Big Hit
Who knew a children's flashcard book would be so popular.
As I blogged about the other day, this week I was so happy to find some biligual flashcards for Myles and me as we try to learn more Putonghua. I've been carrying one in my backpack since so we pull them out when we have a few minutes, like waiting for our food or sitting in Starbucks.
Everyone-and I mean everyone--loves these flashcards.
When we were waiting for Daddy at Mary's Bar yesterday, the bartenders had a ball going through them with me. I haven't yet learned all the correct pronunciations for the pinyin vowels--heck even some of the consonents. Apparently when they teach the pinyin in schools to children, the symbols above the letters are supposed to clue you in to how its pronounced, amd making that symbol with your fingers helps.
Later one of the Flower Girls couldn't stop going through them, telling me that is exactly how she started to learn Putonghua when she went to school (I think she said her home language was Wu).
Twice American men have been completely taken with them too. At dinner last night a man at a neighboring table borrowed it from us. He flipped through it realizing all the words he didn't know. I joked to him that the book didn't have the word for beer in it. One of his Chinese business associates with him joked back that that was the one word he did know. And later that evening one of Randy's friends asked me if I could start buying two of them every time I got a new one for Myles. I think this was after he saw how useful I found these cards when I was able to call him a Big Pig. And his girlfriend Fei Fei understood me and laughed and laughed.
(and yes, LC, I chose this picture for you particularly.)
As I blogged about the other day, this week I was so happy to find some biligual flashcards for Myles and me as we try to learn more Putonghua. I've been carrying one in my backpack since so we pull them out when we have a few minutes, like waiting for our food or sitting in Starbucks.
Everyone-and I mean everyone--loves these flashcards.
When we were waiting for Daddy at Mary's Bar yesterday, the bartenders had a ball going through them with me. I haven't yet learned all the correct pronunciations for the pinyin vowels--heck even some of the consonents. Apparently when they teach the pinyin in schools to children, the symbols above the letters are supposed to clue you in to how its pronounced, amd making that symbol with your fingers helps.
Later one of the Flower Girls couldn't stop going through them, telling me that is exactly how she started to learn Putonghua when she went to school (I think she said her home language was Wu).
Twice American men have been completely taken with them too. At dinner last night a man at a neighboring table borrowed it from us. He flipped through it realizing all the words he didn't know. I joked to him that the book didn't have the word for beer in it. One of his Chinese business associates with him joked back that that was the one word he did know. And later that evening one of Randy's friends asked me if I could start buying two of them every time I got a new one for Myles. I think this was after he saw how useful I found these cards when I was able to call him a Big Pig. And his girlfriend Fei Fei understood me and laughed and laughed.
(and yes, LC, I chose this picture for you particularly.)
Comments
huo! huo! huo!