2006-03-15 18:00:00 Diana
Great Intermediate lesson on Chinese Tea...it hit all the right buttons for me! Really appreciate the expansion of lexis and the cultural insights too. I\\\'m a fairly recent but already devoted listener & visitor to the website.I just love the new vocabulary practice in different contexts made available there too.Also appreciate the informal chat even if I don\\\'t manage to get it all... some of it sinks in! Thanks again!Diana.]]> Diana
Great Intermediate lesson on Chinese Tea...it hit all the right buttons for me! Really appreciate the expansion of lexis and the cultural insights too. I\\\'m a fairly recent but already devoted listener & visitor to the website.I just love the new vocabulary practice in different contexts made available there too.Also appreciate the informal chat even if I don\\\'t manage to get it all... some of it sinks in! Thanks again!Diana.]]> Rob
This is one of my favorite lessons so far. 很有意思的题目，而且 I especially like the sentence pattern emphasis. In a few prior lessons you introduced some "interesting constructions" (除了。。以外， 不仅。。还, etc.), that I found I retained really well in this format and have quickly incorporated into my own speech and writing. I am looking forward to the shift in strategy (lexis?)....好主意!]]> Rob
This is one of my favorite lessons so far. 很有意思的题目，而且 I especially like the sentence pattern emphasis. In a few prior lessons you introduced some "interesting constructions" (除了。。以外， 不仅。。还, etc.), that I found I retained really well in this format and have quickly incorporated into my own speech and writing. I am looking forward to the shift in strategy (lexis?)....好主意!]]> Dan
Ken/Jenny--Fabulous lesson, perhaps my favorite to date, and not just because I'm a lover of Chinese green tea! The pattern work is extremely helpful--has always been, but great to have more emphasis on it. For me, the prepared conversation is at the perfect level of difficulty, largely familiar but with a fair amount of new vocabulary and many new contexts and useages, and the unrehearsed conversation is, as always, a good challenge to catch more w/ each hearing. Since I live in the U.S., I'm not surrounded by Chinese speakers, so these informal conversations are the perfect chance for me to get a taste of "real" spoken Chinese. As far as the tea-related content is concerned, would be fun to have a followup lesson sometime, including more kinds of tea (both specific names, such as longjing and biluochun, and general types such as wulong, puer, black tea, flower teas), perhaps advice on buying teas--discussion of quality, origin, price. If there's enough interest... I would also welcome an intermediate lesson on traditional Chinese medicine, perhaps including reference to herbal treatments, acupuncture, qigong. Thanks! Dan]]> Dan
Ken/Jenny--Fabulous lesson, perhaps my favorite to date, and not just because I'm a lover of Chinese green tea! The pattern work is extremely helpful--has always been, but great to have more emphasis on it. For me, the prepared conversation is at the perfect level of difficulty, largely familiar but with a fair amount of new vocabulary and many new contexts and useages, and the unrehearsed conversation is, as always, a good challenge to catch more w/ each hearing. Since I live in the U.S., I'm not surrounded by Chinese speakers, so these informal conversations are the perfect chance for me to get a taste of "real" spoken Chinese. As far as the tea-related content is concerned, would be fun to have a followup lesson sometime, including more kinds of tea (both specific names, such as longjing and biluochun, and general types such as wulong, puer, black tea, flower teas), perhaps advice on buying teas--discussion of quality, origin, price. If there's enough interest... I would also welcome an intermediate lesson on traditional Chinese medicine, perhaps including reference to herbal treatments, acupuncture, qigong. Thanks! Dan]]> Lantian
Wonderful. A homer over center-field! A little something for everyone, the sum stronger than the parts. Nuances at so many levels: academic, fun, conversational, lexical 我也很高兴！]]> Lantian
Wonderful. A homer over center-field! A little something for everyone, the sum stronger than the parts. Nuances at so many levels: academic, fun, conversational, lexical 我也很高兴！]]> Lantian
