Talkin' Taiwan

Jockin' Jay-Z. This post is about language in Taiwan, and not just Chinese. Most people here also speak the native language, Taiwanese. They've got some great idioms. For instance:

"Just because you can't afford pork doesn't mean you don't know how a pig walks." This means that there is no excuse for a lack of common sense. Today, interestingly, industrialization and development have led people to make the opposite claim about Taiwanese youth: "they can afford pork, but they don't know how a pig walks." Kids these days.

"[He is] a frog at the bottom of the well." This refers to someone who is narrow-minded, with limited vision. The parable has it that a frog, who has never left his well, is talking to a turtle. The frog says, "life here is fantastic. I have my own little puddle of water and a few delicious flies to keep me satisfied." The turtle responds, "That sounds nice, but have you ever seen the ocean? It is tens of thousands of feet deep, with many creatures of all kinds. " Meaning that the simplest don't even know what they're missing.

"Old ginger is spicier than fresh ginger." This is factually true, and you can say it anytime age wins out.

I also really like some of the Chinese I'm learning:

If someone says "thank you," you can respond with, "bu huei," which means literally, "[you] can't." In other words, "what I have done for you is so minor and insignificant it is not even possible for you to thank me for it." Quite modest, I think.

One thing that struck me, and which was kind of jarring at first, is that the word for "that" in Chinese is "nigga." This wouldn't be especially noteworthy, except for the fact that the Taiwanese use the word "that" the way Americans use the word "like." As in every other word. They say it even when speaking English, so if I ask for directions somewhere and they're trying to think of the right English words, they'll go, "umm...nigga, take a right...nigga, by the gas station, nigga." Relatedly, "jigga" means "this."

Also, in Chinese saying "ma" at the end of a sentence indicates that you are asking a question. So it's perfectly grammatical to say, "whatsup, ma?"

And on the basketball court, they call an outdoor court "a crowded cattle pen" and they say, "bread!" when someone shoots an airball (I have no idea why).

Here are some pics of me giving a presentation at the Fulbright orientation in Taipei back in September.