Agreement

So, I have an Asian last name. I understand some of the cultural mores and a small amount of Cantonese. I can even pronounce some of it surprisingly well. While no one is going to confuse me for the most traditional Chinese person ever, I also don't feel like I'm out of place with my Chinese family. Heck, I even manage to surprise people every now and again.

Of the limited Chinese I do understand, though, there are a few that have come up in amusing ways. I have a friend who will occasionally respond to IM's (side note: the phrase "IM messages" just seems wrong to me, because the second word is redundant) with a "hai!" She's basically just saying "yes" in another language. It's simple enough language that I understand it, but I'm always amused. It's a little bit like someone who will say "danke" or "grazie" instead of "thank you." It's sort of endearing in its own way.

However, the one that's far more amusing is the Cantonese "okay." It's apparently transcribed as "hou" many times, but it sounds a lot more like "ho." You have to get the tones right, but the basic sound is right. I've never really thought much of it, since that's just the way the word is pronounced. Well, I haven't thought about it much until recently.

I have a coworker who is decidedly more Chinese than I am. She has a slight Cantonese accent when she speaks English, but more importantly, she thinks in Cantonese. There have been times when I have noticed that she has literally translated a concept or saying from Cantonese, so it sounds like slightly awkward English. I'm sure I do that too with Spanish at times, but that's not the point. The point is that her first reaction is always in a non-English language.

That means that if I have to send IM's to her about some work, I will occasionally receive a response back that says "ho." I know what she means because of my aforementioned, limited Cantonese skills. She's basically agreeing with me or saying that something sounds like a good idea. But it's different, and I don't see it very often. So it makes me chuckle.

And as my "hai!" friend pointed out, it can definitely be taken the wrong way. This is doubly amusing to me. Not only could HR end up involved for an entirely innocent remark, but "hai" is criticizing "ho" about the proper way to speak Chinglish. Like I said, doubly amusing.

I'm going to have to keep up my Chinese. It's apparently quite useful at work.