My continuing fascination with this co-verb/verb phrase/verb structure. From today's Dialogue Review examples: 李小姐还 (没有) 准备好 (出) 门 王先生 (知道) 买什么 (送给) 老板好 我一般 (去) 茂名路 (泡) 吧。]]> Lantian
My continuing fascination with this co-verb/verb phrase/verb structure. From today's Dialogue Review examples: 李小姐还 (没有) 准备好 (出) 门 王先生 (知道) 买什么 (送给) 老板好 我一般 (去) 茂名路 (泡) 吧。]]> babblefrog
Also----how about some smart-sounding things to say when people serve you a cup of tea (like in a tea shop) and ask you how it tastes. I'm always stumped for how to reply other than "weidao hen hao" or something like that. Too bitter, too light, just right, region of origin, etc.--how do you say these kinds of things--and what kind of vocab do Chinese use to discuss the quality of tea? Some possibilities for future lessons....]]> babblefrog
Also----how about some smart-sounding things to say when people serve you a cup of tea (like in a tea shop) and ask you how it tastes. I'm always stumped for how to reply other than "weidao hen hao" or something like that. Too bitter, too light, just right, region of origin, etc.--how do you say these kinds of things--and what kind of vocab do Chinese use to discuss the quality of tea? Some possibilities for future lessons....]]> Bazza 吴白锐
Here is a way we can all help stop spam. It's time to fight back. :) http://www.bluesecurity.com/blue-frog]]> Bazza 吴白锐
Here is a way we can all help stop spam. It's time to fight back. :) http://www.bluesecurity.com/blue-frog]]> Ken
I've always thought that Bazza had a certain 'batman' quality about him. Good to see him out there fighting spam wherever it rears its ugly head. Bazza, we appreciate your valiant efforts as we all bebefit from them!]]> Ken
I've always thought that Bazza had a certain 'batman' quality about him. Good to see him out there fighting spam wherever it rears its ugly head. Bazza, we appreciate your valiant efforts as we all bebefit from them!]]> Daryl
This lesson was also my favorite intermediate to date. The focus on the patterns was great and I liked the cultural tidbits. I have two Chinese colleagues and we seem to wind up talking about tea, types of tea, medicinal value of tea, taste of tea a lot, so I can use lots of this vocabulary. A lesson featuring some taste words would be great. Another lesson on tea would probably be too much but maybe you could expand into a broader discussion of Chinese aesthetics--e.g., why the Chinese historically have preferred "dan" or blandness ("bland", I know, is not a good translation of "dan", but already it's revealing that English doesn't have a good equivalent of "dan"--bland is usually used as a criticism). Green tea has flavor but I'd say it is more "dan" than coffee--why do many Chinese like "dan" so much? Why doesn't English have a positive equivalent?]]> Daryl
This lesson was also my favorite intermediate to date. The focus on the patterns was great and I liked the cultural tidbits. I have two Chinese colleagues and we seem to wind up talking about tea, types of tea, medicinal value of tea, taste of tea a lot, so I can use lots of this vocabulary. A lesson featuring some taste words would be great. Another lesson on tea would probably be too much but maybe you could expand into a broader discussion of Chinese aesthetics--e.g., why the Chinese historically have preferred "dan" or blandness ("bland", I know, is not a good translation of "dan", but already it's revealing that English doesn't have a good equivalent of "dan"--bland is usually used as a criticism). Green tea has flavor but I'd say it is more "dan" than coffee--why do many Chinese like "dan" so much? Why doesn't English have a positive equivalent?]]> Daryl
Oops, I forgot to add that I found a wonderful article on the difficulties of learning Chinese. It is witty, and lays out beautifully the challenges one faces. The piece by David Moser is at http://www.pinyin.info/readings/texts/1991Moser.pdf. He knows the language is hard but he himself still keeps at it--inspiring!]]> Daryl
Oops, I forgot to add that I found a wonderful article on the difficulties of learning Chinese. It is witty, and lays out beautifully the challenges one faces. The piece by David Moser is at http://www.pinyin.info/readings/texts/1991Moser.pdf. He knows the language is hard but he himself still keeps at it--inspiring!]]>