Bí-kok se-chong — tōa su
Literally: (It’s like) an American suit: a big set (of clothes) [tōa su], which rhymes with “a big defeat” [tōa su].
These are called kek-kut-ōe or giat8-khiat-ōe (歇後語 in Mandarin), which my dictionary calls “two-part allegorical sayings.” Very common in Chinese languages. I’ve always thought of them as Fat Albert jokes. As in, “Rudy, you’re like school in July … [wait for it...wait for it...] … no class!”
Categories: Figures of speech · Linguistics
On Friday, the Ministry of Education released its third and final “official” list of recommended Hanzi for writing 700 common Taiwanese words. I could quibble with some of them, but they’re mostly good, common-sense choices.
The second tranche is here, and the first here. You can even print out a one-sided or two-sided handout.
Categories: Education · Linguistics · Not strictly vocabulary
Chiung Wi-vun is one of a very small group of people using Taiwanese to write non-fiction essays and books. He’s also a super-nice guy, and a Maverick. If you’re interested in reading some real, living academic Taiwanese, he has made his latest book available for free in PDF form.
Categories: Linguistics · Not strictly vocabulary · Politics
Khah lú-sèng-hòa ê kóng-hoat
And its opposite:
Khah lâm-sèng-hòa ê kóng-hoat
Speak in a masculine manner
Categories: Linguistics
A note for those learning to read peh-oe-ji: when you see a double hyphen in a peh-oe-ji sentence, it means that the preceding word is pronounced in its original tone, and the subsequent word or words with a neutral tone (or ‘toneless’). Sometimes there are three word linked by double hyphens:
Kiâⁿ — chhut — khì (walk out)
In which case Kiâⁿ is pronounced in the fifth tone, with chhut and khì both neutral.
Categories: Linguistics
Lām-chham
Tâi-gú lām-chham tio̍h8 chîaⁿ chōe gōa-lâi gí-giân.
Taiwanese has mixed in a lot of languages from outside Taiwan.
Categories: L · Linguistics
[Note: for some reason, I can't get the eighth-tone markers to show up, so I've added the numbers.]
A: Lâng kóng iù-jî kàu-io̍k8 chin iàu-kín. Gí-giân thàn-chá, khah ū hāu-kó.
A: Só·-í goán sun tha̍k siang-gí iù-tī-hn̂g.
B: Chán oh, thàn chá o̍h8 Eng-gí.
A: M̄-sī Eng-gí…
…sī Hôa-gí kap kheh-gí.
B: Koh khah chán!
———————-
A: “People say that childhood education is very important. If you study a language while young, it’s more effective.”
A: “Therefore, our grandson studies at a bilingual preschool.”
B: “That’s great, studying English while still so young.”
A: “It’s not English…
…it’s Mandarin and Hakka.”
B: “Even better!”
————————–
(C) 2007 Tân Gī-jîn, and used with his permission.
Categories: Cartoon · Education · Linguistics
Tē-it gí-giân, tē-jī gí-giân
Só∙-kóng ê tē-it gí-giân sī kí lán-lâng chhut-sì liáu tē-it ê o̍h – khí – lâi ê gí-giân.
The so-called first language is the language that we learn first after being born.
(Chiung, Wi-vun Tiaffalo. Gí-giân, Bûn-ha̍k, kap Tâi-oân Kok-ka Chài-sióng-siōng. Tainan: National Cheng Gung University Press, 2007. Page 48).
Categories: G · Linguistics · T
