞 for Indonesia.

  Ok I understand what you mean ler.  You were trying to say that the Indonesian Chinese themselves are inconsistent in that, they preferred short forms for the cities (eg. 椰城 instead of 椰加é�”, 錫江 instead of 望加錫, æ³—æ°´ instead of 泗拉峇也,  but when å�°åº¦å°¼è¥¿äºž has a short form of å�°å°¼ï¼Œ they dun wan to use it right？)

• Itedino

  9 Jul 11, 01:46

  u special leh. Why learn chinese. want to woo chinese girl is it. Ya fair and smooth. shoick right.

• BanguIzai

  9 Jul 11, 01:48

  Originally posted by Itedino:

  u special leh. Why learn chinese. want to woo chinese girl is it. Ya fair and smooth. shoick right.

  Hi Itedino, which are the languages that you would recommend learning?  Or you think which is the interesting languages,  or nice languages?   Or which languages you know also ?   Or which languages you like?

• Rock^Star

  9 Jul 11, 14:53

  Originally posted by BanguIzai:

  Ok I understand what you mean ler.  You were trying to say that the Indonesian Chinese themselves are inconsistent in that, they preferred short forms for the cities (eg. 椰城 instead of 椰加é�”, 錫江 instead of 望加錫, æ³—æ°´ instead of 泗拉峇也,  but when å�°åº¦å°¼è¥¿äºž has a short form of å�°å°¼ï¼Œ they dun wan to use it right？)

  Yeh....just wondering haha.

• BanguIzai

  9 Jul 11, 23:20

  ok

• Rock^Star

  12 Jul 11, 01:27

  Have difficulty translating these common words into mandarin?

  floor mat

  body deodorant

  cotton bud

  handphone pouch

  handphone film protector

  _____________________

  Idioms as sent by Bangulzai:

  �驴�马

  废�忘食

  高枕无忧

  虎头蛇尾

  力�从心

  未�先衰

  上有政策，下有对策

  似是而�

  行尸走肉

  �门拒虎，�门进狼

  岂有此�

  挂羊头，�狗肉

  �人忧天

  守株待兔

  画蛇添足

  ��虎�

  Will translate these soon....more to come.

• BanguIzai

  12 Jul 11, 01:34

  Originally posted by Rock^Star:

  Have difficulty translating these common words into mandarin?

  floor mat

  body deodorant

  cotton bud

  handphone pouch

  handphone film protector

  _____________________

  Idioms as sent by Bangulzai:

  �驴�马

  废�忘食

  高枕无忧

  虎头蛇尾

  力�从心

  未�先衰

  上有政策，下有对策

  似是而�

  行尸走肉

  �门拒虎，�门进狼

  岂有此�

  挂羊头，�狗肉

  �人忧天

  守株待兔

  画蛇添足

  ��虎�

  Will translate these soon....more to come.

  Part 1:

  floor mat - 地毯 sounds like carpet, I would give 地擦腳布 a try

  body deodorant - �臭劑 (i anyhow translate one)

  cotton bud - 棉花棒 (i anyhow translate one)

  handphone pouch - 手機袋 (i anyhow translate one)

  handphone film protector - 手機�幕�護膜 (i anyhow translate one)

• BanguIzai

  12 Jul 11, 01:36

  Idioms are hard to translate... Leave it to you to translate lar.   Keep up the good work!

• Rock^Star

  12 Jul 11, 19:44

  Originally posted by BanguIzai:

  Part 1:

  floor mat - 地毯 sounds like carpet, I would give 地擦腳布 a try

  body deodorant - �臭劑 (i anyhow translate one)

  cotton bud - 棉花棒 (i anyhow translate one)

  handphone pouch - 手機袋 (i anyhow translate one)

  handphone film protector - 手機�幕�護膜 (i anyhow translate one)

  Thanks Bangul.

  floor mat - 地毯 sounds like carpet, I would give 地擦腳布 a try

  地毯 is definitely carpet....I think in the sg context, 脚布 or 地布 is fine. I would like to call it �垫 though.

  body deodorant - �臭劑 (i anyhow translate one)

  �臭剂 sounds like for those with body odour? I prefer to use 体香剂 haha.

  cotton bud - 棉花棒 (i anyhow translate one) Spot on

  handphone pouch - 手機袋 (i anyhow translate one)

  Or 手机包。

  handphone film protector - 手機�幕�護膜 (i anyhow translate one)

  I think that's correct! haha.....The short form of 手机膜 suffices though.

