San Francisco

This week I was able to spend a few days in San Francisco with my friend Linda.  I enjoyed sightseeing and was surprised how often I hear and spoke Chinese. 

TV in China

It never ceases to amaze me with American tv shows or movies become popular in China.  This fall theaters were showing the new Hunger Games movie alongside the Smurfs sequel.  While the most popular tv shows do not always reflect a positive light on American culture, I am thankful for the connection point it does bring.  While guest lecturing at a university class I used the cast of the Big Bang Theory to explain what a "well-rounded" individual (hint, no one on that show).

For a little bit of fun I thought I would share some of the most watched American shows and their Chinese names.

The Big Bang Theory (生活大爆炸)- "Life Big Bang"
Homeland (国土安全)- "National Safety"
Criminal Minds (犯罪心理)- "Crime Psychology"
Prison Break （越狱)- "Climb Over Prison"
Modern Family (摩登家庭)- "Fashionable Family"
Dexter (嗜血法医)- "Blood Addict Forensic Detective"
The Crazy Ones (病人病活)- "Sick People, Sick Life"
The Vampire Diaries (吸血鬼日记)- "Vampire Diary"
Saturday Night Live (周六夜现场)- "Saturday Night On the Spot"
Mad Men (广告狂人)- "Advertisement Madman"
Breaking Bad (绝命毒老)- "Hopeless Life Poison Teacher"
2 Broke Girls (破产姐妹)- "Bankrupt Sisters"
Hostages (人质)- "Hostage"

Most of the translated titles accurately describe the plot of the show.  Though I have not watched a single episode, from what I gather "Hopeless Life Poison Teacher" is a pretty accurate description of a show about a cancer stricken teacher who produces meth.

Grammar Lesson

I wanted to share with you all a portion of my language text book so you can see how I am learning to speak, read, and write Chinese.

This dialogue captures a discussion between David and Yamamoto about last night's World Cup game. Here is my translation:

Yamamoto: David, why are your eyes red?  Did you stay up late to watch the World Cup game last night?
David: I'm a big fan of the French team so of course I watched! Did you watch the game?
Yamamoto: I was busy preparing for the HSK exam so I am extremely tired.  Last night I watched the part of the game and then fell asleep.  What was the final score?
David: 1 to 1.  Right at the end of the game the Korean team scored a goal.
Yamamoto:  Really? I thought that at the end of the first half France was winning.
David: During the first half France was playing really well.  But, during the second half Korea was playing well, with France playing poorly.  The more I watched the more anxious and angry I became.
Yamamoto: There's no reason to be angry. That was France's first game, trust that the team will play better in the next game.
David: I hope France's next game will go smoothly. It's the finals and I want to win!

This dialogue introduced thirteen new words and a new grammatical structure. The new grammar point, 越。。。越，means increasingly, or more and more. In the Chinese transcription I have highlighted the 越。。。越 so you can see how often the text reinforces the new grammar point. The underlined words are the new words found in the dialogue.

山本： 大卫， 你的眼睛怎吗这吗红！ 昨天晚上熬夜看世界杯了吧？
大卫： 我是法国队的球迷， 当然要看了！ 你没看吗？
山本： 最近忙着准备HSK考试， 特别累。昨天晚上我躺着看看比赛， 没想到， 看到一半就睡着了。 最好比分是多少？
大卫： 1 比 1。 比赛快结束的时候， 韩国队进了一球。
山本： 是吗？ 我觉得上半场韩国队踢不如法国队啊。
大卫： 上半场法国队踢得不错。 可是， 下半场韩国队越踢越好，法国队越踢越差， 我越看越着急， 越看越生气。
山本： 别着急， 这只是法国队的第一场比赛， 相信他们会越踢越好的。
大卫：  希望法国队能越踢越顺利， 最好能踢进决赛， 再得一次冠军。

While not every dialogue in the textbook is interesting or a conversation I will ever have in real life, it is extremely helpful to be able to learn words in context.  These dialogues help me to understand proper Mandarin grammar and phrasing.  I use 越。。。越 on a daily basis.  When local friends ask how my Chinese lessons are going I say "越学越好“, the more I study the more I improve.

Language Study

Here a some pictures of my main Mandarin textbook and notebook so that you can see what I am learning in language school.  The English definitions of new words are the only English words in my book. As you can see below, I am now at the stage where I am required to read Chinese characters with no help from pinyin, or phonetic pronunciation guides.