Word: putonghua
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...After wandering around the Admiralty district, I found myself in one of the countless hole-in-the-wall local eateries which served up breakfast for the requisite 16-22 HKD ($2-3). I tried out my Mandarin on the waitress. "Ni hui shuo yingyu huo shi putonghua ma?" I asked. Do you speak English or Mandarin? She replied in Mandarin...
...Students of putonghua, or Mandarin Chinese, need to learn not just a romanization system like pinyin but also simplified and complex Chinese characters. While conversational Mandarin can help you get around town, only fluent literacy can lead to an understanding of the Chinese people. Shortly after beginning my study of the language in the U.S. 27 years ago, I discovered that knowing which restroom to use and how to read a menu, a newspaper or (much later) postings on the Internet are critical to fully participating in another culture. And that's not all. Language alone is not enough...
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