• Rock^Star

  12 Jul 11, 20:48

  �驴�马 - Neither a donkey nor a horse; neither here nor there. Eg: 新加�人所讲的�语�驴�马似的。 （哈哈）

  废�忘食 - Work or study so hard that one forgets to rest or eat.

  高枕无忧 - Sleeping with a pillow up high; to be without worries. Eg: 别以为当上了总��就�以高枕无忧，�顾虑的事还多�呢�

  虎头蛇尾 - Tiger's head and yet with a snake's end; to begin something with enthusiasm only to falter halfway.

  力�从心 - The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

  未�先衰 - Not old but already becoming feeble.

  上有政策，下有对策 - Refers to the govt up there who implements their policies and the citizens below who counter with their own actions. Something like PAP and sgporeans lol.

  似是而� - Looks like it but it's not; appearances can be deceiving. 这情况似是而�，没那么糟，先别轻举妄动。

  行尸走肉 - Dead man walking; refers to a useless bum.

  �门拒虎，�门进狼 - To guard against the tiger in front yet letting the snake enter from behind.

  岂有此� - Ridiculous logic; normally with a ! behind 岂有此�。

  挂羊头，�狗肉 - Displaying mutton but selling dog meat. Refers to misleading advertisements or promotion campaigns.

  �人忧天 - The story dates back to the ancient state of Qi where the people fear the sky dropping on them. Means to worry over nothing.

  守株待兔 - A man saw a rabbit bump into a tree and die. He then waits at the same spot everyday in anticipation of the same accident so that he can obtain free food. Eg: 这世界上没有守株待兔的侥幸，一切都��努力争�。

  画蛇添足 - To add legs to a snake and ruin the drawing. Means to try too hard and ruin something. In hokkien, we can say ”geh kiang".

  ��虎� - The fox borrowing the might of the tiger to establish dominance over the other animals. Eg: 这�中级��特爱��虎�，仗�公�大��的��欺压他所憎�的�事。

• BanguIzai

  12 Jul 11, 20:56

  • Thanks for the explanation on 腳布, 地布, and è¸�墊。 I find è¸�墊 nice sounding, can learn to use this. 腳布 shall be the next, as it sounds nearest to the Hokkien equivalent of 拭骹布 (tsh'it-kh'a-por) or éª¹å¸ƒ (kh'a-por).
  • 體香劑 sounds nicer than ç‹�臭劑.
  • I didn't know what's "bud" exactly (Mind-blank). I wanted to choose between 棉花團 and 棉花棒, I just hantam "bud" is the stick thing, not the clump thing.
  • Thanks for the addition on 手機包。
  • 手機膜 is good.

• BanguIzai

  12 Jul 11, 21:16

  Originally posted by Rock^Star:

  �驴�马 - Neither a donkey nor a horse; neither here nor there. Eg: 新加�人所讲的�语�驴�马似的。 （哈哈）

  废�忘食 - Work or study so hard that one forgets to rest or eat.

  高枕无忧 - Sleeping with a pillow up high; to be without worries. Eg: 别以为当上了总��就�以高枕无忧，�顾虑的事还多�呢�

  虎头蛇尾 - Tiger's head and yet with a snake's end; to begin something with enthusiasm only to falter halfway.

  力�从心 - The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

  未�先衰 - Not old but already becoming feeble.

  上有政策，下有对策 - Refers to the govt up there who implements their policies and the citizens below who counter with their own actions. Something like PAP and sgporeans lol.

  似是而� - Looks like it but it's not; appearances can be deceiving. 这情况似是而�，没那么糟，先别轻举妄动。

  行尸走肉 - Dead man walking; refers to a useless bum.

  �门拒虎，�门进狼 - To guard against the tiger in front yet letting the snake enter from behind.

