Thursday, August 23, 2007

Lovely

In my attempt to befriend the Locals and since you should always learn how to say "Thank You" in the language of the country you are visiting/living in, I have been thanking countless people in Cantonese since I got here. They kind of nod and say "Bye Bye" which isn't exactly "You're Welcome" but I just figured they were just humoring me.

I know enough about Cantonese to know that even the slightest inflection in a syllable can create an entirely different meaning. For example, the word "fan" (depending on how you say it, called a tone), means: 1) to divide, 2) flour, 3) to teach, 4) fragrant, 5) a grave, 6) energetic; and 7) a share.

Today, the cab driver corrected me. Instead of "M Gai" which is what I've been saying, the word(s) for thank you is "M Goi." Great, I've probably been telling dozens of Locals to go screw a chicken. Lovely.

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