S02, Episode 06: The fridge is empty!

Full Episode

Oct 11

Through the looking glass of language

We may be born with certain tendencies or temperaments, but I believe that we humans are also born with practically unlimited potential. What version of ourselves we wind up becoming is largely a product of the environment we grew up in. In that sense, it’s very much the luck of the draw.

Let’s take language as an example. Your native language influences how you think, express yourself, and communicate. And yet, this essential part of what makes you you was decided entirely by circumstances outside of your control, such as where you grew up, and what language(s) your parents spoke.

There’s nothing intrinsic about your first language — if you had been adopted or had grown up in a different place or time, you would speak another language, think in another language, and do so just as naturally and effortlessly as you speak your actual native language today. To the extent that language influences who we are, you could easily have been someone else.

You might be thinking, so what? This is all just hypothetical. After all, I grew up in the time and place I grew up in, speaking the language I grew up speaking. That’s never going to change.

Perhaps not. But being human means that we also never lose our capacity to learn and grow. And learning a second language is akin to going through a second childhood. The difference being that, with this second childhood, we can make much more conscious, informed decisions about the kind of person we would like ourselves to become, and which of our untapped potentials we want to explore.

Because every language is also a culture, a way of thinking, and a way of looking at the world, learning a new language is like opening a door onto a parallel universe, in which everything looks a bit different. If you step through that door, what version of yourself will you discover on the other side?

In this lesson, I share some personal examples of how learning Mandarin enriched my life in ways beyond simply learning another language.

Music recommendations

Lesson Outline:

[00:21] Through the looking glass of language
[07:17] Introduction to the dialogue
[07:45] Dialogue (normal speed)
[08:47] Slow version (and repeat)
[11:37] Useful vocabulary and phrases from the dialogue
[18:03] Dialogue again (normal speed)

Daily Practice Session

Words and phrases with examples (Chinese characters only)

[scroll further down for pinyin and the translation]

終於
1. 終於到了！
2. 終於看到你了！
3. 你終於來了！
整理
1. 我要整理行李
2. 麻煩你整理一下
3. 你可以幫我整理嗎？
而且
1. 這家餐廳很好吃，而且很便宜！
2. 今天下雨，而且很冷
3. 美國的火車很貴，而且很慢！
出汗
1. 我出了很多汗
2. 我很愛出汗
記得
1. 記得多喝水哦！
2. 記得練習中文！
3. 你要記得我！
4. 我不記得了
其實
1. 其實，我不知道
2. 其實，我覺得還不錯
3. 其實，我都可以
常、常常、很常
1. 台北常常下雨
2. 你常常遲到
3. 你常常問我這個問題
剛剛
1. 我剛剛在想...
2. 我剛剛看到他！
3. 你剛剛說什麼
而已
1. 一百塊而已！很便宜！
2. 你剛剛來而已！
3. 其實，我要你記得我，這樣而已
一瓶
1. 一瓶水
2. 一瓶冰水
3. 一瓶冰茶
4. 兩瓶冰水
5. 四瓶咖啡
關掉
1. 電視要關掉
2. 記得關燈
3. 音樂可以關掉

Words and phrases with examples (w/ pinyin and translation):

