Sunday 17 June 2012

Local languages aren't so local

We were coming into our hotel in jingdezhen in the evening and there were two older guys sitting in reception smoking, they started talking as we came in and I thought it sounded familiar, they were speaking minan! The local language in my town, completely different from mandarin, the national language. Elaine spoke it however and explained they were saying some pretty mean things about us, safe in the knowledge we couldn't understand as we were foreigners and they spoke a local language.
Luckily for me Elaine had taught me a few words, not a lot but I know foreigner, the name of the language, and I understand (learnt as part of I don't understand minan)
As we were getting into the lift I shouted over to them that I was amazed they spoke minan, told them I understood what they were saying and I didn't like it and then got in the lift before they could actually ask me any questions in minan, which of course I couldn't answer.
The two guys were mortified, and Elaine was pretty embarrassed too, but I felt vindicated and im sure they won't do that again! Haha!

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