Archive for February, 2009

Real BeijingeRs

For a taste of Pekingese colloquial and a slice of traditional life in Beijing, I offer this 4 minutes and 24 seconds rap video entitled "běi jīng tǔ zhù  北京土著  (Beijing Natives)":

Here follow a transcription and translation of the entire song. One thing that will be immediately evident is the fondness of Beijingers for adding final retroflex -r to the end of many words. There seems, however, to be some disagreement among individual speakers on when to -r, as it were, and when not to -r. Our transcription distinguishes three categories of -r: bold for when the singer adds an -r that is not in the original lyrics, italics for when he fails to -r but we think he should, and regular -r when the original lyrics have an -r. Sometimes the -r is subtle and sometimes it is very obvious; given the complexities of the phenomenon, we cannot guarantee that we've recorded all of them to the satisfaction of Pekingese aficionados.

Please also note that some of the tones and occasionally the vowel quality differ from what we would normally expect in Modern Standard Mandarin. The fact that it's a song also means that the contours of the melody sometimes are at odds with the tones.

Finally, the singer uses a few English expressions, so those appear both in the column with the Chinese lyrics and in the column with the translation. And there's at least one Pekingese morpheme (DER) in the lyrics for which there's no known character.

切一片西瓜四五两
qiē yí piànr xīgua sì-wǔ liǎng
Slice me a piece of watermelon, about four or five liangi
真正的薄皮脆沙瓤
zhēnzhèng de bó pí cuì shārángr
Only the truly thin-skin watermelon comes with this crisp and grainy texture
当四合院的茶房飘着茉莉花儿香
dāng sìhéyuànr de cháfáng piāozhe mòlìhuār xiāng
When the scent of jasmine wafts in the tea room of the siheyuanii
夏天的炎热全部被遗忘掉
xiàtiān de yánrè quánbù bèi yíwàng diào
One forgets all the heat of the summer
酌一杯佳酿漂远方
zhuó yì bēi jiāniàng piāo yuǎnfāng
Pour a glass of fine wine as your thoughts wander afar
胡同里酒香醉人肠
hútòngr lǐ jǐuxiāng zuì rén cháng
The senses are drunk with the fragrance of the wine steeped within the hutong alleys
当老城角儿的夕阳回荡拨浪鼓儿响
dāng lǎo chéngjiǎor de xīyáng huídàng bōlànggǔr xiǎng
As the sun sets at the corner of the old city wall that echoes with the beat of the toy rattle-drum
北京的土著有一点点感伤
Běijīng de tǔzhù yǒu yìdiǎndiǎn gǎn-shāng
This native Beijinger feels a little sad
我一个人蹲在墙根儿没人der
wǒ yí gè rénr dūn zài qiánggēnr méi rén der
Squatting alone at the corner of the wall, receiving not even a passing glance
眼睛愣着神儿心中纳着闷儿
yǎnjīng lèngzhe shénr xīnzhōng nàzhe menr
With eyes unseeing and confusion in my heart
怎么今天的我这么没有精气神儿哟
zěnme jīntiān de wǒ zhème méiyǒu jīngqì shénr you
Why do I feel so weary today?
好像写歌词写丢了魂儿哟
hǎoxiàng xiě gēcír xiědiūle húnr you
Feels like I lost my soul while writing my lyrics
大清早路边的馄饨摊儿
dàqīngzǎo lùbiānr de húndùntānr
A wonton stall by the roadside in the early morning
一个板儿农骑着板儿车拉着板儿砖上班儿
yí ge bǎnrnong qízhe bǎnrchē lāzhe bǎnrzhuān shàngbānr
A farmer rides a three-wheeled handcart as he pulls his load of bricks to work
豆腐脑一块钱一碗
dòufùnǎor yí kuài qián yì wǎnr
A bowl of jellied beancurd costs a dollar
风声中飘着京韵大鼓的小段儿
fēngshēng zhōng piāozhe Jīngyùn dàgǔ de xiǎoduànr
The music of a Pekingese big drum storyteller rings in the air
喝一碗豆汁就一个焦圈
hē yì wǎn dòuzhīr jiù yí gè jiāoquānr
Drink a bowl of sour soy juice with a fried ring of doughiii
青花瓷罐滚着麦芽香的油渣
qīnghuār cíguànr gǔnzhe màiyárxiāng de yóuzhār
Dregs of oil scented with malt heave in porcelain jars with floral design
胡同口的小贩串着冰糖葫芦串.
hútòngkǒur de xiǎofànr chuānzhe bīngtáng húlùchùanr
A hawker at the entrance of a hutong alley is stringing candied haws,
旁边的茶馆摆着一张马三立的相片
pángbiānr de cháguǎnr bǎizhe yì zhāng Mǎ Sānlì de xiàngpiānr
There's a photo of Ma Sanliiv displayed at the teahouse nearby
缸比盆深盆比碗深碗比碟子深
gāng bǐ pénr shēn, pénr bǐ wǎnr shēn, wǎnr bǐ diézi shēn
The vats are deeper than the basins, the basins are deeper than the bowls, the bowls are deeper than the plates
Waiting for your consideration Waiting for your consideration
一放好多年它还是这么哏那
yí fàng hǎoduō nián tā háishì zhème gén na
After being left there for so many years, they're still so funny…
北京的土著 pay attention……
Běijīng de tǔzhù
Native Beijingers, pay attention
站累了蹲着蹲累了坐着
zhànlèile dūnzhe, dūnlèile zuòzhe
Squat when you're tired of standing, sit when you're tired from squatting
坐累了躺着躺累了趴着
zuòlèile tǎngzhe, tǎnglèile pāzhe
Lie down when you're tired of sitting, lie prone when you're tired from lying down
趴累了睡着睡不着眯着
pālèile shùizhe, shùibùzháo mīzhe
Sleep when you're tired of lying prone, nap when you're unable to sleep
养一只八哥是倍有面子
yǎng yì zhī bāgēr shì bèir yǒu miànzi
Keeping a myna brings special prestige
做人要厚道要知道礼貌
zuòrén yào hòudào yào zhīdào lǐmào
Be kind and generous and courteous too
见人要问好,千万不要迟到
jiàn rén yào wènhǎo, qiānwàn bú yào chídào
Greet others kindly and never, ever be late
斤斤计较只会自寻烦恼
jīnjīn jìjiào zhǐ huì zìxún fánnǎo
Keeping score only means making trouble for yourself
不如微笑世界无限美好
bùrú wēixiào shìjiè wúxiàn měihǎo
Better to smile and the world turns, infinitely beautiful
公园里老头牵着他的老伴
gōngyuán lǐ lǎotóur qiānzhe tā de lǎobànr
There's an old man in the park, hand in hand with his old wife
七八十岁走起路来还是那么有范
qī-bā shí suì zǒuqǐ lù lái háishì nàme yǒu fànr
About eighty years old and he still looks so suave
含一根冰棍儿穿一件背心
hén yì gēn bīnggùnr chuān yì jiànr bèixīnr
Sucking on a popsicle and wearing a vest
周口店的血统是非常的纯正
Zhōukǒudiàn de xuětǒng shì fēicháng de chúnzhèng
Bloodlines run pure at the home of Peking Manv
就在那右右右右安门的旁边
jiù zài nà Yòu-Yòu-Yòu-Yòu’ānmén de pángbiānr
At the side of the Right-Right-Right-Right Gate of Peace
有一家狗狗狗狗不理的包子
yǒu yì jiā Gǒu-Gǒu-Gǒu-Gǒubùlǐ de bāozir
There's a shop selling Dog-Dog-Dog-Dog Wouldn’t-Noticevi buns
切切切切糕买了半斤
qiē-qiē-qiē-qiēgāo mǎile bàn jīnr
Buy half a jinvii of sliced-sliced-sliced-sliced glutinous cakeviii
逛一个天桥好似神仙
guàng yí ge Tiānqiáo hǎosì shénxiān
Spend a day free from worries at the Heavenly Bridge,ix just like an immortal

Lu Zhao, a true Beijinger of Manchu heritage, and Yilise Lin, a cosmopolitan Singaporean, helped with the transcription and the translation.

i A liǎng is the equivalent of 50 grams.

ii A traditional form of Beijing residential architecture with four buildings surrounding a central courtyard.

iii A jiāoquān 焦圈is a circular fried piece of dough. It is a characteristic snack of Beijing.

iv Ma Sanli (1914-2003) was a famous crosstalk performer born in Beijing.

v Zhōukǒudiàn 周口店 is the place where the bones of Peking Man were discovered.

vi Gǒubùlǐ狗不理 buns are a famous brand of steamed stuffed buns originally from Tianjin, but later marketed throughout China.

vii A jīn is the equivalent of 500 grams.

viii A qiēgāo切糕 is a cake made of glutinous rice and sold in sliced pieces, a famous snack of Beijing.

ix Heavenly Bridge (Tiānqiáo 天桥) was an area of old Beijing where street artists congregated and entertainment could be found. It has now been reopened for tourism.

Comments (24)

Hobgoblins

According to this morning's After Deadline post, that's what Philip B. Corbett at the New York Times calls "rules that aren't", following the lead of Theodore M. Bernstein:

Another pet peeve of some After Deadline commenters is the use of “but” or “and” to begin a sentence — as in the third sentence of the previous section. Obviously, I don’t share their aversion.

It shouldn’t be overdone, but using coordinating conjunctions this way can provide a handy and very efficient transition. “But” is certainly preferable in many cases to the stilted “however,” and “and” is simpler than “in addition” or similar phrases.

I’d put this objection in the category of “Miss Thistlebottom’s hobgoblins.” That’s how the former Times language guru Theodore M. Bernstein described overly fastidious rules and usage myths a grade-school English teacher might invoke to keep her pupils’ prose on a very narrow path. (Familiar examples include “Never split an infinitive” and “Never end a sentence with a preposition.”)

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The hard set at Language Log

Over on his You Don't Say blog, John McIntyre has been preparing for National Grammar Day (4 March) by spinning a hard-boiled murder mystery involving an editor protagonist; Martha Brockenbrough (of NGD); a victim stabbed to death by red pencil ("an Eberhard Faber Col-erase number 1277 pencil, carmine red, protruded from his chest, just over the heart"); and the Fat Man. The serial is up to its third installment, in which the Fat Man is introduced:

I’d known him for years. We’d been honor students together — teacher’s pets — and then he started his slide. It began innocently enough, with a little amateur lexicography. But then he fell in with that hard set at Language Log. He was pals with both the Geoffs — Pullum and Nunberg — Arnold Zwicky, the lot. Before you could say lexeme, he was too deep into descriptivism to ever come back. But, maybe because of our old school ties, we had always managed a gingerly balance.

More to come.

[Update: Jan Freeman notes with pleasure the split infinitive in "too deep into descriptivism to ever come back". Not an obligatorily split infinitive, but to my ear certainly preferable to "too deep into descriptivism ever to come back".]

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Precious linguistic ignorance

You know, I don't feel so good today (streaming cold, much work to do, no energy, and a foreign trip coming up on Thursday), but the extraordinarily stupid re-subtitled war film video snippet Mark just posted, featuring Hitler going into a wild tirade over having his grammar corrected, made me laugh out loud. Thank you, Mark. It was perfect for me, because (I have to admit this) I mostly don't understand spoken German at speed, especially when shouted in an apoplectic fury. Having a good passive knowledge of spoken German would kill it stone dead, I would guess. My ignorance made it absolute bliss.

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Snowclone of the day

Chris Massey wrote to point out that shovel-ready has already been cloned: Gardiner Harris and Kenneth Chang, "Beaker-Ready Projects? Colleges Have Quite a Few", NYT, 1/23/2009.

Comments (3)

Some kind of grammar, um, strict police

Comments (39)

Color vocabulary and pre-attentive color perception

Do the well-demonstrated Whorfian effects in color discrimination really reach down to the level of perception?  Some recent research suggests that Whorfian effects may exist at a level that is literally perceptual.

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I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't

David Craig sent in a link to yesterday's Blondie, a strip that I don't normally read. He may have uncovered the secret identity of Geoff Pullum's correspondent — but in any case, the last panel has a nice instance of overnegation, of a kind that I don't think we've discussed before:

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A long time since we did not meet

I heard from cindy today. She would do well to join Becky in going to night school in grammar. Her message began thus:

Hi there!

It has been long time since we did not meet. I hope everything is okay with you.

She barely needed to continue by saying she had recently "found a great medicine shop on the net…"; I could see that coming. It certainly has been a long time since we did not meet, cindy. And I hope it will be a long time before we do not meet again.

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Dig it

Shovel-ready, Ben Zimmer's victorious nominee for "most likely to succeed" in the ADS WOTY competition, is clearly gaining ground:

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Mark Halpern on Language Log

Yesterday afternoon, Mark Halpern sent me a response to last week's discussion of his book Language and Human Nature in the post "Progess and its enemies", 2/16/2009.  It's presented below as a guest post, after the usual transformation from MS Word to html.  (I take responsibility for any format or font errors that may have crept in — I've found no better way to create posts from Word files than to cut and paste the material as plain text, and then to  restore the formatting of the original as html mark-up.)

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The origin and progress of linguistic norms

Last Monday's post "Progress and its enemies" resulted in a vigorous exchange of views in the comments section. Reading over the comments, it seems to me that people were to some extent talking past one another. Such misunderstanding seems especially common in discussions of linguistic norms. So in a few paragraphs below, I've tried to explain how I, at least, think about these issues.

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Jobs in linguistics: Some application counts

Heidi and I posted a few times last month about the job market in linguistics (see Counting linguistics job ads and dissertations for links and data). In the comments, Eric wondered:

Honestly curious here: are numbers of applicants for particular jobs a matter of public record (at least, at public institutions)? It would be good to contrast the numbers above with some numbers that show how many folks are actually competing for individual jobs.

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