Yes they do, pretty much whenever it's not at the front of a syllable.
Just the opposite of us English speakers, who find it easy to say "pizza", but find it a bit awkward to say "tsunami" or "tsar", and instead say "sunami" and "zar".
Just the opposite of us English speakers, who find it easy to say "pizza", but find it a bit awkward to say "tsunami" or "tsar", and instead say "sunami" and "zar".
Wait, what? How are we pronouncing tsunami and tzar wrong? Isn't the "T" in those words nearly silent (or pronounced as a quick inflection to the Z/S)
Again, I should say, we have no troubles with words like "lonely" or "lululemon" as they are preceded or precedes a vowel, and hence we can say it. So people who want to mock an Asian accent sound kind of dumb when they say "ronery" or "rururemon", because if you ask a Chinese say those words, I bet you anything that's not what it sounds like at all.
Just an FYI, Chinese people don't have trouble pronouncing the "l". It's in our language (notice Chinese last names like Lin, Leung, etc.) We have trouble pronouncing the "v" and the "th" sounds, just like you whities have problems doing the "ng" and the "zh" sounds in Chinese.
Are you talking about Cantonese or Mandarin? Disregarding tones, and talking only about pure sounds, Cantonese is much harder for an English speaker to pronounce. Mandarin, not so much, as the "zh", when representing romanized Mandarin, is very easy to pronounce (very close to "j"). You mention "ng" though, so I think you're likely referring to Cantonese sounds?
Wait, what? How are we pronouncing tsunami and tzar wrong? Isn't the "T" in those words nearly silent (or pronounced as a quick inflection to the Z/S)
Actually no, the T isn't silent in the native tongue. You know those funky Chinese last names like "Tse" or "Tsang". It's not actually pronounced "See" or "Sang". It's literally a "ts" sound. So think of the last part of a word like "beats", but take out the "bea" part. That's the sound you're supposed to be pronouncing.
And yes, I'm more talking about Cantonese than Mandarin.
Oh and I apologize for totally derailing this thread.
Actually no, the T isn't silent in the native tongue. You know those funky Chinese last names like "Tse" or "Tsang". It's not actually pronounced "See" or "Sang". It's literally a "ts" sound. So think of the last part of a word like "beats", but take out the "bea" part. That's the sound you're supposed to be pronouncing.
And yes, I'm more talking about Cantonese than Mandarin.
Oh and I apologize for totally derailing this thread.
it's all because the culture is so competitive, I dicked around in high school, goof off in university and I have a house and a good life. Do that in china and you'd be homeless on the street. I've known many immigrants from Asia and they all comment on how easy it is to succeed in Canada.
Perhaps 3 hours of piano should be cut in half. The other half spent learning to drive.... This articles stereotypes come across way to strong for my liking.
I finished HS with grades to get into Uni and chose a different route. When the little ones arrive I want to raise them how I was raised and it is quite opposite to the article. Social life is very important IMO as long as grades are kept at or above average. In todays world I find street smarts and thinking on your feet to be more important as understanding certain courses in school that will never be applied to the real world.
Completely agree...but if my kid becomes a realtor, an insurance salesman, parking enforcement officer, bylaw enforcement officer, multi-level marketing manager, professional landlord or the leader of a ponzi scheme I'd consider myself a complete f'n failure.
Terrible thread! But one thing of note is that playing something like piano at a young age will prepare you very well for early math due to time signatures, tempo, tone etc.
Just the opposite of us English speakers, who find it easy to say "pizza", but find it a bit awkward to say "tsunami" or "tsar", and instead say "sunami" and "zar".
Actually, it's not really that analagous. The /ts/ sound of pizza occurs naturally in English all the time both at the beginning and end of syllables. It's part of connected speech and generally doesn't appear at the start of speech.
The 'l' problem for Chinese speakers is quite different because English has two different 'l' sounds. One at the start of syllables (which Chinese shares), and one that is at the end of syllables (which Chinese doesn't have). So Chinese tend not to have problems with the sound of English 'l' at the front of a syllable because it does exist in their language, while they have problems with the sound of English 'l' at the end of a syllable because it does not. The closest sound to an English syllable-final 'l' for a Chinese speaker is an /u/ (like "poo") or sometimes and /r/ sound, which is why you usually hear these sounds in place of syllable-final 'l' when listening to Chinese speakers.
For realz.
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"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?"
Wow, the more I read about this woman, the more I really dislike her. She's proud that she browbeat her daughter for hours about not quiting piano.
the girls probably a robot by now, she can play piano well but mechanically, she's good at school because she learned that getting good grades was more important then gaining an appreciation for the subjects and finding the ones that give her joy.
Going forward after living in that house with that witch, she's going to either be emotionally cowed in any relationship, or she's going to pass on what she learned from her mother.
What a terrible way for that girl to live.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
I spent some time with an Asian that went through a regime very similar to this one growing up in Canada. Friend was extremely smart, polite and "proper". Friend is also now a doctor.
Friend also struggles in many populated social situations, is lacking greatly in confidence despite being good looking and talks to themself constantly without even realizing it.
So yes, I agree this could and probably will raise you a genius, but what they over compensate in the book smarts pool they will lack ten times over in the social behaviour pool... some might say this is a worth while sacrifice, I however do not agree.
__________________ "In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil's might / Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"
Last edited by GreenLantern; 01-13-2011 at 08:58 AM.
