While I’m sure I’ve mentioned on multiple occasions in this blog about how f-ing hard Mandarin is, I also want to note that on occasion, it really brings an inappropriate smile to my face. The word for “this” is 这个, in pinyin written “zhege” (fourth tone, neutral tone). The pronunciation of 这个 is most aptly emulated by Jay-Z in the immortal song “Jigga What? Jigga Who?”. Thus whenever you want to talk about “this” in Mandarin, you find yourself honestly believing that while you might not be fluent in Mandarin, you sure as hell got ebonics down. “That” of course would only serve to support your deluded pseudo-blackness. Because when someone says “that” (那个 or nage 3rd, neutral), it comes out “nigga”, which under certain circumstances can prove to be incredibly offensive or incredibly amusing. Below is a perfect example of a situation that is, well, a little of column A and a little of column B.
March 22, 2008...5:23 am
Chinese People and the “N Word”
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April 20, 2008 at 6:14 pm
[...] away the punch line in an upcoming Stories of My Past article, but I just had to mention this one: Chinese People And The “N” Word. It’s not what you [...]