  岂有此� - Ridiculous logic; normally with a ! behind 岂有此�。

  挂羊头，�狗肉 - Displaying mutton but selling dog meat. Refers to misleading advertisements or promotion campaigns.

  �人忧天 - The story dates back to the ancient state of Qi where the people fear the sky dropping on them. Means to worry over nothing.

  守株待兔 - A man saw a rabbit bump into a tree and die. He then waits at the same spot everyday in anticipation of the same accident so that he can obtain free food. Eg: 这世界上没有守株待兔的侥幸，一切都��努力争�。

  画蛇添足 - To add legs to a snake and ruin the drawing. Means to try too hard and ruin something. In hokkien, we can say ”geh kiang".

  ��虎� - The fox borrowing the might of the tiger to establish dominance over the other animals. Eg: 这�中级��特爱��虎�，仗�公�大��的��欺压他所憎�的�事。

  Good Stuff!

• BanguIzai

  13 Jul 11, 02:40

  Good to see you hard at work in Mandarin Chinese.  I do my part in finding the Hokkien Idioms by providing the respective Hokkien counterparts that I searched through my language tools. Those that I list here are those which I could able to find, here are they:

  é�žé©´é�žé©¬ - put5 sam22 su21 liong53 ä¸�三似兩

  废å¯�忘食 - bue21 kÉ”53 tit5 tsiaÊ”5 , bue21 kÉ”53 tit5 kh’un21 ð£��顧得食，ð£��顧得ç��

  高枕无忧 - (not found yet)

  虎头蛇尾 - hÉ”44 th’au24 niau44 tsh’u44 be53 è™Žé ­é³¥é¼ å°¾ / th’au24 hing21 be53 ling53 é ­èˆˆå°¾å†· 

  力ä¸�从心 - u21 sim44 bo22 kh’ui53 lat5 æœ‰å¿ƒç„¡æ°£åŠ›

  未�先衰 - (not found yet)

  上有政策，下有对策 - (not found yet)

  似是而� - (not found yet)

  行尸走肉 - (not found yet)

  �门拒虎，�门进狼 - (not found yet)

  岂有此� - (not found yet)

  挂羊头，�狗肉 - (not found yet)

  �人忧天 - (not found yet)

  守株待兔 - tse21 le22 tan44 lai24 å��咧等來

  画蛇添足 - (not found yet)

  ç‹�å�‡è™Žå¨� - kang21 hÉ”53 tsioÊ”5 tã53 å…±è™Žå€Ÿè†½ / kh’a22 taÊ”21 be44 sai53 png21 kÅ©ã22 kh’i21 éª¹è¸�馬屎å‚�官氣

• BanguIzai

  13 Jul 11, 16:16

  These are the 詞語 that got in my paper "helpdesk æˆ‘çš„å­—å…¸" sections today.

  The meanings given in the newspaper are used in the context of the articles.

  • Panic alarm button: ç·Šæ€¥æŒ‰éˆ• jÇ�n jí àn niÇ”

  .... started carring a panic alarm button during her cleaning rounds.

  • Housekeeping staff: æ—…館æœ�務員 lÇš guÇŽn fú wù yuán

  The hotel has equipped its housekeeping staff, as well as ....

  • Extra measures: é¡�外措施 é wài cuò shÄ«

  .... have taken extra measures to ensure the safety of their staff ....

  • Unheard of: å‰�所未è�ž qián suÇ’ wèi wén

  .... cases are practically unheard of here.

  • Lightweight: è¼•åž‹ qÄ«ng xíng

  .... including that of a lightweight, flexible body armour.

  • Multiple: å€�數 bèi shù

  It is designed to withstand multiple hits and to protect its wearer ....

  • Pivotal: é—œé�µçš„ guÄ�n jiàn de

  .... has played a pivotal role ....

  • Naval: æµ·è»�çš„ hÇŽi jÅ«n de

  .... United States Naval Postgraduate School ....

  • Motor skills: å‹•ä½œæŠ€èƒ½ dòng zuò jì néng

  Children can now learn motor skills in a more organised and structured way ....

  • Kindergarten: å¹¼å…’園 yòu ér yuán

  If implemented at all the more than 1,400 kindergartens and childcare ....

