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Q: When you practice speaking Chinese...
does it make you burp?
Now hear me out before you flame me! I take the iPod and Pimsleur dude to bed with me and practice before I fall asleep. I get all snuggled in, turn on the recording, and I swear, I get a lil belchy while I'm practicing. It's not gross Animal House burps, just little ones.
See what happens with just one beer! And no, it isn't the beer causing the little belchiepoos.
I should submit this anonymous.
12 years 4 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - Chengdu
It makes sense in a way. Chinese requires you do do things with your larynx that you wouldn't ever do otherwise. One type of burp involves the larynx. Not the common burp (from digestion), but the type of burp you would do if you tried to intentionally burp. By practicing Chinese, you're doing new things to muscles that have been used to the same patterns for decades, and apparently (!) they're reacting in strange ways as a result.
I was reading, a couple weeks ago, about a linguist who was studying an obscure language in Botswana, that has even stranger laryngial behaviour, and he ended up developing a large strange bump on his larynx, which seemed to allow him to pronounce he language better.
Anyway, just a guess, don't quote me or anything.
HugAPanda:
I find this plausible. Right or wrong, true or false, this is the reason I accept. Thank you :)
It makes sense in a way. Chinese requires you do do things with your larynx that you wouldn't ever do otherwise. One type of burp involves the larynx. Not the common burp (from digestion), but the type of burp you would do if you tried to intentionally burp. By practicing Chinese, you're doing new things to muscles that have been used to the same patterns for decades, and apparently (!) they're reacting in strange ways as a result.
I was reading, a couple weeks ago, about a linguist who was studying an obscure language in Botswana, that has even stranger laryngial behaviour, and he ended up developing a large strange bump on his larynx, which seemed to allow him to pronounce he language better.
Anyway, just a guess, don't quote me or anything.
HugAPanda:
I find this plausible. Right or wrong, true or false, this is the reason I accept. Thank you :)
Lol, no cannot say that has happened to me HugaP. Maybe some other of the expats...?
HugAPanda:
Raf, if you aren't burpin you aren't doin it right ;) Or something.
GuilinRaf:
Well, a little beer will help that out! When I was in college, I would say the alphabet until "m". My roomate was much better and he could say to to w. Does that count?
Can't say I've experienced this either. You say "in bed", are you lying down? Because if so that may have something to do with it?? Just a guess!
Fraid you might be on your own there. Never happened to me.
