As some of you may have expected, the Chinese employ subtly different conventions when using English, which may catch a few native English speakers off guard. After having dinner with a Chinese couple, I've managed to gather a few examples...
Viola: Where is David?
Hilary: He's back in England.
Viola: So, he has left you all alone?
Hilary: Uh huh...
Mike: You know what? I've been a fan of the X-Files for many years.
Viola: My husband is a little fat and he is trying to lose weight, so every time someone says he looks a bit thinner, he is very excited. (Her husband is present when this is mentioned)
Viola: I think I will maybe find a handsome American boy while I am in America.
Mike:I will hire someone to check on my wife while she is in America. How do you say... an agent?
Viola: You look like you've put on some weight.
And I couldn't leave you without this tasty tidbit from one of my more soft-spoken students...
Hilary: What's your English name?
Student: Germ.
Hilary: Why'd you choose Germ as your English name?
Germ: Because I want to seep into the population's blood stream so that I can control them.
Hilary: Oh.
Finally, I offer yet another example of how my brain is rotting away:
After pondering a conversation in which a student said "I very much like music," I had to sit and think about whether or not 'much' was a word... My head hurts.
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