  • Obesity: è‚¥èƒ–ç—‡ féi pàng zhèng

  .... considering the problem of obesity among pupils ....

  • Expressive: å–„於表é�” shàn yú biÇŽo dá

  .... the kids have become more expressive in their movements.

  • Reshuffle: é‡�組 chóng zÇ”

  .... make sweeping changes to his Cabinet in a reshuffle ....

  • Routine: ä¾‹è¡Œ lì xíng

  They are practically routine changes ....

  • Maverick: è‡ªè¡Œå…¶æ˜¯çš„ zì xíng qí shì de

  In the only surprise move, the maverick and influential Mr Ramesh ....

  • Rural development: è¾²æ¥­ç™¼å±• nóng yè fÄ� zhÇŽn

  .... moved to the Rural Development Ministry ....

  • Slashed: å¤§å¹…削減 dà fú xuÄ“ jiÇŽn

  .... but saw its majority slashed in the previous general election ....

  • Electoral system: é�¸èˆ‰åˆ¶åº¦ xuÇŽn jÇ” zhì dù

  .... to look at the entire electoral system, ....

  • Indelible: åŽ»ä¸�掉的 qù bú diào de

  .... the use of indelible ink to prevent voters from casting multiple ballots.

  • Bystander: æ—�觀者 páng guÄ�n zhÄ›

  .... he was a bystander who died of a heart attack.

  • Engulfing: å�žæ²’ tÅ«n mò

  .... he fought to contain a crisis engulfing his media empire.

  • Prolonged: é•·æ™‚期的 cháng shí qí de

  .... referring for a prolonged investigation ....

  • Takeover: æ”¶è³¼ shÅ�u gòu

  .... a multi-billion-dollar takeover deal that had raised further fears ....

  • Febrile: ç‹‚熱 kuáng rè

  .... the current febrile atmosphere surrounding the bid will cool down.

  • Acrimonious: æ¿€çƒˆçš„ jÄ« liè de

  With the electronics titans squaring off in an acrimonious battle over ....

  • Copying: æŠ„襲 chÄ�o xí

  .... accused the South Korean firm of "slavishly" copying the iPad and iPhone ....

  • Foundries: é‘„造厰 zhù zào chÇŽng

  .... take months to configure foundries to produce new chips, ....

  • Legal language: æ³•å¾‹ç”¨èªž fÇŽ lÇœ yòng yÇ”

  .... supply contracts could be wrapped up in legal language, making it ....

  • Plummeting: æš´è·Œ bào diÄ“

  .... plummeting to ridiculous lows.

  • Scrapped: å ±å»¢ bào fèi

  .... the number of vehicles scrapped in the preceding six months.

  • Road congestion: äº¤é€šå µå¡ž jiÄ�o tÅ�ng dÇ” sè

  .... prevents road congestion as well as noise and air pollution.

  • Hoardings: è‡¨æ™‚åœ�籬 lín shí wéi lí

  .... we could put up signs on the hoardings of MRT construction sites ....

  • 侵襲 qÄ«n xí: Invade; attack

  ... 臺�正�「�化海嘯�侵襲。

  • 長壽 cháng shòu: Long-lived

  由於女性一般較男性長壽，....

  • 後繼ä¹�人 hòu jì fá rén: To lack successors

  .... 生育率急速�低，使臺�「後繼�人�， ....

  • å��é�  piÄ�n yuÇŽn: Remote

  政府也應設法改善��鄉�的產業發展， ....

  • é�•ç´„ wéi yuÄ“: Default on a contract

  美國政府債券真的沒有�約的風險？

  • 僵局 jiÄ�ng jú: Deadlock; impasse

  .... ，目�的僵局�是美國共和黨在故��難民主黨總統奧巴馬。

  • 崩盤 bÄ“ng pán: Market collapse

  .... ，美國國債市場�能因此崩盤。

  • 雪上加霜 xuÄ› shàng jiÄ� shuÄ�ng: One disaster after another

  .... ，如果利率上昇，房屋貸款利率也會調昇，那麽美國人民�謂雪上加霜。

  • å¥�效 zòu xiào: Be effective

  .... ，傳統的分散投資風險策略已無法�效。

  • 纖長 xiÄ�n cháng: Long and slender

  .... ，讓�毛更濃密或更纖長。

  • æ•�æ„Ÿ mÇ�n gÇŽn: Sensitive

  .... ，長期使用膠水也會造�眼��感。

  • 光澤 guÄ�ng zé: Lustre

  如果發��毛乾燥而沒有光澤， ....

