Austin

The original version of the About Me column

I didn't realize that I could only put in 300 characters or less in the About Me column until I hit the submit button. I was like, what the heck, when the message jumped at me. Here's the original version, which is about 3 or 4 times as much as the amount allowed.
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Hi, my name is Austin and I'm from Taiwan. I'm a native speaker of Mandarin.

First, I'd like to talk a bit about the differences between Chinese Mandarin and Taiwanese Mandarin, as well as what I can do for you. I think it will help you figure out whether or not you want to be a partner with me.

You might be aware that Mandarin has 4 tones (there's actually a fifth one, but I don't know why it's not academically included). The tonal ups and downs in Taiwanese Mandarin are less drastic, which actually makes Taiwanese Mandarin sound softer.

Mandarin has retroflex (tongue curled back) sounds, but people in Taiwan don't do that as much as those in China. In fact, even in China, southern people as a whole speak with less noticeable retroflexes than northern ones. Taiwan happens to be to the south of China. I myself will do the tongue-curling thing because I like the fact that it reduces the hissing quality in your speech; therefore, you'll sound better. I can do both the standard and floppy/relaxed versions and send them to you on mp3 files.

The characters used in Taiwan are in the traditional form. The simplified characters used in China seem easier to learn but it is said they're actually easier to forget as well. The reason is that many of the simplified characters are simplified to a point where the crucial components that can help you recall the whole things are gone. I can still type simplified characters if that's the only form you know. I also know both the pinyin systems practiced in Taiwan and China.

The word order in the Mandarin used in China is, in my humble opinion, more westernized than that in Taiwan, which is especially true when it comes to long or formal sentences. I'm not that much of a language purist, but I still can't say I'll like it when I see/hear something that's just TOO westernized. I can help you tell if this or that is westernized or authentic.

Sorry to have made this so wordy, but I think it'll eventually save you and me some trouble in the future. Me, on the other hand, hope you can help my English flow better. I hope I don't strike you as a nerdy type. Well...maybe a little bit, but really not that much. I'm just a serious language learner and that's all. Thank you for your time and patience. Please drop me a line or two if you think it's worth a shot. ^_^

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