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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

L197 - it's another year!

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It's the start of the module (Beginners' Chinese) again! I always feel excited as the new term starts even though I have taught the same module for 10 years.

Every year is different. Different students bring different interaction and connection. Lessons have to be adjusted and planned to suit individuals’ needs.

I'm glad some students have been in touch and shared their learning experiences. They also shared their worries and expectations. These students are motivated and they will do well.

I wish everybody all the best on your learning journey.


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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

Cultural awareness: Lunar vs Gregorian calendar on BBC's Meet me on the bridge

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Here is a moving story about a Chinese adopted girl. It's worth watching.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-42269038/meet-me-on-the-bridge-discovering-the-truth-about-my-parents-after-20-years

I found out a few mistakes on the key dates in this video. I tweeted to the BBC about these:

1) The baby girl's date of birth in the story is based on Lunar calendar (lunar 7th month; 24th day), but your translation incorrectly said it's July 24th. In 1995, her birthday should have been 19th August (Gregorian Calendar).

2) Another culturally incorrect info in your video. "Every year on the 7th of July people go there (Hangzhou Broken Bridge) to be reunited with loved ones." It is 七夕节 Qīxījié (Lunar calendar: 7th Month; 7th Day) (Aug 28 in 2017), definitely not 7th July (Gregorian).

adoption Chinese girl

Lunar calendar: 农历 - as clearly stated in the birth parents' letter.

BBC adoption girl reunion Hangzhou




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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

BBC: Five charts about the fortunes of the Chinese family

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This BBC report is rather interesting: Five charts about the fortunes of the Chinese family - BBC News
  1. Marriages down; divorces up
  2. China's army of 'leftover men'
  3. China's millennials twice as likely to own their own home compared to the US
  4. Almost as many phones as people
  5. Looking beyond the border

BBC news update China

'Leftover men', in Chinese, is 剩男 shèng nán. It refers to single men over the age of 30. BBC has reported on the 'Leftover men' topic before (BBC is rather concerned!). In this article in March this year 为什么数百万中国“剩男”找不到老婆?, BBC asked, 'Why millions of Chinese 'leftover men' couldn't find a wife?

BBC leftover men news
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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

Taobao 淘宝

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Edited by Janet Williams, Saturday, 30 Sep 2017, 12:15
via The Chairman's Bao

I'm pretty amazed by the things you could buy online via Taobao in China. (Taobao is something like Amazon in the west, but probably bigger.)

The Chairman's Bao


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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

Uber 优步 Yōu bù

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From the point of view of translation, I think Uber has a beautiful Chinese brand name - Uber 优步 Yōu bù.

优 Yōu means excellent, superior; 步 bù means step, walk.

The translation of brand names Coca Cola (可口可乐 kě kǒu kě lè)and Pepsi(百事可乐 bǎi shì kě lè) is also successful. Their sounds are close to the original, and their meaning is also positive.

uber logo

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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

L197 about to start

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It's exciting as the new term is about to start for L197.

In the summer I came across this very funny German guy Thomas, knows as 阿福, who makes videos about his encounters in China, his experiences in China and the culture. His wife is Chinese, and he has a few funny clips to say about his Chinese family there as well.

Fair to say he is now a 'celebrity' in China.




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"What Did I Do Is For Your Own Good" - how to survive the Chinese new year

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Edited by Janet Williams, Wednesday, 25 Jan 2017, 22:59
I chanced upon this very hilarious song, by Shanghai Rainbow Chamber Singers. It reflects how young people in China try hard to survive the Chinese New Year. The song is translated as "What Did I Do Is For Your Own Good".

I'm sure lots of Chinese people could relate to this song. Who could exempt from being 'questioned' by kind aunties and uncles at family gatherings? "When are you getting married?" "How much do you earn?" ......

Happy new year, everyone!


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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

What's a Daigou?

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Edited by Janet Williams, Saturday, 29 Oct 2016, 10:03

BBC reported an industry in Australia - Daigou. Chinese people buying products from Australia, and selling them to clients back in China.

These agents are called Daigou. In Chinese, Daigou is written as: 代购 Dàigòu

代: means to replace, to represent.

购 is a formal word for 'to buy' 买 (mǎi).

Daigou news China BBC

Shopping in Australia, while in China - BBC News

Early this year, I also read about this interesting news: Family Business Sells Bottled Air To China

Professor Victor Mair has this brilliant analysis on Language Log: Daigou: a Mandarin borrowing-in-progress in English
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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

美国 America

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Edited by Janet Williams, Monday, 24 Oct 2016, 10:29

Yesterday I came across a mistranslation.