  • 瞬間 shùn jiÄ�n: In the twinkling of an eye

  .... ，使�根�毛都能瞬間往上翹起， ....

  • 魅力 mèi lì: Charm

  .... ，主角是魅力�足的美人魚。

  • æ�­é…� dÄ� pèi: To arrange in pairs or groups; to collocate

  .... ，�款�有已經��好的兩�顔色， ....

  • æˆ�份 chéng fèn: Ingredients

  .... ，�有礦物�份， ....

  • 率先 shuài xiÄ�n: To take the lead in doing something

  率先登陸本地市場的是Champagne系列， ....

  • è�’謬 huÄ�ng miù: Ridiculous; absurd

  有人說越�感情纔會越好，�來有點�謬， ....

  • ä¸�æ‚… bú yuè: Unhappiness

  與其把自己心�的�悅收起來， ....

  • 裂痕 liè hén: Chasm; crack

  但是冷戰�把彼此閒的感情裂痕擴大讓誤會加深。

  • è—‰å�£ jiè kÇ’u: Excuse; pretext

  有些夫妻會以讓孩�有個完整的家為藉�， ....

  • 焦點 jiÄ�o diÇŽn: Focus

  身為「始作俑者�的她頓時�爲焦點人物。

  • 諷刺 fÄ›ng cì: To dig at

  �於自己幫�傢説話一事，查�欣諷刺張��： ....

  • 轉告 zhuÇŽn gào: To pass on (a message)

  當中�到「查�欣爆料，�指其實是狄波拉轉告，�霆鋒藉�親的�把所有事情說出來， ....�

  • 探測 tàn cè: To probe

  .... ，媒體當然想從周董�中「探測�婚變消�。

  • 元素 yuán sù: Element

  當時被�到以桃紅色為設計元素， ....

  • 轟動 hÅ�ng dòng: (Cause a) sensation or stir

  �宇森的《赤�》在日本造�轟動被�上舞臺， ....

  • 壓力 yÄ� lì: Pressure

  .... ，但從大銀幕走上舞臺，她�誠壓力大， ....

  • 專業 zhuÄ�n yè: Professional

  除了請日語教師，還有專業教師指導她日文�語�發�訓練， ....

  • ä¿�çš® qiào pí: Lively

  「志玲�但漂亮也�外地很�皮，很棒��

  • 行蹤 xíng zÅ�ng: Whereabouts
• BanguIzai

  13 Jul 11, 16:18

  
  >>>

  • 行蹤 xíng zÅ�ng: Whereabouts

  .... ，�霆鋒抵���到��時，行蹤就被戴碧�得知， ....

  • 折返 zhé fÇŽn: To turn back

  .... ，她與張��經紀人Emily立刻折返陽明山莊「監場�， ....

  • è€�人尋味 nài rén xún wèi: Thought-provoking

  鋒�婚姻生變�，該��佣便被打入冷宮，��出�Lucas身邊，直至�天下�纔會��霆鋒到陽明山莊，相當�人尋味。

  • 通風報信 tÅ�ng fÄ“ng bào xìn: To divulge information

  .... ，�佣得知戴碧�外出�茶後，��霆鋒通風報信， ....

  • Werewolf: ç‹¼äºº láng rén

  .... it was only a matter of tiime before the werewolf sidekick got its own emo TV show.

  • Awkward: å½†æ‰­ biè niÇ”

  It's about awkward high-school studnet Scott who ....

  • Besties: æœ€å¥½çš„朋å�‹ zuì hÇŽo de péng yÇ’u

  .... and I dig the chemistry between the besties.

  • Creeped out: å�—到驚嚇 shòu dào jÄ«ng xià

  .... the girl doesn't seem creeped out (I would be!) by how he knows stuff about her she didn't tell him.

  • Abandoned: è¢«é�ºæ£„ bèi yí qì

  Some of the elderly living there were abandoned, ....

