Comments on: Growing up in Chinese as a foreign adult

By: Learning the right chengyu the right way | Hacking Chinese

Learning the right chengyu the right way | Hacking Chinese — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 16:20:24 +0000

[…] As a beginner, it’s cool to be the cute foreigner doing his best, but that’s not so cool when you’re trying to grow up in Chinese and become an adult student. […]

By: Hugh Grigg

Hugh Grigg — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 12:07:22 +0000

In reply to David Feigelson. I think you may have missed Olle's point, slightly. You can certainly make a lot of good jokes based entirely on timing, but sometimes wit really does require a sharp grasp of language and a good repertoire of common knowledge to draw on. That kind of humour rarely works with only simple language.

By: Hugh Grigg

Hugh Grigg — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 12:05:07 +0000

I find I can sometimes manage to be funny in Chinese by basically stealing jokes I’ve heard other Chinese people use in similar situations (if we’re being honest I think that’s how most people manage to be funny in their native language as well). I guess the trick is to try and spend time with funny Chinese people as much as possible.

It is totally true that you become childish and lose your adult status when using another language. I think I also went through a process where this was quite painful at times, until I arrived at my current attitude which is to just utterly ignore anything like that – mistakes I make, lack of fluency, not being able to find words – and to just keep going without thinking about it. Now I try hard to totally accept the fact that I may sound like an idiot a lot of the time, and allow it to be part of my identity. 😀

By: Trish

Trish — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 03:08:50 +0000

Great article! I found this to be a major frustration in living in China, and couldn’t stand it after only a month or so of attempted immersion – I felt I was losing my identity, essentially, and it was huge relief when I allowed myself to fall back on English just to maintain my sanity. Different personalities will cope differently with this problem, but I found I couldn’t stand an immersion approach at an elementary/intermediate level of Chinese.

By: David Feigelson

David Feigelson — Sat, 05 Oct 2013 19:38:59 +0000

Olle, humor isn’t really about content. Humor is about timing. I’ve been able to make my Chinese adult English classes laugh simply by using simple Chinese with good timing.
I think it is too facile to compare adults with children. I am not a child in Chinese simply because my abity to use Chinese is at a low level. I am an adult who has to deal with situations a child never would, and use Chinese. I had an interesting experience when I was in Taiwan. I befriended a man that owned a watch shop and he took me to pick up his son at elementary school. When were all in the car, I spoke at length to the man. He turned to his son and asked him if he understood what I said. His son said no. Then his son spoke at length to his father. The father turned to me and asked me if I understood. I said no. Children and adults speak differently, I think.

By: You might be too lazy to learn Chines, but you’re not too old | Hacking Chinese - 揭密中文

Thu, 02 May 2013 02:02:25 +0000

[…] One reason that people believe that children learn faster is that much less is required of them. Adults who arrive in a new country are supposed to handle all aspects of a normal, adult life, which naturally demands a great deal in terms of language ability. We don’t demand the same kind of proficiency from children. We only increase the demands gradually as they grow up and learn the language. As adults learning a second language, we’re adults and children at the same time. […]

By: Learning the right chengyu the right way | Hacking Chinese - 揭密中文

Learning the right chengyu the right way | Hacking Chinese - 揭密中文 — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:07:33 +0000

[…] to be the cute foreigner doing his best, but that’s not so cool when you’re trying to grow up in Chinese and become an adult […]

By: aelephant

aelephant — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 03:41:51 +0000

The 1st time I made a joke in Chinese was a huge milestone for me. That isn’t to say that my joke was funny or that I’m ready to become a Chinese comedian, just the fact that I was able to express something I thought was clever.

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 04:23:02 +0000

I find the only way for me to be funny in Chinese is to resort to childish silliness or acting the buffoon. Even sometimes using a mock girlish voice. I find the ultra feminine cutesy voice some women use here equal parts annoying and funny. Consequently people will tell me my Chinese is girlish or that my sense of humour is very immature.

But now I can just say my Chinese is in its adolescence. Thanks for the perspective.

By: Olle Linge

Olle Linge — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:29:10 +0000

In reply to Sara K.. Good point! I grew up in Sweden and even though we have quite a lot of immigrants, it's nothing close to 46%. Past experiences should influence our way of viewing foreigners quite a lot, so staying in different places in China or Taiwan should be different as well.