I have an unpleasant acquaintance, an American learning Chinese. He was mocking another student of Chinese, a woman with a Southern accent, saying the accent carried over into her (advanced) Chinese, “Neeeee haa-yoh,” and so on. I don’t know her, and I don’t know Chinese, but this really burns me up. So my question for […]
Dear Language Nerd, Why do Spanish speakers put “e” on the front of words in English, like saying “estudent” for “student”? Gammie *** Dear Gammie, It’s actually not about the “e,” but about the “st.” Spanish words never start with “st,” “sc,” “sp,” “sn,” or “s” plus any other consonant. (“S” plus vowel is fine, […]
Dear Language Nerd, Help! My TA for my physics course next semester is from India, and I’ve heard his English is terrible. Any tips for survival, preferably with my GPA intact? -Thomas K. *** Dear Thomas, Here’s the first step: don’t panic! In fact, do the opposite. Prepare yourself mentally to have a difficult time […]