  • Converse: è«‡è©± tán huà

  .... I find most of the younger generation unable to converse with their elders, ....

  • Retirement village: é€€ä¼‘æ�‘ tuì xiÅ« cÅ«n

  .... I observed the lifestyles of the elderly in a retirement village ....

  • Second wind: é‡�新振作 chóng xÄ«n zhèn zuò

  .... it was a though they enjoyed a second wind in their dotage.

  • Timely reminder: å�Šæ™‚çš„æ��醒 jí shí de tí xÇ�ng

  Her article is a timely reminder that there is kindness around us ....

  • Applaud: è´Šè¨± zàn xÇ”

  .... we should applaud acts of kindness shown to us or to those around us.

  • Provokes: å¼•ç™¼ yÇ�n fÄ�

  Highlighting unkind acts achieves nothing, unless it provokes an informed discussion about the ideal gracious society.

  • Actions: è¡Œå‹• xíng dòng

  Model kindness in our speech and actions.

  • Fervour: ç†±æƒ… rè qíng

  .... and a generation of young football fans have grown up disconnected with thefervour of local football.

  • Myriad: æ•¸ä¸�清的 shÇ” bù qÄ«ng de

  Nowadays, with a myriad of football teams ....

  • Disband: è§£æ•£ jiÄ› sàn

  .... will the Courts Young Lions team disband, ....

  • Nostalgia: æ‡·èˆŠ huái jiù

  While there will be initial sparks of interest and nostalgia, ....

  • Wilting: æ´©æ°£ xiè qì

  .... leaving Japan, who took home just nine golds, wilting under the host's challenge.

  • Coveted: æ¸´æœ›çš„ kÄ› wàng de

  .... said the 400 free was the title the coveted most.

  • Banish: æ¶ˆé™¤ xiÄ�o chú

  .... and will be keen to banish memories of Rome 2009, ....

  • Roster: å��å–® míng dÄ�n

  Japan's roster includes Kosuke Kitajima, ....

  • Governance: æ²»ç�† zhì lÇ�

  .... five Chinese companies as having more corporate-governance "red flags" than others ....

  • Prudent: æ…Žé‡� shèn zhòng

  .... investors will be more prudent in investing in them."

  • Compliance: å�ˆæ§¼ hé guÄ«

  .... had inadequate compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards ....

  • Opaque: ä¸�é€�明的 bù tòu míng de

  .... riskier or more opaque business models, ....

  • Default: å‚µå‹™é�•ç´„ zhài wù wéi yuÄ“

  .... the possibility of a selective default by Greece ....

  • Contagion: è”“延 màn yán

  .... that will improve the euro area's systemic capacity to resist contagion risk, ....

  • Rescue package: æ•‘æ�´æ–¹æ¡ˆ jiù yuán fÄ�ng àn

  .... how to involve provate bond-holders in a second rescue package for Greece.

  • Bailout: ç·Šæ€¥æ•‘æ¿Ÿ jÇ�n jí jiù jì

  .... there would clearly be private-sector involvement in the new bailout ....

  • Trade imbalances: è²¿æ˜“失衡 mào yì shÄ« héng

  .... to reduce trade imbalances and curb inflation.

  • Peg: æŒ‚鈎 guà gÅ�u

  China loosened the yuan's peg to the US dollar on July 21,

  • Offshore centre: é›¢å²¸ä¸­å¿ƒ lí àn zhÅ�ng xÄ«n

  .... allowed Hong Kong to become an offshore centre for trade settlement ....

  • Global currency: å…¨ç�ƒæ€§è²¨å¹£ quán qiú xìng huò bì

  .... China wants to create a global currency, ....

   

• BanguIzai

  13 Jul 11, 16:37

  When compiling the list above, I came across this article.  It strike me that in the process of abandoning dialects (whether self-motivated or politically-motivated), we are abandoning our elderly and seniors.

  I reproduce here:

   

  http://news.asiaone.com/News/Mailbox/Story/A1Story20110713-288903.html

   

   

  Cherish our human legacy system

  my paper
  Wed, Jul 13, 2011

  

  
  By By Justin Ng

  I WAS once an engineer handling machines during the first four years of my working life, but soon found life turning monotonous and mechanical - just like the equipment I was handling.

