CDZ Lift Off -- What thoughts does this inspire in you?

[320 Years of History]

English is a tough language to learn.

Of that there is no doubt.

From my own experience, three weeks of semi-immersion in China -- I have a translator in the office, but all my leisure activities happen without her -- and I was able to speak Mandarin well enough to do basic things like shop, go out to eat and ask about the food or ask for items/services I wanted, ask and answer basic questions and/or exchange pleasantries, and hail cabs and explain where I wanted to go. That didn't happen via "osmosis." I bought a "learn Mandarin" book and DVD and I used it and practiced.

Reading and writing Mandarin is an entirely different matter. I'm completely illiterate in that regard. I've made no effort to alter that condition, and I doubt I ever will. I have no need to read or write in Mandarin; thus I have no will to learn how. I can crank out pinyin if I have to, but that's it. That said, doing so works just fine to send texts to my Chinese acquaintances and colleagues who all are amenable to texting with me in pinyin rather than Hanzi.

Spanish and French were equally easy to speak, and, because the alphabet is largely the same as English's, reading and writing in those languages doesn't present a problem. That is largely "it" re: my reticence to learn to read and write in Mandarin. It's not that the language is grammatically difficult to learn in the same way English is, because it just isn't.

Chinese grammar just isn't that difficult. Neither are the spoken tones. We have them in English too. "The housekeeper will polish your shoes. The cook can prepare Polish sausages if you'd like." In saying that sentence aloud, tone is the only thing distinguishing the meaning of "polish/Polish." It's no different in Mandarin. Indeed, in one way it's easier for the actually "spelling"/character as well as the tone differs with the meaning.

• mā --> 媽 --> mother
  
• má -->麻 --> hemp
• mǎ --> 馬 --> horse
• mà --> 罵 --> scold

 

[Wilbur Right]

From my own experience, three weeks of semi-immersion in China -- I have a translator in the office, but all my leisure activities happen without her -- and I was able to speak Mandarin well enough to do basic things like shop, go out to eat and ask about the food or ask for items/services I wanted, ask and answer basic questions and/or exchange pleasantries, and hail cabs and explain where I wanted to go. That didn't happen via "osmosis." I bought a "learn Mandarin" book and DVD and I used it and practiced.

I had to learn a little Spanish to work better with roofing crews. Fortunately tape measures all say the same thing in both languages. An inch is an inch. Unless it's a millimeter. Then I get all cornfused.

I have read most of what you have written on this site. You are the exception to learning. Not the rule. Most can't and haven't done what you can do. Including learning conversational Mandarin.

But I am curious about one thing concerning you. If you don't mind that is.

Have you ever earned your living working with your hands? Are you a hobbyist woodworker? Restore old cars? Play a musical instrument?

Just curious. I have made my living both by using my mind. And I have made my living with my hands. I enjoyed doing both. But ultimately I have a higher satisfaction level when i make something with my hands. What about you?

 

[320 Years of History]

Have you ever earned your living working with your hands? Are you a hobbyist woodworker? Restore old cars? Play a musical instrument?

Red:
In a manner of speaking, yes. I had a job for three summers as a building maintenance carpenter's assistant. That job entailed all manners of handiwork:

• Plumbing fixture installation and repair
• Lighting installation and repair
• Drywall and ceiling repair and replacement
• Roof repair with hot tar or shingles
• Door and window installation and removal
• Laying carpet
• Installing parquet wood flooring
• Fixing/replacing damaged trim and moulding

The work I did, and the skills I learned as a result, came in handy later in life in various ways, but I didn't elect to make a career out of being a building maintenance carpenter.

Blue:
Not really. As an adult, I once went to the hardware store and bought wood, glue, and nails/screws, and some tools and built a cabinet by following the instructions in a traditional woodworking book. Prior to that, I earned some sort of woodworking merit badge in the Boy Scouts (I don't know if they called that wood working or wood carving. I made a totem and some sort of wooden race car (miniature soap box racer sort of thing) using hammers and chisels, drills and various grades of sandpaper.

