User Comments - byronmeinerth

byronmeinerth

Posted on: Old Friend

September 3, 2011 at 7:18 AM

Mike, great observation. I've noticed this a number of times, and I attribute it to the fact that Jenny has spent a lot of time abroad and grew up in Shanghai. I've found that many people who've grown up speaking Shanghainese or other languages in that region aren't used to vocalising that last g. Let me be clear for anyone else reading this that this is not a criticism, but rather an observation. To put it in context, what percentage of Brits properly pronounce "r"s at the end of their words? And how many Yankees or Canucks usually pronounce "t"s as "d"s when they occur in the middle of words, like "water"?

I would find it helpful in ChinesePod explained some of these differences, but I don't think Jenny should change how she speaks. Exposure to all types of accents is important and is essential for anyone who wants to communicate outside of a classroom with a forgiving teacher.

Posted on: Haggling Like a Local

September 2, 2011 at 8:56 AM

The word status wasn't mentioned anywhere here. I don' t want to assume, but it seems that you're already assuming that dialects and languages have associated statuses. Sure, in social constructs that may be true, but I would hope we're beyond that here.