  I seemed to have lost touch with the human world, and I started asking myself what the point of it all was.

  It was during these reflective moments that I found myself thinking about the elderly I met in my childhood, those who lived at an old folks' home in Aljunied.

  I remembered the lantern festivals they enjoyed with the rest of the neigbourhood, their childlike demeanour, and their mischievous sense of humour.

  From them, I learnt that life is not just about oneself. Most of them told me then that they once lived to work, just so they could feed their children and provide them with an education.

  It was this memory that led me to seek a new job. And, last October, I began working at the old folks' home in Aljunied, the very one from my childhood.

  Some of the elderly living there were abandoned, poor or suffering from illness. Most of them have been living in the home for more than 10 years.

  It saddens me to realise that so many of the elderly in Singapore have become what I describe as "the forgotten generation".

  In a way, I associate them with our dying dialects.

  Sometimes, when I visit my own family members, I find most of the younger generation unable to converse with their elders, since they do not speak the same language. The young do not speak dialect, while the elderly do not speak English.

  While the young move on, the seniors are resigned to a quiet and lonely old age, whether at home or in an old folks' home.

  Their knowledge is forgotten, the things they have done lost to the ravages of time.

  We will never, in this way, know their stories, which are constantly being forgotten as they age.

  It is so different where the elderly in Australia are concerned.

  During my university days in Perth, I observed the lifestyles of the elderly in a retirement village (which is different from the old folks' homes here) and saw them coming together in groups to enjoy activities like knitting.

  They were psychologically and emotionally well-adjusted, and independent enough to take trips - sometimes on mobility scooters - out to the supermarket to buy groceries.

  Instead of being consigned to small, lonely lives, it was as though they enjoyed a second wind in their dotage.

  I dream of the same for the elderly in Singapore one day, and it is this that motivates me.

  In engineering school, I was taught the term "legacy system", defined as an old system or technology that continues to be used, typically because it still serves an important function for users.

  I see the elderly as our "human legacy system": They were there at the start, planning and building everything we have and enjoy today.

  They have stories and experiences to share in their own tongues, and are a rich part of our lives, our roots.

  Let them not be forgotten

  .

   

• Rock^Star

  13 Jul 11, 20:40

  Wow, those myriads of words above, I have learnt a lot. Tks :) And regarding the article on dialects, I can pretty much imagine how youngsters meet their relatives during CNY and they can't communicate with the elderly because they don't know dialects. It's a trend which will not reverse anytime soon. Govt policies do not help too. This article can only do so much despite its heartfelt imploration.

  Such a pity but what to do? That's life here.

  Today was just asked by a chinese friend from guangxi why I have two names: the chinese and cantonese one. Haha....she found it baffling because she has the same surname as me but only one chinese name. Funny the chinese don't have names in dialects?

• BanguIzai

  14 Jul 11, 00:59

  Originally posted by Rock^Star:

  Wow, those myriads of words above, I have learnt a lot. Tks :) And regarding the article on dialects, I can pretty much imagine how youngsters meet their relatives during CNY and they can't communicate with the elderly because they don't know dialects. It's a trend which will not reverse anytime soon. Govt policies do not help too. This article can only do so much despite its heartfelt imploration.

  Such a pity but what to do? That's life here.

  Today was just asked by a chinese friend from guangxi why I have two names: the chinese and cantonese one. Haha....she found it baffling because she has the same surname as me but only one chinese name. Funny the chinese don't have names in dialects?

  Ya Life here.  Bo pian.

  That's why we do our part. Just use dialect everywhere, everytime on our part.

  I have mentioned it in a conversation with Clivebenss in the past, here's some dialogue:

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206133

  Regarding continuation and preservation of dialects, a lot of people agree and so and so and ....  but all talk but no action

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206140

  We must walk our talk.

  Example,  I myself speak dialect anywhere, everywhere,  and a lot of times I can be the dialect initiator so that whenever people see me, they start to speak to me only in dialect.

  Or perhaps create the environment conducive to dialect.