Green:
No.

Purple:
As a kid, I learned to play the piano and sax. I can play either a little bit, and on rare occasions I'll tickle the ivories at home, but that's it.

 

[Wilbur Right]

Have you ever earned your living working with your hands? Are you a hobbyist woodworker? Restore old cars? Play a musical instrument?

Red:
In a manner of speaking, yes. I had a job for three summers as a building maintenance carpenter's assistant. That job entailed all manners of handiwork:

• Plumbing fixture installation and repair
• Lighting installation and repair
• Drywall and ceiling repair and replacement
• Roof repair with hot tar or shingles
• Door and window installation and removal
• Laying carpet
• Installing parquet wood flooring
• Fixing/replacing damaged trim and moulding

The work I did, and the skills I learned as a result, came in handy later in life in various ways, but I didn't elect to make a career out of being a building maintenance carpenter.

Blue:
Not really. As an adult, I once went to the hardware store and bought wood, glue, and nails/screws, and some tools and built a cabinet by following the instructions in a traditional woodworking book. Prior to that, I earned some sort of woodworking merit badge in the Boy Scouts (I don't know if they called that wood working or wood carving. I made a totem and some sort of wooden race car (miniature soap box racer sort of thing) using hammers and chisels, drills and various grades of sandpaper.

Green:
No.

Purple:
As a kid, I learned to play the piano and sax. I can play either a little bit, and on rare occasions I'll tickle the ivories at home, but that's it.

Thanks for indulging my curiosity.

 

[320 Years of History]

Have you ever earned your living working with your hands? Are you a hobbyist woodworker? Restore old cars? Play a musical instrument?

Red:
In a manner of speaking, yes. I had a job for three summers as a building maintenance carpenter's assistant. That job entailed all manners of handiwork:

• Plumbing fixture installation and repair
• Lighting installation and repair
• Drywall and ceiling repair and replacement
• Roof repair with hot tar or shingles
• Door and window installation and removal
• Laying carpet
• Installing parquet wood flooring
• Fixing/replacing damaged trim and moulding

The work I did, and the skills I learned as a result, came in handy later in life in various ways, but I didn't elect to make a career out of being a building maintenance carpenter.

Blue:
Not really. As an adult, I once went to the hardware store and bought wood, glue, and nails/screws, and some tools and built a cabinet by following the instructions in a traditional woodworking book. Prior to that, I earned some sort of woodworking merit badge in the Boy Scouts (I don't know if they called that wood working or wood carving. I made a totem and some sort of wooden race car (miniature soap box racer sort of thing) using hammers and chisels, drills and various grades of sandpaper.

Green:
No.

Purple:
As a kid, I learned to play the piano and sax. I can play either a little bit, and on rare occasions I'll tickle the ivories at home, but that's it.

Thanks for indulging my curiosity.

You're welcome.

 

[320 Years of History]

You are the exception to learning. Not the rule. Most can't and haven't done what you can do.

BTW, I meant to ask you what does that mean, exactly. So, would you please explain what you mean by the remarks above?

I understand that some people haven't applied themselves to learning. That they haven't doesn't mean they cannot do so." In the 20th century, one's putting forth only a so-so level of effort in learning things wasn't assuredly the "kiss of career death." Times have changed. So-so won't "cut it" any more. I don't care what one thinks about that, the fact remains that it is so. One can get over it and apply oneself or suffer the consequences of not doing so. I don't care which tack one pursues, but I'm not interested in hearing one's kvetching when one is being left behind as a result of one's freely made choice, and I'm talking about the preponderance of choices made over the course of one's formative years, not one poor/mistaken decision made one time.

I am no exception. Indeed, my peers, my children, my classmates and friends from school, and literally millions of other folks have and exercise the same capacity for learning and applying that learning to "whatever." What may be exceptional is that I and my ilk have the will to actually do just that and when the need arises, we do just that because we know that not doing it is not helpful to ourselves or anyone else.