Thursday, July 19, 2007
Like a native
I get down, out of kilter and bored from time to time,
it's true. When that happens I like to start teaching
myself a new language.
I get down, out of kilter and bored from time to time,
it's true. When that happens I like to start teaching
myself a new language.
This winter I've been giving Chinese a go and it's certainly a challenging language to try. I stroll down Little Bourke St looking at all the signs and saying to myself “wouldn't it be nice if I could read that” which is essentially the level of my current fluency in the language.
In fact I know only a few phrases.
Immersion is certainly the name of the game when you try to learn a language so I am culling my DVDs (does anybody want my Gary Oldman collection? I also have some of the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmeses you can take) and replacing them with Chinese language ones.
I have a number of the Hong Kong Jackie Chan movies dubbed into Mandarin now and after watching them, these are the Chinese phrases I know:
- Stop!
- Don't hit my glasses
- We're chasing drug-peddling pirates with handguns
- Ring my insurance agency
- Get him!
- This soybean curd is off
- Explosives? Explosives!?
- Guarded by an electric fence, trained killer henchmen and a shark tank? No problem. Watch this!
- Let her go, you fiend
- I need more stuntmen
- That police officer has foiled my evil plans once again
- Gosh those Mitsubishis are good cars
and, of course:
- Hhhyyyaaaaaa!!
Comments:
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what a coincidence - my bosses suggested to me today that they'd like me to learn mandarin chinese. where are you learning?
That certainly is a coincidence. Are the bosses threatening to send you over? A trip to China would be sweet.
I'm not learning at a school: I teach myself. I'm essentially following a combination of the Antimoon Method and the Project A Method
I'm not learning at a school: I teach myself. I'm essentially following a combination of the Antimoon Method and the Project A Method
Project A Part II was the better film.
Just saying.
And also, I think "hyaaaaa" is an esperanto-like phrase which transcends dialect (although would be pleased to be corrected on that).
Just saying.
And also, I think "hyaaaaa" is an esperanto-like phrase which transcends dialect (although would be pleased to be corrected on that).
I was quite surprised that “hhyyyaaaaaa” meant the same thing in Chinese as it did in English.
Both Project As were awesome. All three Police Stories? Awesome. Even Armour of God — which was crap — was awesome.
Both Project As were awesome. All three Police Stories? Awesome. Even Armour of God — which was crap — was awesome.
I'm quite the fan of
a) skirt fighting
b) wooden bench fighting
and
c) push-bike fighting
Who wouldn't be?
a) skirt fighting
b) wooden bench fighting
and
c) push-bike fighting
Who wouldn't be?
Surely you also know how to say "Who wrote this crap and what the hell is Jennifer Love Hewitt doing here?"
That's going to come in handy someday
That's going to come in handy someday
Woah there, INCraig. First you suggest that the writing in a martial arts movie is somehow below the ideal level of quality, and then you seem to suggest that Jennifer Love Hewitt shouldn't be anywhere she wants to be!
I'm shocked! Shocked!
I might need to throw myself through panes of glass, jump off clocktowers and drive cars through hillsides full of shanties just to calm down.
I too can recommend skirt fighting, wooden bench fighting and push-bike fighting to all.
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I'm shocked! Shocked!
I might need to throw myself through panes of glass, jump off clocktowers and drive cars through hillsides full of shanties just to calm down.
I too can recommend skirt fighting, wooden bench fighting and push-bike fighting to all.
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