In a recent entry, I mentioned a soft-spoken female student whose T-shirt displayed the word 'orgasm' several times. I imagined she was using English for unbridled self-expression.
Wrong, said Leo, a former student of mine from Weihai in a comment on this blog. He pointed out that 'orgasm' can mean 'intense or unrestrained excitement.' That's the definition given on the electronic dictionaries. Probably that was the young lady's understanding of the word. He doubted she was aware of the sexual overtones. Studious Chinese young ladies are restrained about such things.
I dislike the electronic dictionaries English Language Learners carry because the definintions are very abbreviated. In China, most students have them. People become over-reliant on these devices and make all kinds of context mistakes. It's like using a thesaurus. I sometimes joke that students can improve their English by throwing these gadgets out the window.
Studying a foreign language is tricky, though, and we do like our crutches. Just now, when I was looking for a picture of this device, I started looking for one that gave English, pinyin (Romanized Chinese) and Chinese characters. Maybe I'll find one in my stocking this Christmas...
2 comments:
Welcome home and congratulations on. Just thought you might be interested in this article about China and Christianity.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/
local/chi-jesus-1-1-webjun22,0,
2458211.story?page=1
Though there is more religious freedom in China than previously, the truth is that religious activity is closely monitored. All sorts of petty regulations govern religious services in China. Chinese nationals who participate in worship may suffer serious consequences. Generally, Westerners are left alone to practice their religion as long as we don't proselytize.
Post a Comment