Adrianna Tan2d ago

In many Chinese families it’s pretty common for people to talk to each other in completely different languages. My New York aunt speaks to me in Mandarin / Hokkien. She speaks to her husband in Toishanese. They speak Cantonese to other people. We all sort of understand each other when we are speaking different languages, but respond in our own language. From time to time we might dip into another language to illustrate a point.

My grandma used to call this ‘chicken and duck talk’

#Languages #Chinese

Show threadkaramazov18792d ago
@skinnylatte That is so fucking awesome!
I only speak English and Russian.
Show threadEliza MB

@karamazov1879 @skinnylatte

I wish!
I speak English. Drop me in France and I can buy bread and ask for directions. Won’t understand the answer. Certainly couldn’t hold a conversation.
Fuck.
I’m embarrassed to admit this.

Apr 5 at 9:28pmWeb
Show threadkaramazov18791d ago
@OneInterestingFact @skinnylatte I'm lucky enough to speak Rusisan reasonably well. I even managed to make my mother in law laugh and even some KGB guards at the at our Embassy. Not too shabby. (It was an uphill battle for several months however.}