User Comments - riceeater
riceeater
Posted on: Editing a Document
October 17, 2007 at 5:13 AMI just signed up as a premium member and am happy to do my part to support this great site! The PDF lessons in traditional Chinese characters are great. Though, I do have one question or request: Is it possible to get them with zhu yin, the phonetic system taught here in Taiwan, as well as the pin yin?
Posted on: Fighting over the Bill
October 12, 2007 at 12:40 PMI look on the times when those I'm with "let me" treat as them giving me face. Recently an old friend with "connections," if you know what I mean, who always insists on treating EVERYONE he sits down with, let me pay for a couple of rounds of beer at a bar we like. I was very pleased. It seemed to me a sign of our deep friendship. Among friends, paying the bill is an honor.
Posted on: Getting Reimbursed
October 8, 2007 at 1:50 PMI have a master’s degree in linguistics and can back Nicolas up. He is pointing out the difference between descriptive grammar, and prescriptive grammar. In short, anything native speakers say is "grammatical." A "grammar," in the linguistic sense, is an analytical description of the underlying rules that native speakers follow when creating sentences (usually unconsciously). Teachers have taken descriptive grammars, usually of the most politically powerful group (Beijing dialect here!), and prescribed that those who speak anything other than that are "ungrammatical." Yet, there are many language groups that speak with distinct dialectical differences (youth, often as a form of group identification). Therefore, the argument that non-standard grammar is actually "grammatical" or a valid model to emulate is academically valid. Imagine, if you will, speaking academic-standard-English in the Bronx or at any high school hangout as a high school student…. It would not go over well. The "correct" language to use really depends on the time and place. Therefore, Nicolas has a valid point, and broadening our sources can only help move us towards a better overall understanding of how Chinese is spoken by the Chinese population at large.
Posted on: Arrival in Jizhou
September 18, 2007 at 3:46 PMI'm really impressed by all of you that can type your comments in Chinese. I may be able to keep up with the spoken speed of the lessons, but decifering the written characters is quite a task. Kudos to you!
Posted on: Arrival in Jizhou
September 17, 2007 at 12:07 PMI have to jump in and say that at the upper intermediate and advanced levels the speed is not a problem at all. I can follow the speed and catch the words (the sounds, and basic pronunciation), but still find the vocabulary and topic level a good balance between challenging and interesting. The thing that does the most to put Chinese Pod in class by itself, as far as on-line Chinese lessons go, is the way it does such a good job of seperating lessons by level. It's nice to have a story like this once in awhile, instead of it ALL being topical lessons. The variety is nice. P.S. Happy Mid Autumn Festival to all from Taiwan.
Posted on: Pricey Beer
October 21, 2007 at 5:16 AMBack to the dialogue in this one... It seems to me that the way the girl speaks and the way that she questions and asks for things is very rude, or overly direct here. Does Chinese Pod really recomend that this is the prefered tone of voice and word choice for us when showing up at a bar alone?