Popping in for a quick entry...

[ziasudra]

Today, I met a white guy (to put it politically non-correctly) who looked as "American" as can be -- tall, blond hair, etc. -- who spoke fluent Mandarin!!! He started asking where my parents are from and what part of China, and also if I spoke Cantonese (he doesn't).

We talked for a minute or two, enough time for me to get him his drink and for him to offer nicely to put the day's 48 copies of the New York Times onto the newspaper stand for me (this was 6 in the morning). I wonder where the conversation would have led had we the time for a "real" conversation.

Don't get me wrong, I've met non-Chinese who speak fluent Chinese before. But never quite like today :D

Comments

[so-severus.livejournal.com]

that's so rad!

I hope to do that one day. Like people will be talking about something (maybe me or something I can relate to) then I'll be all like *speaks in relevant language*

I think about doing that sometimes on the subway when I hear Hebrew but I refrain. White people speaking any asian language impresses me like whoa.

[ziasudra.livejournal.com]

I don't know how much Hebrew I remember, lol. I still remember the layout of the textbook though. The verb conjugation page and the one with all the vocab about foods and drinks are forever etched into my memory ;)

[so-severus.livejournal.com]

lol

[verdenia.livejournal.com]

Awesome! That is so cool. I'm interested in learning Chinese, but not sure which dialect would be best--I know Mandarin is more common overall, but I'm pretty sure Cantonese is far more prevalent here in SF.
I took 'Politics and Culture of Contemporary China' as part of my BA studies, and really enjoyed it, and my fave Prof did her field study and Ethnography in China, so that was probably my main inspiration...
I have, at least, been practicing my Spanish more lately. ;P

[ziasudra.livejournal.com]

I'd take Mandarin for the usability of it, but I think it's harder for a Mandarin speaker to learn Cantonese than it is the other way around, so if you plan on learning both eventually, starting with Cantonese might not be a bad idea.

The writing system used to be the same, that is, until the forced simplification of the Chinese language, which I think just made the characters look uglier.

I don't know Spanish at all. The people at work could totally be talking about me and I'd be oblivious ;p

[sunnydlita.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I'd think you were talking about my friend Matt nfag, but I think he just moved to Boston from China.

[ziasudra.livejournal.com]

I want to learn like a Nordic language or something so when tourists talk amongst themselves and don't expect anyone to understand, I can feel all smart and stuff, lol.

[thelondonrain.livejournal.com]

hmmm. i've seen it before. it is a bit odd when they pop out the perfect mandarin. especially when i can't ^_^;;.

[ziasudra.livejournal.com]

There's a pretty big East Asian Studies department at my undergrad school and there would be non-Asian students congregating around the hallway speaking some Asian language. Someone I knew even took Cantonese because his girlfriend (now wife) is Chinese.

*is impressed*