Items related to Dreaming in Chinese: ... and Discovering What Makes...
Why can't the Chinese say "I love you"? Can you wear pyjamas on the streets of Shanghai? Why is it so difficult to hear Chinese tones? In this charming, original book, Harvard linguist Deborah Fallows draws on her experiences of three years of living and travelling in China to provide the answers to these puzzles and many more. Using her own struggles and triumphs with the study of Mandarin as a guide, Fallows manages to describe the workings of the language in a way that is both intelligible and entertaining. Her anecdotes and stories illustrate how Westerners have to think in a fundamentally different way to survive in China.
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About the Author:
Deborah Fallows has lived in Shanghai and Beijing and travelled throughout China with her husband, the writer and journalist James Fallows. She is a Harvard graduate and has a PhD in Linguistics, and is author of A Mother's Work (Houghton Mifflin). When in the US, she and her husband live in Washington DC. They have two sons.
From Booklist:
Fallows manages to take the relatively dry subject of translation and create a warm and witty memoir. Dwelling less on her own feelings then on the intricacies of language mastery, she shares experiences after she and her husband moved to China that taught her just how complex Mandarin can be. Such as the fact that there are 400 syllables in Mandarin as opposed to 10 times that number in English, making tone crucial in conversation. Fallows makes all this fascinating by writing in a thoroughly engaging manner that not only invites readers into her experiences, but also delights them with her discoveries. There is confusion with a Cantonese cab driver, the manicurist who envisioned “almost perfect happiness,” and the employee at Taco Bell who thought Fallows wanted to hug him (she was inquiring about takeout). From observations about maps, naming children, and the struggle over one language for a nation where over 300 million speak something other than Mandarin, Fallows takes readers on a ride through Chinese culture that is as entertaining as it is informative. --Colleen Mondor
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- PublisherShort Books
- Publication date2010
- ISBN 10 1906021554
- ISBN 13 9781906021559
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages256
- Rating
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Dreaming in Chinese: . and Discovering What Makes a Billion People Tick
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Dreaming in Chinese: And Discovering What Makes a Billion People Tick
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Book Description Condition: Very Good. Very Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. Owner's name on inside. From the collection of Tom Verlaine. Verlaine was a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was a founding member of the seminal punk rock band Television. He was known for his innovative guitar playing and songwriting, and he is considered to be one of the most important and influential musicians of the past 50 years. Seller Inventory # M06OS-01923
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dreaming in Chinese: And Discovering What Makes a Billion People Tick This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9781906021559
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9781906021559
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Dreaming in Chinese: and Discovering What Makes a Billion People Tick
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(2010)
ISBN 10: 1906021554
ISBN 13: 9781906021559
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