The Traditional Chinese text says "Beauty is a form of release' (in Simplified Chinese: 美是一种释放), but look at the tragic English translation on Facebook: "America is a kind of release"!

However I know how the mistake was made.

USA: 美国 Měiguó
Beauty: 美 Měi

mistranslation

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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

Bob Dylan

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Edited by Janet Williams, Saturday, 15 Oct 2016, 15:56

Ladies and gentlemen, just to say these translated names refer to the same person.

  • (In Taiwan) 鮑勃迪倫 Bào bó dí lún
  • (In China) 巴布迪伦 Bā bù dí lún
  • (In Hong Kong, Malaysia) 卜迪倫 Bo dí lún
  • (Also in Hong Kong) 卜戴倫 Bo dài lún
Bob Dylan



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"If I could grow old"

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Recently, a 9 year old girl in China brought many people to tears. 

She wrote an article titled "If I could grow old" (“如果我能活着长大”), in which she described how much she loves her grandmother, and the sacrifices of her grandmother, who brought her up on her own.

The girl suffers from aplastic anemia and has been extremely poorly. She needs blood transfusions throughout her childhood.

In her article, you could see whenever the girl came across a character that she couldn't write, she used pinyin, Chinese Phonetic Alphabet.

        我最熟悉的一个人

  我最熟悉的一个人就是我的奶奶,她长着弯弯的眉毛,圆圆的眼睛,还有一个大大嘴巴。

  她有一颗cixi shanliang(慈祥善良)的心灵,我每次生病的时候,无论家里有钱无钱,她都会尽全力给我斗够(凑钱),让我上医院治疗输血,让我小小的生命又能多活一次,我在心里很感ji(激)我的奶奶,我奶奶是用一生心血和汗水来抚养我。

  有时,我看见我的奶奶为我的病落泪流汗的时候。我的心情很悲伤,如果我能活着长大,我一定会好好孝顺我的好奶奶。

  我想到我的好奶奶对我的病情fu(付)出了这么多,不知道我的奶奶有没有这收huo(获),但我的奶奶没有yuanyan(怨言),我有时候真恨我自己得了这种病。我真想我的病能全好,让我奶奶也好轻松一下,她也好快快乐乐地度过晚年,让我奶奶也好xiangshou(享受)天伦之乐。

Chinese girl's moving article about her grandmother's love


如果我能活着长大 ---读选网
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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

Trending in China: BBC - iPhone 7?

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Edited by Janet Williams, Thursday, 6 Oct 2016, 14:35

BBC Trending published a very interesting article: iPhone 7? You're fired! - BBC News


A firm, Yongkang Medicine Company in Nanyang, Henan (河南) province of China, issued a notice to its workers telling them not to buy the iPhone 7 or Iphone 7 Plus. "If you break this rule, then just come to the office straight way to hand in your resignation," the notice read.

Most newspapers don't seem to report what the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th paragraphs said.

BBC news China iPhone Henan province

I've translated them. See below:

 "Dear employees, if we are well off, and if we are financially capable, we should pay more attention to the health of our parents, care more about the upbringing of our children, value more about the preciousness of life, and care more about the prosperity or destruction of our nation. Only when we contribute for these will our happiness last. Please do not toil for luxury that only drains our sweat from hard work."

“This is the unforgettable day for all Chinese people - the 18th of September (Note: the date refers to Mukden Incident - Wikipedia). Don’t forget the humiliation of our nation. Let’s remember our history. Boycott foreign products and let’s start from ourselves.”

“Though we can’t protect our country by going to the battlefields, we strive to do our best with dedication to do our job well. In our everyday life, we should boycott vehemently Japanese and American products. We should use our action to protect our national products. Only when we have a country will we have our home."
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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

L197 First online tutorial under new system

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My first tutorial under the new OU system went rather well this morning, I think.

We had a big class (bigger than before), about 18, and students came from all over the country.

It was just a one hour lesson - an introduction, so it was not possible to explain everything in great details.

I hope the session has given students some confidence in learning, and they'll continue enjoying the journey.

Technical - all went well. I did keep everything simple, by not using webtour.

Students watched 2 videos outside OU Live and we had a brief discussion.

They loved the videos - inspirational videos: 

Video 1: Viktor Axelsen learns Mandarin

Video 2: BBC Bitesize - GCSE Mandarin - An introduction to China and the Chinese language.

Great use of the Chat room - to get to know the students and some share their experiences.

Peony image by Alexas_Fotos via Pixabay

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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

Could you pronounce these names?

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For my L197 (Beginners' Chinese) students, could you pronounce these names?
  • 治乔 Qiáo zhì
  • 夏洛特 Xià luò tè
Who are they?