終於 :: zhōngyú :: finally
1. 終於到了！
  1. zhōngyú dàole!
  2. (We've) finally arrived!
2. 終於看到你了！
  1. zhōngyú kàn dào nǐle!
  2. I finally saw you / found you!
3. 你終於來了！
  1. nǐ zhōngyú láile!
  2. You finally came!
整理 :: zhěnglǐ :: to organize, to pack, to tidy up
1. 我要整理行李
  1. wǒ yào zhěnglǐ háng lǐ
  2. I want to organize my luggage
2. 麻煩你整理一下
  1. máfan nǐ zhěnglǐ yīxià
  2. Please tidy up a bit
3. 你可以幫我整理嗎？
  1. nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ zhěnglǐ ma?
  2. Can you help me tidy up?
而且 :: érqiě :: moreover, but also
1. 這家餐廳很好吃，而且很便宜！
  1. zhè jiā cāntīng hěn hào chī, érqiě hěn piányí!
  2. This restaurant isn't just delicious, it's also cheap!
2. 今天下雨，而且很冷
  1. jīntiān xià yǔ, érqiě hěn lěng
  2. It didn't just rain today, it's also really cold.
3. 美國的火車很貴，而且很慢！
  1. měiguó de huǒchē hěn guì, érqiě hěn màn!
  2. American trains aren't just expensive, they're also slow!
出汗 :: chū hàn :: to sweat
1. 我出了很多汗
  1. wǒ chūle hěnduō hàn
  2. I sweat a lot (past tense)
2. 我很愛出汗
  1. wǒ hěn ài chū hàn
  2. I sweat a lot (in general)
記得 :: jìdé :: to remember
1. 記得多喝水哦！
  1. jìdé duō hē shuǐ ó!
  2. Remember to drink lots of water!
2. 記得練習中文！
  1. jìdé liànxí zhōngwén!
  2. Remember to practice Chinese!
3. 你要記得我！
  1. Nǐ yào jìdé wǒ!
  2. You must remember me!
4. 我不記得了
  1. Wǒ bù jìdéle
  2. I don't remember
其實 :: qíshí :: actually
1. 其實，我不知道
  1. qíshí, wǒ bù zhīdào
  2. Actually, I don't know
2. 其實，我覺得還不錯
  1. qíshí, wǒ juédé hái bùcuò
  2. Actually, I feel it's not bad
3. 其實，我都可以
  1. qíshí, wǒ dōu kěyǐ
  2. Actually, I'm OK with whatever
常、常常、很常 :: cháng, chángcháng, hěn cháng :: often
1. 台北常常下雨
  1. táiběi chángcháng xià yǔ
  2. Taipei often rains
2. 你常常遲到
  1. nǐ chángcháng chídào
  2. You often arrive late
3. 你常常問我這個問題
  1. nǐ chángcháng wèn wǒ zhège wèntí
  2. You often ask me this question
剛剛 :: gānggāng :: just now
1. 我剛剛在想...
  1. wǒ gānggāng zài xiǎng...
  2. I was just thinking...
2. 我剛剛看到他！
  1. wǒ gānggāng kàn dào tā!
  2. I just saw him!
3. 你剛剛說什麼？
  1. Nǐ gānggāng shuō shénme?
  2. What did you just say?
而已 :: éryǐ :: only, merely
1. 一百塊而已！很便宜！
  1. yībǎi kuài éryǐ! Hěn piányí!
  2. Only 100 dollars! So cheap!
2. 你剛剛來而已！
  1. nǐ gānggāng lái éryǐ!
  2. You just got here!
3. 其實，我要你記得我，這樣而已
  1. qíshí, wǒ yào nǐ jìdé wǒ, zhèyàng éryǐ
  2. Actually, I want you to remember me, that's all.
一瓶 :: yī píng :: one bottle (measure word)
1. 一瓶水
  1. yī píng shuǐ
  2. One bottle of water
2. 一瓶冰水
  1. yī píng bīng shuǐ
  2. A bottle of ice water
3. 一瓶冰茶
  1. yī píng bīng chá
  2. A bottle of iced tea
4. 兩瓶冰水
  1. liǎng píng bīng shuǐ
  2. Two bottles of ice water
5. 四瓶咖啡
  1. sì píng kāfēi
  2. Four bottles of coffee
關掉 :: guān diào :: To close, to turn off
1. 電視要關掉
  1. diànshì yào guān diào
  2. Turn off the TV
2. 記得關燈
  1. jìdé guān dēng
  2. Remember to turn off the light
3. 音樂可以關掉
  1. yīnyuè kěyǐ guān diào
  2. You can turn off the music

Thank you for listening!

Season 2Language and LifeImmersionWords and phrasesAdults and ChildrenLanguage and EnvironmentLanguage and IdentityMusic

Isaac Myers