  Furthermore, I do not subscribe to the preconception that people like school teachers, principals, doctors, lawyers, or maybe media people,  you must speak English or Mandarin to them.   I don't care who are they,  when I meet these people,  I converse to them in dialect  and  whether they choose to reply in dialect or not is their matter.

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206142

  Worst, many view that dialects are for those uneducated.

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206146

  Most of the time,  I create the environment conducive for dialect speaking.

  Whereas, I think,  most people wait for the environment to appear.

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206147

  Because dialects has always been stigmatised.

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206148

  For me ,   I  can SMS to people in Cantonese  or  Hokkien.  (for those who have a command in those languages).    This is a way for people to get to know how written Cantonese or written Hokkien is like,   so they will not think they are unwritten languages,  thus uneducated. 

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206162

  many times speak dialects as native tongue give a good connection but this is slipping away.

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206166

  The thing is ,   let's say yourself,   how many times have you seen  someone  on the road  and without hesitation  just speak dialect first ?   If wrong dialect then switch dialect la,   but a lot of people scared use wrong dialect  so  must use  English first ??   What fucked up preconceived notion  is that?

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206171

  Do we speak dialect  to the librarian at the National Library ?   Do we speak dialect to the last GP doctor that treated us ?   Do we speak dialect when we step into a musical and the usher is asking where's our seat ??     This is what we must think back again and again.

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206175

  I speak dialect and as an elderly their reply is always in dialect or if they really dun know they will try to speak to me in Mandarin.

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206178

  So maintain your poise,  continue speaking and answer in dialect  no matter what language other people is speaking to you  so they have no choice but to continue converse and  may be forced to listen to some dialects.

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206181

  Even when you have chance to be interviewed on TV,  use DIALECT.   Some people have the fucked-up preconceived notion that must speak Mandarin when interviewed on TV.

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206183

  you will be surprise many youngsters got completely cut off from dialects so their next best is try to speak with their horrible Mandarin for some.

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206184

  Speak dialect to the next POPULAR bookstore cashier.

  Speak dialect to the next COLD STORAGE cashier.

  Speak dialect to the next ROBINSONS cashier.

  Speak dialect in any restaurant.

  Speak dialect in any bookshop.

  Speak dialect in any art gallery.

  Speak dialect in any school.

  http://sgforums.com/forums/3545/topics/419181?page=45#post_10206185

  Speak dialect even in airport counter if the staff is Chinese.

  Conclusion:

       To Singaporeans in general. Stop waiting for other people to start speaking dialect to us.  We shall start speaking our real mother tongue first.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Guangxi which part?   Not all Guangxi people are Cantonese u know right?   There are 3 main topolectal classifications in Guangxi, namely Kwongsai Cantonese (under 粵語, usually called 白話 Paak-Wa), PingHua (under 平話, split into north group and south group, which are mutually unintelligible. Some unclassified 土話 is subsumed under the PingHua classification for simplistic purposes)  and  South-western Mandarin (under 官話).    The greatest Cantonese Linguist Mr. 詹伯慧, has expounded this in a number of papers.

• Rock^Star

  14 Jul 11, 11:50

  That's true.....never thought of that. Perhaps speaking Hokkien would be more practical. For the cantonese and hakkas, high chance the common joe wld not understand. And if we speak on TV in dialect, it would not be shown too. That's why I say govt laws.

• BanguIzai

  14 Jul 11, 18:33

  Cantonese, common joe wld not understand ?    U referring to Indonesia arh, izzit ?

  I am wonderring, why are all the laws aimed at dialects ?

• Rock^Star

  14 Jul 11, 21:51

  Originally posted by BanguIzai:

  Cantonese, common joe wld not understand ?    U referring to Indonesia arh, izzit ?

  I am wonderring, why are all the laws aimed at dialects ?

  I mean sg haha....you try at many many places and many wouldn't understand.

  Death of dialects in sg has a lot to do with the ideas of one man.

• Rock^Star

  14 Jul 11, 21:56

  If we were to do presentations in chinese:

  Powerpoint

  Presentation

  Bar graph

  Line graph

  Chart

  Projector

  Pie chart

  The range

  Trend

  How?? I bet very few singaporeans know everything.