Sanku Bay Marsh -- Jamaican in China!

Summary: There's more to speaking the language than just mimicking the right sounds. Walt explains how one's meaning can be utterly lost without the right subtlety -- a subtlety that comes only with time, practice and a basic foundation in the language.

As we taxied towards the terminal after the flight from Kunming to Sanya, Hainan, China, I listened intently to the flight attendant make the standard arrival announcement. She was half-way through the announcement before I realized she was speaking English! It wasn't just the usual rushed, slurred delivery that many flight announcers are guilty of after giving the same announcement flight after flight, day after day for many years. This was different. I didn't get the impression that she was giving a hackneyed speech, at all. In fact, as I'm often the only visibly non-Chinese passenger on many of these inter-city flights, I often wonder if the announcement would even be made in English if I wasn't on the plane!

Anyway, as I did my best to listen and decipher what the flight attendant was saying, I realized that even in the context of an airplane flight, where I have a good idea of what she SHOULD be saying, I was still having difficulty understanding her. Of course, there's the "accent", the intonations and the way the Chinese tongue, teeth and lips pronounce unfamiliar English consonants and vowels after a lifetime pronouncing more familiar Chinese sounds. But, I also got the sense that she might not have been speaking English at all, but merely reading the phonetic equivalent of the English words the same way I might read the phonetic equivalent (goo-roo EEE-Key) of my Chinese name, ???. It brings to mind a similar experience of just a few days ago.

The other day, I walked into a local restaurant here in Hainan to determine if, at some future point in time, I might be able to dine there given my vegan proclivities. However, even in the context of being in a restaurant speaking about food, my attempts to communicate in Mandarin that I didn't want MSG or seasoning powder (very simple sentences, mind you) were met with blank stares by the wait staff. They, too, had no idea what I was trying to say!

Just goes to show that there's more to speaking the language than just mimicking the right sounds. Even in a familiar context, one's meaning can be utterly lost or otherwise indecipherable without the right subtlety–a subtlety that comes only with time, practice and a basic foundation in the language.

If you're just mimicking sounds, you really don't know where one word ends and another begins. You don't know when to make the correct pauses in your delivery to convey the right meaning. And you're never really sure if the phonetics is an exact replica or just a "reasonable facsimile thereof." And, particularly in Mandarin, using the wrong tone can skew everything altogether!

Which is not to say that context is irrelevant. If I, a non-native English speaker, were to say to you, "Sanku Bay Marsh" out of context, you might not really understand what I was trying to say. However, if, after you gave me a birthday present, I accepted it, nodded, smiled and then said, "Sanku Bay Marsh," you might then get it, and reply, as any decent English-speaker would, "You're very welcome!"

About the Author

Once upon a time, there was a Jamaican civil engineer living in New York who hated his job, followed his passion, started a sideline business publishing his own books, made enough money to quit his job, escaped the rat race, ran off to a tropical island in the South Pacific, and started a tourism business so he could give tours of the island to pretty girls every day....and live a nomadpreneur's dream life.

More about China

9 Things to Know Before Moving to China

Expats in China offer tips for newcomers and others considering a move to China. Advice what to bring when you move to China, health insurance and healthcare, finding an apartment, expat banking and more.

6 Important Tips about Healthcare for Expats in China

Expats living in China discuss health insurance and quality of medical care in China. Tip 1: if you're going to the hospital in China (or to a doctor), bring a translator!

Expats living in China discuss health insurance and quality of medical care in China. Tip 1: if you're going to the hospital in China (or to a doctor), bring a translator!...

Thanksgiving in Beijing

For American expats looking to dine out on Thanksgiving, here's a list of several restaurants offering Thanksgiving dinners in Beijing.

For American expats looking to dine out on Thanksgiving, here's a list of several restaurants offering Thanksgiving dinners in Beijing....

Expat China: 10 Tips for Living in China

Expats living in China find learning Mandarin a big challenge, but most say that learning even a little is very worthwhile. They also agree that the spitting, squat toilets and Chinese culture take some getting used to. Expats share their tips and experiences living in China.

5 Tips for Living in Qingdao, China

With its huge expat population, expats in Qingdao enjoy numerous expat-oriented social events and local resources. Expats also appreciate the friendly and welcoming to locals, sea view homes in the Laoshan district and Qingdao's international schools.

International Schools in Shanghai, China

Shanghai has a number of great international and bi-lingual schools. Some of these schools cater primarily to expats while others have mostly local students. We cover several popular schools in Shanghai and include feedback from parents.