[chino] Want to learn Chinese? :)

[Planet hopper]

I used to hear it like that in China, I lived in Dalian, Qingdao and Zhenjiang (near Nanjing), total six years. Only the first -e. Ask baba or mama, they will know

[Rusty]

A lo mejor me meto donde no me llaman, but maybe Jessica was only trying to say that the spelling of the word (albeit the romanized spelling) shouldn't be changed to reflect the difference in pronunciation during normal (or faster than normal) conversation.
In American English we often pronounce 'want to' as 'wanna'. You'll even see it written that way if the colloquial pronunciation is being emphasized by the writer, but that doesn't change the fact that there really are two words. Every learner of English is taught that there are two words and the proper way to say the two.
The way we really say them is another lesson.

Written: I want to go with you.
Pronounced: I wanna go wi thya.
(There are other variations, of course.)

[Planet hopper]

You are right, Rusty.
However, pinyin (romanisation of chinese) is extremely irregular and taken as something childish to use. No shops or papers would display pinyin, only the most cosmopolitan cities do so on traffic signs.
Pinyin had 3 main versions before 1949, mostly coming from scholars in Hong Kong.
After 1949, the CCPC reviewed pinyin FIVE times, producing only confusion on that field.
Examples:
Pekin-Beijing
Mao Tse Dong-Mao Ze Dong

[Rusty]

Thanks for your explanation. We've all wondered, I'm sure, how Peking and Beijing, two radically different 'standard' spellings, could possibly have the same pronunciation. How close is Beijing to the actual pronunciation, and are there tone markers?

I know that hao sounds like how. Does the last syllable of pengyou sound like you (yoo), or is it said like the American pronunciation of yo?

[Planet hopper]

The case of Peking-Beijing comes because the Taiwanese (pre-49 pinyin) accent sounds like Peking, but Beijing is the mainland sound of the word. I know how Beijing sounds, can't remember which tones. Bei means north and jing means capital, so Nanjing is the southern capital, Dongjing (eastern capital) is Tokyo. Xijing does not exist (not that I know), west entails foreigner, out of the country.

Hao sounds more like the english haul without the final l. The you in pengyou sounds like a short o. Pronouncing chinese is easier from Spanish phonetics, the quality of vowels is not so intricate as English vowels.

[Jessica]

lol planet hopper I think you know more Chinese than me!! ^^

[Amanpour]

My son is learning Chinese, maybe I´ll suggest he come in here and have a chat with whoever the teacher is.

[Jessica]

I am the "teacher"....

[CrOtALiTo]

Jessica you are the Chinese's teacher, then also you can to teach me Chinese, I'd like to learn that language, because I don't know I love the languages though, if you can to give me particular class, I'll be very grateful wit you if you are my teacher in a feature.

Greetings.

[Jessica]

okay I will teach you some Chinese I will teach you the basics first...it's kind of hard but at least you should know how to say the greetings...