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sp
Joined: 27 Feb 2003
Posts: 218
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 Posted: Sun May 18, 2003 6:02 pm Post subject: Talk like a peasant? |
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| Has anyone here ever been caught out by coming out with a Chinese phrase which is very 'New Territories' and therefore looked-down-on by more sophisticated 'proper Chinese' speakers? My Cantonese is pretty crap anyway but it's not helped by worrying about coming out with some peasant-talk accidentally! e.g. I believe 'day loong chair' to mean underground/tube is a very New Territories phrase and is not correct, stricly speaking. |
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OceanLee
Joined: 27 Feb 2003
Posts: 85
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| Posted: Mon May 19, 2003 9:03 am Post subject: |
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| Well, I wasn't worried about it till now! So what is the alternative to 'day lung chair'? |
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sp
Joined: 27 Feb 2003
Posts: 218
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| Posted: Mon May 19, 2003 7:09 pm Post subject: |
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Well apparently a more 'proper' term is 'day teet' (ground metal). The other phrase is correct but gives you away as a New Territories person. Also, using 'geng hok' to say you are thirsty is also New Terr. talk. The proper phrase is 'huw hok' or just 'hok'. Besides actual words and phrases, there are also subtle differences in pronounciation as well. It's a minefield I'm telling you!
I think this New Territories dialect aka 'wai tow wah' is similar to how a strong Yorshire or Cornish accent might be viewed here in the UK - fine in certain situations but a real no-no in professional or respectable circles. |
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yum tong
Joined: 10 Apr 2003
Posts: 10
Location: london
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| Posted: Mon May 19, 2003 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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Cor...I can relate to that. Chinese cast system! It's a snobby thing really don't you think. If yor were Irish, Scots or even a Londoner everyone have regional terminology.
When people mention it to me (I am from NT) It's like water off a ducks back. Let them converse in English otherwise. |
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OceanLee
Joined: 27 Feb 2003
Posts: 85
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| Posted: Tue May 20, 2003 8:43 am Post subject: |
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Hmmm...Thinking about it I probably use 'day teet' more. But I definitely say 'geng hok' when I'm thirsty.
When I went to get an Id card a few years back, I apologised to the guy at the counter and said I don't speak cantonese very well. His answer was 'Yeah, I can tell', and not in a nice way either. I've never been impressed with the attitude of the city chinese. I much prefer visiting the outskirts. |
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porkscratchings
Joined: 27 Feb 2003
Posts: 112
Location: BirmingHAM
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2003 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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City pple are w*nkers wherever u go - some pple say the same of pple living in London and Paris. i can say it is the first impression that visitors get of rudeness dat makes a lasting impression. Having lived in both places, i find dat pple are no ruder or kinder than anywhere else.
U'll find dat pple living in the outskirts and countryside are less cosmopolitan and less tolerant of pple who are different. Although life may take place at a slower pace than the city so pple appear friendlier than citydwellers.
I speak new territories and most pple i know are far more impressed by my fluent Chinese to bother being snobbish about it. Most mainland/Hk Chinese expect to be greeted in English when they land on our shores, so they are more shocked by someone who speaks Chinese without everhaving been in a country where it is spoken. |
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OceanLee
Joined: 27 Feb 2003
Posts: 85
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| Posted: Tue May 27, 2003 9:30 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, I'm never too impressed with the city types. I'm always wary of people who do their best to move into the city! Maybe it was me, but I did feel that the Hong Kong city dwellers were ruder than the ones over in Britain though.
Found myself using the phrase "geng hok" this weekend to my sis. Gonna have to keep an eye on that :) |
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