HDB Tai Tai
"Learn how to be a Tai Tai in the heartlands" said the leader of the newspaper article.Finally, a chance to do the Singaporean equivalent of enigedeutsching myself. Even if a male can't really be a Tai Tai, one can still learn from them.
Then I read further and realised that it was a TV show. I don't watch much TV, as you may know, just news headlines and the occasional documentary or historically accurate drama, but for this I could make an exception.
So, at 8pm I learned how to use the remote control and turned eagerly to Channel 8...
to discover that the bloody program was in Mandarin!
Why does the newspaper do that? The will also occasionally review a movie in their English only newspaper - and fail to mention that it is in Mandarin.
Maybe I finally have the motivation that I need. If I intend to stay long term in Singapore, Mandarin might be useful or fun, but is absolutely non-essential, unlike, say, in Shanghai.
Unless, of course, if I want to become an HBD Tai Tai ...
Maybe it is time for you to learn Mandarin
, especially if you want t ogo (back) to China (Shanghai).
Dreamer - 30 September 06 12:47 am
You knwo Tai Tai, of course?
Yes, I have been too lazy until now to learn Mandarin. Also, I have a problem in that I am tone deaf, so not very good with tonal languages. My German is almost fluent, I started teaching myself Japanese (when I was in Shanghai ) and did not have a problem, but with French, for instance, I can read, write an listen, but my accent is atrocious.
Mandarin is not at all needed in Singapore, but is very useful in Shanghai. Maybe I will try to find the discipline. I have the Pimsleur CDs, which are the best for learning any language at all.
Ma ma ma ma
graham () (URL) - 30 September 06 10:47 am