User Comments - neddanison

Posted on: Going to the Toy Store

嘿，gaojian 謝謝您的回答！ 我以前也是住在台灣。 也注意到小朋友說“媽媽壞”那樣話。我想 -- 那是說我不知道 -- 小孩子們過了差不多六歲不能這樣子說。您認為呢？

Posted on: Going to the Toy Store

那個孩子說“媽媽壞”，翻譯成“Mom，you're mean！” 我不知道這樣的話合適几歲的孩子。在中國，幼兒園小朋友常常對他們的父母說這樣嗎？

Posted on: Going to the Toy Store

好像他們唱的是英文。I hear them singing English -- not the "This Old Man" words, though.

Posted on: Adjusting the Temperature

This is an interesting observation, User. I've been living in and around the Chinese world for 17 years (8 of those years in Taiwan, all of those years married to a Chinese woman -- and her family), and it has been my observation that Chinese women in male-female relationships are permitted a degree of "whiny-ness" somewhat beyond the degree deemed appropriate in English-speaking cultures.

An American fellow I knew years ago was newly married to a Taiwanese woman, and he complained that his wife pouted and feigned anger to get him to do things. As a compatriot, I knew what he meant. Unfortunately, he didn't recognize that her tone conveyed a certain endearing dependence. He should have noted that a Chinese woman won't take this tone with just any man! It's a mark of intimacy.

It's related to another observation foreigners often make, that Chinese intimates (such as family members) don't seem to use the polite terms an English speaker uses -- like "please" and "thank you". Again, there is an assumption of intimacy that is incompatible with polite formalities (translation: "We're homies -- why you gotta front?").

In Intercultural Communication jargon: While individualists (Westerners) seek to preserve an assumption of autonomy with polite strategies, collectivists (Chinese) seek to preserve an assumption of in-group membership by avoiding politeness formulas.

Another possibly related point is "撒嬌" (sājiāo), which the dictionary glosses: to act like a spoiled child, or to act coquettishly. This is one of those terms we just don't have in English! In intimate relationships, Chinese women often "sājiāo" as a sort of romantic gesture. Maybe our Chinese teachers can illuminate this for us!