Clues:
  1. They are very cute.
  2. Their parents are 威廉 Wēi lián and 凯特 Kǎi tè.

Swan image by WunschbrunnenEla via Pixabay


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Danish badminton player Viktor Axelsen speaks Mandarin

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Edited by Janet Williams, Thursday, 29 Sep 2016, 23:00
I noticed this young man - Viktor Axelsen - in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Viktor, 22 years old, from Denmark, won the bronze medal by beating Lin Dan(林丹)from China. Viktor started learning Mandarin in 2014.

In this video, he introduced himself in Mandarin, and you could see and hear he was a bit nervous as a beginner.


Here, you could see distance learning played a big part in helping him learn Mandarin and how Viktor disciplined himself in learning Mandarin during his training.


In the Rio Olympics, his Mandarin was so fluent that it took the Chinese audience by surprise.

Here he spoke naturally, fluently after he had just been beaten by Chen Long 谌龙 (gold medallist).


Has anyone inspired you in your journey of learning Mandarin?

Why do you think Viktor Axelsen manages to speak Mandarin so well in such a short time (I know, training sessions in China do help.)

But are there any more factors?

What makes you want to learn Mandarin?



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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

Learn Mandarin with Radio Taiwan International

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Edited by Janet Williams, Thursday, 29 Sep 2016, 13:29

A student told me she recently found a radio station from Taiwan, which could help her getting used to the sound of Mandarin.

I tried out this radio station myself, and have to say that I truly like its programmes.

Radio Taiwan International: To listen to its Mandarin dialogue, scroll down the page and at the very end of the page, you'll find "Listen Online", and select "Chinese to go".

A full transcript of the conversation is also on the front page, with Chinese traditional text, Pinyin, and English translation of the Chinese speech.

Chinese to go Programme from Radio Taiwan International

It's a good place to go if you want to hear normal conversations in Mandarin (at a good speed; not dreadfully slow).

However, if you are an absolute beginner, you might find the conversation difficult (at this stage), but you might be able to pick up a few Chinese characters that you've come across. Hopefully you'll be able to understand more as you make progress.

For my old OU students (L197 module) , the Chinese programme would be suitable for you to keep up with your learning, so that you keep your memory fresh and continue to be surrounded by the speech of Mandarin.

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Teacher's Day. When is it?

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Edited by Janet Williams, Wednesday, 28 Sep 2016, 23:34
A friend reminded me today that in Taiwan, it's Teacher's Day today - 28th of September.

This day is also the birthdate of the great Chinese philosopher and teacher, Confucius (孔子 Kǒngzǐ).

Britannica: Confucius

The China Post: Happy Teachers' Day? September 28 slated to stay a national holiday

In Taiwan, the day is also a public holiday.

In China, Teacher's Day is on the 10th of September (9月10日).
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Joke of the day: dragon?

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Edited by Janet Williams, Thursday, 29 Sep 2016, 11:53

I got a message from a friend from Taiwan this morning.

I asked my friend to help me find an old friend, whose name carries this character - 尤 (yóu). This character forms part of the word for 'especially' (尤其 yóuqí).

My friend wrote back to check my 'spelling'. He asked me if I had meant 龙(Lóng), in Simplified Chinese - dragon.

The traditional script for dragon is 龍. I normally use Simplified Chinese in my message, and my friend thought I might have tried to type 龙.

When I was growing up, I learnt the traditional script of Chinese. We practised writing many characters with many strokes, including 'dragon' - 龍.

(p/s: Jackie Chan's name: 成龙(simplified); 成龍 (traditional). Pronunciation: Chéng lóng.

Chinese character for 'draon' (Traditional), image by Alexas Fotos via Pixabay

By the way, if you had watched badminton matches in Rio 2016 Olympics, you might have heard of this name - 谌龙 (Chén lóng).

This character 谌 Chén is quite rare, and even Chinese speakers may have problem pronouncing it. 谌龙 beat Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia to become the Olympic champion (Men's singles). It was an exciting game.

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What's in the word 'Chinese'?

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Edited by Janet Williams, Wednesday, 28 Sep 2016, 21:15

I teach L197 - Beginners' Chinese.

To be precise, it is Mandarin Chinese, 汉语 Hànyǔ(literally, Han language).

This is an important point. When people say they speak Chinese, they could mean they speak Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka......

This page, Varieties of Chinese, gives you an overview of the Chinese languages (Sinitic Languages). Apart from Mandarin, there are Jin, Wu, Hui, Gan, Xiang, Min, Hakka, Yue, and Ping, and others.

