Also, will anyone correct my mistakes? It isn't their job of course. I have no expectations, but is it culturally acceptable to correct people? I noticed in France it was kind to correct people one likes/knows. Conversely it was rude if a stranger corrected pronunciation.
1
2
As an American, I just didn't correct anyone unless they specifically asked for help or I really couldn't understand what was said. Is that culture? Or just me?
1
2
Anyway, if you've read this far, and you'd like to help me avoid a faux pas, I'd be incredibly grateful. 馃檹馃徎 And if you've learned Chinese pronunciation and have resources you liked, please share!
3
1
Thanks for the link! So the same letters in a name would sound quite different depending where the person is from?
1
Some of the grid cells are a much stronger signal for that than others. If you see q, x, j (not as jh), zh you're probably looking at Pinyin romanization of Mandarin / putonghua. Signs of other dialects/languages include sylllable-final consonants other than n or ng.
1
And strike j from the list. It's good for distinguishing Pinyin from Wade-Giles, but other languages use j (e.g., Yale romanization of Cantonese).
1
Having an understanding of Pinyin is still useful, just as long as you're aware is not everything. It should be useful for most people born in mainland China... but much less useful for names of people whose families left China generations ago.
Feb 10, 2021 路 5:14 PM UTC
1