User Comments - xiaophil

Posted on: Sex Education Class

I have also heard that Jilin and Harbin have the most standard accent. So doesn't that mean they are the basis for the accent and not Beijing? By the way, I had a teacher from Harbin. He spoke with just a little (and I really do mean just a little) more er hua yin than most people in Shanghai, but overall, I didn't think it was that much different than a Shanghainese that can speak clear Mandarin.

Posted on: Sex Education Class

Yeah, you could be right. But I guess the interesting thing to me is that another Chinese person would not be surprised that two university graduates weren't told the purpose of sex (at least at that time). I think it is more plausible that both of them were too shy to do anything that would require... well you know. Or it didn't happen, of course.

Posted on: Sex Education Class

Right before I came to China for the first time, I read an article that had an interesting anecdote.  It said that there was a recently married Chinese couple who wanted a child but just simply couldn't.  Come to find out that they were only sleeping together in the literal sense. They had no idea how babies were made.  A Chinese person I knew said it was quite possible.  I think this would be quite impossible now, at least with a university graduate.  Times have surely changed.

Posted on: Sex Education Class

Haha, well said. Actually, I do want them to leave it, but I have to admit that is because I am selfish as I do live in Shanghai.

Posted on: Please Speak Chinese

I know what you mean. As part of some small work I took up recently, I was recently with a group of Chinese people. There were three people who I had never met before, and one who had arranged the work for me. The one who arranged the work for me always talks to me in English even though I have tried to talk to her in Chinese before, and I dare say my Chinese is better than her English. She didn't even bother to introduce me to the other three. One of them started talking to me in English. I replied in Chinese because I felt certain not everyone could speak English (and I still have no other reason to think otherwise because the other two never talked to me). The lady told me that the man is an English professor so I 'can' speak English to him, i.e. you 'should' speak English with him. I really wanted to rip her head off at that moment. Yes, his English is better than my Chinese, but it wasn't the most common language in the group! Shouldn't we talk in the common language??? But at any rate, the other two should absolutely no interest in talking to me at all. I am giving them the benefit of the doubt and assuming that they are just shy and that it is a cultural difference, but it really did make me feel mad. I wouldn't feel mad if it was the first time, but it is often like this.

Anyway, I guess I'm venting here for my own piece of mind as much as to contribute to the conversation.

Posted on: Sex Education Class

Oh my god.  This is certain to create discussion.  Well done Cpod, hehe.

Posted on: Please Speak Chinese

Thanks Dan for picking up on my oh-so subtle hint :-). You go to college in Grand Rapids?! Yet more evidence that GR is slowly taking over Shanghai. You are right about the low amount of Chinese people, though. I bet most of the Asians you run into are Vietnamese if they actually were born in GR.

Anyway, as for the "speak English thing," even though I want English to remain the standard in American society in general, I hate it when people get mad when others are speaking something other than English in private. If we ever meet in GR, we can talk smack about those types of people in front of them in Mandarin, hehe.

Posted on: Please Speak Chinese

You know, I would like to know to as it is hard too say what language a Chinese American speaks most comfortably. English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Min, something else? I really hope a Chinese American notices this thread. (No pressure Dan Chao, hehe.)

Back to the Latino neighborhoods, There definitely is gray area. Miami is overwhelmingly Latino, and Spanish is the main language there. Check out this article if you are interested:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24871558/

Certainly, there are other cities like Miami (but again, not most). It will be very interesting to see what will happen to the American psyche if Puerto Rico becomes a state.

Another interesting identity thing is Latino vs. Hispanic. I always said Hispanic, but my friend from L.A. said I should say Latino as there is no Hispania. I don't know if that is how Latinos feel across the board.

Posted on: Please Speak Chinese

I had to reply with my cell phone earlier, and it has limitations, so I couldn't give a full explanation.

Spanish is indeed quite common in America. If I were to go into a Puerto Rican neighborhood, I wouldn't probably feel it would be rude if I said "hola" to someone there (although I probably would sound like a dork with my accent). But there is no doubt in my mind--in the vast majority of America, English is king. If one wants to be a mainstreem American, one must speak English well (but that doesn't imply at all that the mother tongue should go away). Outside of Latino neighborhoods, the default should be English. It is probably true that many Latino Americans won't care if a person addresses them with 'hola,' but at least some of them might think something like "you think I am just some illegal immigrant that just crawled through the border." Anyway, it is a complicated subject. I kind of wish I could talk about it more as I think it is interesting and even important, but I have ran out of time... and it is Chinesepod haha.

Anyway, best to play it safe... that's what I'm saying.

Posted on: Please Speak Chinese

I find it odd you don't see the issue. It seems to me that some Australians are also sensitive to issues of identity. Take Bodawei for example. He often doesn't like it when American culture encroaches on Australian identity. English is the language of mainstream America, and in most cases, if one addresses an American in another language other than English, what that could say to him or her is "you don't look like an American." That is, that person has had his or her taken away at least momentarily. How could that be strange to think that someone wouldn't be hurt/annoyed by that, especially if he or she is a patriot?

To answer your question, I don't think people complain about being addressed in a foreign language very often in America because most Americans know it is rude. It is almost definitely true that not everyone will be offended, but it is sort of a standard to assume someone in America is an American.