Please don't call these 'dialects' of Chinese. Read Language Log » Mutual Intelligibility of Sinitic Languages (by Professor Mair) if you are curious about how various languages interact in China.

When I was growing up, I spoke Min at home with my family, and only used Mandarin socially. I still speak Min (Hokkien) with my family as my mother can't speak Mandarin.

There was a time while growing up I thought my 'mother tongue' was not an educated form of Chinese - how wrong (and misinformed) was I. I'm pleased to be still able to communicate in Hokkien with my family, though occasionally I need to throw in quite a bit of Mandarin vocab into it.

What languages do you speak? What's your mother tongue?

Beijing Opera photo image by miapowterr via Pixabay
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L197 Beginners' Chinese tutorial timetable now goes live!

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So very excited that now the L197 tutorial timetable has gone live.

Students could choose any tutorials that suit their needs. Students will have more control over their learning.

I look forward to meeting the students on 1st October (Saturday morning) via L197-16J Online tutorial room.

9am is not too early, is it?

There is a saying that 早起的鸟儿有虫吃 Zǎo qǐ de niǎo er yǒu chóng chī. It means that the early bird catches the worm.

bird catches the worm image by dmgreen44 via Pixabay


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Janet Williams L197 R02 tutor

Fun: How to speak English with the help from Chinese characters?

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Edited by Janet Williams, Friday, 30 Sep 2016, 20:23

This is a fun video clip.

How do you learn to speak English if you are a Chinese?

I only want to talk about part of this video clip.

From time 1.04, the child speaks the English words with the help from Chinese characters.

Yes: 爺死: yé sǐ - grandpa dies
Nice: 奶死: nǎi sǐ - granny dies
Bus: 爸死: bà sǐ - dad dies
Knees: 你死: nǐ sǐ - you die
Was: 我死: wǒ sǐ - I die
Does 都死: dōu sǐ - all die
One Dollar: 完蛋了: wándànle - all doomed

(I must admit when I was in primary and secondary schools, I sometimes used the same approach to record the English sounds I heard, and used Chinese characters as my phonetic tool.)







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My desk, my window, my world

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This is where I'll be doing my online tutorials, with my MacBook Pro.

It's the 'before' picture. How long would the desk stay like that, er, neat?

my desk for online tutorial for the OU

I used to teach using iMac, but my keyboard is dead. I may try using this laptop. I may also try marking TMAs using this laptop, as my iMac has become quite slow.

Sometimes the cat will sit on the keyboard, or the ledge.


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Chinese word for 'Ivory'

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Edited by Janet Williams, Wednesday, 21 Sep 2016, 10:53

The Times carries an article today: Britain to crack down on illegal ivory trade (paywall).

I read that last year WWF-Hong Kong and Geometry Global called for the completely new Chinese character for ivory.

They worry that the term xiàngyá 象牙 (2 characters, 1 word) misleads people into thinking the tusks simply fall out causing no harm to the elephant. (But actually elephants are killed for their tusks.)

Here is an article Language Log » Is it necessary to invent a new Chinese character for "ivory"? by Professor Victor Mair. A few words using 'ivory' in the Chinese language:

  • 象牙塔 xiàngyá tǎ (Ivory tower)
  • 象牙海岸 Xiàngyá hǎi'àn (Ivory Coast)
  • 狗嘴里长不出象牙 gǒu zuǐ li zhǎng bù chū xiàngyá:No ivory will come out of a dog's mouth. It is used to critisise someone who just can't say nice things. (Online: "filthy mouth cannot utter decent language.")


ivory trade in China and Chinese characters for ivory - xiangya


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New blog post

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Edited by Janet Williams, Tuesday, 20 Sep 2016, 12:06

Chinese characters take a lot of effort to learn.

But, to learn to speak the language, make sure you learn Pinyin, the official romanisation of the PRC.

I wished my teachers had taught me Pinyin when I first learnt Chinese, but in late 70s, and early 80s, we used another system - Zhuyin, but we were not taught well in this system. In the old days when I didn't know how to pronunce a character, and didn't know Pinyin, I made lots of mistakes in my pronunciations.

You could start looking at The uses of Hanyu pinyin, written by Professor Victor Mair, on Language Log.

Over the years I've come to realise that Pinyin is a wonderful gift to the world, to enabble you to learn to speak Chinese. 

A pinyin chart used by a child. Pinyin is the romanisation of Chinese characters to help you learn how to speak the language.

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Honest and positive words from a student

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Edited by Janet Williams, Monday, 19 Sep 2016, 17:19

Just received a note from an old student from last year.

He mentioned that the module "was a struggle on occasions but never dull or unexciting so I hope to return to regular study soon."

A positive message. By the way, the student got a Distinction.

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