Re: "...two Moscovites conversing in English" (was Re: Yet another introduction)

>From: "Douglas Koller, Latin & French" <latinfrench@...>
>Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 16:06:33 -0400
>
>My particular favorite heard on the mainland was "wai4guo2 hou2zi"
>("foreign monkey").
>
>Charming.
Truely endearing.  Haven't heard that one and can't say that I'm looking
forward to it.

>
>I love it when the Chinese tell you that these are "terms of
>endearment".
Yeah, right.  Did I tell you that I have this bridge in Brooklyn?????

>I've never heard anyone belt out "dabizi" ("big nose",
>for novices out there) or gwai2lo2 ("ghost dude") in any tone of
>voice that I would consider "endearing". Even the banal
>"wai4guo2ren2" (foreigner) or "gaijin" in Japanese can take on an
>edge when you hear them six thousand times a day.
>
>Kou
Oh, tell me about it.  Several thousand times a day.  Mama!  Waiguoren!
Waiguoren!  Nege waiguoren this, nege waiguoren that.  I find it especially
annoying when you're standing right in front of the person calling you "that
foreigner" as if you were in another city.  That's when I usually throw in
one of my handfull of phrases in Taiwanese to leave them with the impression
that I understood EVERYTHING they said, which of course is not true, but let
'em wonder!

Adam


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp