{"id":41172,"date":"2018-12-27T00:28:55","date_gmt":"2018-12-27T05:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=41172"},"modified":"2018-12-27T00:30:14","modified_gmt":"2018-12-27T05:30:14","slug":"trump-beef-noodles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=41172","title":{"rendered":"Trump beef noodles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photograph of a sign in downtown\u00a0Taitung<\/a>, Taiwan:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Courtesy of Anthony Clayden)
\n<\/p>\n

The Chinese characters read:<\/p>\n

Chu\u0101np\u01d4 ni\u00far\u00f2u mi\u00e0n \u5ddd\u666e\u725b\u8089\u9eb5<\/p>\n

I cannot help but simultaneously parse that as \"Trump beef noodles\" and \"Sichuan pidgin beef noodles\".\u00a0 Perhaps that's what the proprietors intended.<\/p>\n

Native speakers from the mainland have different reactions to the sign.\u00a0 Some say it refers to one of those two meanings, some say to the other, and some say to both.\u00a0 In any event, it leaves most people a bit disoriented.\u00a0 Here's one response:<\/p>\n

I searched this restaurant, and it is not Sichuan style. Its must-have dish is Chuanpu noodle \u2014 beef noodle with a special spicy seafood sauce. According to my knowledge, Sichuan people seldom use seafood sauce.<\/p>\n

Taiwanese call Trump \u5ddd\u666e. And they are very familiar with America. So I guess Chuanpu noodle is simply referring to Trump.<\/p>\n

Something else in the photograph catches the eye if one looks long enough, namely the translation on the hotel signboard behind the noodle restaurant sign.\u00a0 \"Home Rest\" for H\u00f3ngru\u00ec \u9d3b\u745e (\"grandly propitious\").\u00a0 Pretty clever!\u00a0 It makes total sense to native English speakers semantically, and adheres fairly closely to the Chinese name H\u00f3ngru\u00ec \u9d3b\u745e (\"grandly propitious\"), to the extent that one is not even sure which was originally the object of translation.\u00a0 Next time I go to Taidong I will check out the hotel, and the \"Trump beef noodles\" \/ \"Sichuan pidgin beef noodles\" restaurant too!<\/p>\n

Readings<\/b><\/p>\n