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Category Archives: linguistics

A little tiny bit wrong

You can’t help but think that Chinglish speakers have it harder than Zhonglish speakers in the dumb-made-up-rule department. You know the category — the rules that are supposed to make your writing clearer or keep you from sounding like a dolt if you’re a native speaker, or keep you from sounding like a non-native [...]

Posted 11 September 2009 † syz § ‡ Comments (9) °

Zhonglish for two-year-olds

On how English messes with even the kids’ Mandarin

After months of exile in Minneapolis, Siberia, the nominal proprietor of Beijing Sounds now has concrete plans to return to the main studio location in beautiful suburban Shàngdì in the northwest outskirts of the capital city. The mood surrounding this semi-permanent move, to take place around the [...]

Posted 25 January 2009 † syz § music § personal § recipes § society § street § teacher § tones § wàidìrén § zhonglish ‡ Comments (8) °

The Onion in… Zhonglish?!

On maintaining political correctness when other people’s languages still sound funny

New Mexico, USA — Christmas, 1978. In the wrapping paper-strewn living room of grandma’s house, after the midday dinner, the adults are engaged in the safe banter of nostalgia, the children, including nine-year-old syz, engrossed in the newly acquired toys, tools and trinkets.
There is no [...]

Posted 22 December 2008 † syz § tones § youtube § zhonglish ‡ Comments (7) °

The Beijing-R exposed! (yet still sublime)

On the ineffable act of naming, the Beijing-R dissected by the white coats, and the ultimate BeijingerSometimes convergence happens. Not the dream where you’re listening to God Save the Queen belted out by a punk cover band in your company’s cafeteria, talking to Grandma Gertrude about Suzie (who you liked in high school) who’s supposed [...]

Posted 17 August 2008 † syz § Chao Yuen Ren 赵元任 Zhào Yuánrèn § Nigel Greenwood § beijing-r § běijīnghuà § education § society § zhonglish § érhuàyīn ‡ Comments (2) °

Beijing’s Final Gold

On Beizzhing v. Bay-Jing oddsmaking and how English speakers are finally going to pronounce the name of this city anyway
By this time you’ve heard from their mothers and their aunts. You might as well admit it: you’re addicted. You’ve been watching the human interest pieces, lapping up the sappy music, the soft lighting, the black-and-white [...]

Posted 16 August 2008 † syz § zhonglish ‡ Comments (3) °

1.3 billion people speak WHAT as a mother tongue?!

On Mandarin learning challenges, the definition of language, and the best taxi-driver critique of hànzì ever recorded.

You’ll be forgiven if you missed the pins-and-needles press conference of foreign minister (wàijiāobùzhǎng, 外交部长) Yáng Jiéchí 杨洁篪 a couple of weeks ago (hat tip to Joel Martinsen at Danwei).

Posted 30 March 2008 † syz § DeFrancis § MFL § taxi ‡ Comments (12) °

Woods, Pears and Jingle Bells

[Note from syz] Following up on exotic claims for tongue-twisting, deep-in-the-nasal-passages Beijing consonants, I’m pleased to present Beijing Sounds’ very first guest post. Or maybe we should call it an outpost, as our intrepid author, frequent BJS commenter, Sima, currently resides in the frigid northeast. In any case, although he doesn’t feature Beijing-R, [...]

Posted 17 February 2008 † syz § guest posts § érhuàyīn ‡ Comments (8) °

Super female students. How much money? An ex-con

No, it’s not sex industry, just sexy běijīnghuà. Who’s responsible for the cheap headline tricks? Blame sexybeijing.tv…
Why had I never come across SexyBeijing.tv before last week?! The hostess, Anna Sophie Loewenberg aka Su Fei, is both forever-single and singular. Whether it’s her sundresses, pretty darned good běijīnghuà, or disarmingly candid questions and commentary — she [...]

Posted 22 January 2008 † syz § běijīnghuà § consonant elision § street § érhuàyīn ‡ Comments (11) °