Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Meet Megan Barnes

So what do we know about our new Champ, Megan Barnes? This Baltimore native and proud mother likes to review books:

I was interested to learn that in Mandarin, people rarely use pronouns, and he and she are the same sound (ta). Chinese languages can be very difficult for English speakers to l earn, with so many homophones, and the emphasis on tones. Then there is the written language. Even lifetime speakers must continue practicing characters or they slip from their memory.

Dr. Fallows never became fluent in her time there, but she was able to slowly add some skills, enough to talk on the phone or recognize the sign for manicures. Like her, I feel like I only got a brief glimpse into Chinese language and culture from this book.

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