Comments on: Learning Chinese Names

By: OnTones

OnTones — Tue, 09 May 2006 13:23:37 +0000

How is that a basic literacy requirement? That would mean they can’t read unless they know how to read their names. Do you mean write? Because in Taiwan, it’s obvious to Taiwanese how to pronounce most characters they encounter, including names.

Chinese names are hard to learn because 1) it’s tonal 2) there are much fewer canonical names compared to Japanese names or English names.

By: David Reid

David Reid — Sun, 07 May 2006 02:25:10 +0000

Mark, I am referring to Taiwan when I say people can’t romanise their own names. They also have no idea how to write the names of places or streets other than the obvious Taiwan and Taipei. The MoE really needs to figure out that this is a basic literacy requirement!!!!

Also in China I didn’t teach in a school, so perhaps in formal learning situations students there might use “English” names. The non-use of “English” names in China is just my experience in business and social settings.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 06 May 2006 08:43:58 +0000

David, do you mean that most students in mainland China can’t romanize their own names? Or is that just a Taiwan problem?

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 06 May 2006 08:40:58 +0000

Hanjie, once I had a student at one of my previous schools who didn’t like using Engilsh names, either. His name was Weilen and he insisted on using his real name in class, no matter what. Since my school had a strict rule that everyone had to use English names, the girls at the desk and the other teachers started calling him William all time. He actually got so upset that he went home, and brought his mom back to yell at them. She threatened to take him out of the school, and they finally relented and let him go by Weilen in class. He’s the only student I’ve ever taught who didn’t take an English name.

Weilen is easier for English speakers to pronounce than Hanjie, though. In general, j, q, x,ü, and “ie” dipthongs are hard for us. If you just went by Han, nobody would have problem

By: David Reid

David Reid — Sat, 06 May 2006 07:33:01 +0000

I found that when I was living in China I learnt a lot more people’s Chinese names than I ever did in Taiwan. Often it was a case that there was no alternative. It is not common for people to use an “English” name there.

One obstacle for most teachers to learn their students Chinese names is the pinyin problem. Most students would not be able to write down their name in an intelligible system of pinyin. Even if your knowledge of Chinese characters is very good there is also the difficulty of reading hand-written characters.

By: Hanjie

Hanjie — Fri, 05 May 2006 10:08:28 +0000

I want to use my Chinese name in English classes but the problem is none of my teachers can remember my name in the first/two class. Even they do memorize my name but they can’t pronounce it right. I guess that’s why lots of English teachers suggest their students to use a English name in the class, and the students accepted the condition resignedly. So I picked a “market” name, David, as my name in dealing with foreigners. For a while, it has became a conditional reflection. However, when it comes to daily life, I prefer to be called my Chinese name, Han4 Jie2, better though. When the role has switched from teacher-student to friends or even two strangers, it is considered touching or respectful by using one’s given name; especially to those who concerned with titles.
So go for it,learn Chinese names and pay attention to the pronunciation.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 04 May 2006 17:28:30 +0000

That’s interesting, Chris. I’ve thought about the whole issue with status and titles before. It’s probably a contributing factor. Still, the Japanese are even more concerned with titles, and they don’t tend to take English names.

OnTones, the differences are that fewer Americans have Chinese names, and that those who do very rarely refuse to share their English names with Chinese people who come to their country. Many younger Taiwanese people, on the other hand, flat out refuse to use their Chinese names with westerners. I don’t think foreigners in the US have a struggle with learning local names even remotely comparable to that facing foreigners in China.

By: OnTones

OnTones — Thu, 04 May 2006 16:37:38 +0000

What’s the difference between someone non-Chinese, non-Taiwanese with a Chinese name and someone non-American with an English name?

Those are some pretty bad English names.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 04 May 2006 11:15:47 +0000

Your dentist’s name made me laugh. It is worrying that there may be an ambulance driver out there going by the English name “Accident”. Unfortunately a lot of Chinese names aren’t even used by their own family members in public. I guess a name such as “Irene” is more personal than simply jiejie or meimei etc.

I knew my previous boss’s landlord for a couple of years before knowing his name. He always introduced himself as ‘______________’s landlord and when he gave me a contact number he suggested I put “_______’s landlord instead of an English name. I always assumed the reason for not letting you know their actual name was for status type reasons.

I’ve also encountered the Taiwanese non-English speaker with an English name which is often something ridiculous.