In Chinese, terms like 'eat' and 'drink' are often used interchangeably, depending on whether the food is paired with liquid or served in a soup, revealing cultural and linguistic differences from English.
Regional variations in Chinese language use can be observed, such as in the Shandong province where certain types of noodles are referred to as 'drinking noodles' instead of 'eating noodles', highlighting the influence of regional and diachronic factors.
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Differences in the use of terms 'eat' and 'drink' in Chinese and English
The podcast episode discusses the cultural and linguistic differences in the use of terms 'eat' and 'drink' between Chinese and English. In Chinese, terms like 'eat' and 'drink' are often used interchangeably, depending on whether the food is paired with liquid or served in a soup. This cultural distinction, where soup is often considered a drink in Asian culture, is explored. Furthermore, the episode highlights regional variations in Chinese language use, specifically in the Shandong province, where local people refer to certain types of noodles as 'drinking noodles' instead of 'eating noodles'. These differences are attributed to regional and diachronic factors.
Holdover from older varieties of Chinese in word choice
The podcast also delves into the concept of eating and drinking in a broader sense. It highlights the word choices that have evolved over time, suggesting that some terms in modern Mandarin, such as 'drink wine', have older origins and are holdovers from ancient varieties of Chinese. The example of 'chitio' (eat wine) versus 'hujio' (drink wine) is given, revealing how certain regions, like Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, still use the term 'chitio' even today. The episode emphasizes that understanding these word choices and semantic fields can lead to interesting insights into language evolution and historical contexts.
Today George brings on his fiancé Li Wang to talk about some interesting little lexical facts in Chinese that might be an inspiration. Links and Resources Google shows nearly a million hits for 吃酒 A Conlanger’s Thesaurus Semantic Associations presenation
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