Skype

Skype.com. Pretty good service, but I recently found out that I cannot use SkypeToGo to call China. I didn’t even know about SkypeToGo until recently. I was looking at other of the services that came with my subscription and I saw it. Basically, I can use my cellphone to call a US number. Then I am connected to my Skype account. From there I can choose one of 6 speed dial numbers (which I set online), or I can manually enter country-code and phone number.

But China is one of about 15 countries that SkypeToGo is not allowed to call (due to common fraud, abuse, or whatever). I can’t use my cellphone to call WeiLing when I’m on campus, or away from home, etc. But not that big of a deal. In general, I’m pleased with the Skype service and still use it as I did before I learned of SkypeToGo. Blah.

In short: Skype works for me. SkypeToGo does not. Sorry if I wasn’t clear.

Tongue Twisters

扁担宽 板凳长

扁担想绑在板凳上

板凳不让扁担绑在板凳上

扁担偏要绑在板凳上

板凳偏偏不让扁担绑在那板凳上

到底扁担宽还是板凳长

哥哥弟弟坡前坐

坡上卧著一只鹅

坡下流著一条河

哥哥说 宽宽的河

弟弟说 白白的鹅

鹅要过河 河要渡鹅

不知是那鹅过河

还是河渡鹅

孔夫子的话 越来越国际化

全世界都在讲中国话

我们说的话 让世界都认真听话

纽约苏珊娜 开了间禅风Lounge Bar

柏林来的沃夫冈 拿胡琴配著电吉他

各种颜色的皮肤 各种颜色的头发

嘴里念的说的开始流行中国话

多少年我们苦练英文发音和文法

这几年换他们卷著舌头学平上去入的变化

平平仄仄平平仄 (仄仄平平仄仄平)

好聪明的中国人 好优美的中国话

有个小孩叫小杜

上街打醋又买布

买了布 打了醋

回头看见鹰抓兔

放下布 搁下醋

上前去追鹰和兔

飞了鹰 跑了兔

洒了醋 湿了布

嘴说腿 腿说嘴

嘴说腿 爱跑腿

腿说嘴 爱卖嘴

光动嘴 不动腿

光动腿 不动嘴

不如不长腿和嘴

到底是那嘴说腿 还是腿说嘴

全世界都在学中国话

孔夫子的话 越来越国际化

全世界都在讲中国话

我们说的话 让世界都认真听话

全世界都在学中国话

孔夫子的话 越来越国际化

全世界都在讲中国话

我们说的话 让世界都认真听话

One of my favorite things in language are tongue twisters. I’m horrible at them, but they’re still fun to learn, to learn about, and to attempt! One of my QQ friends (Jennifer) recently asked me for some English tongue twisters, and then offered one in Chinese. The ones I gave her were “Woodchuck” (both question and answer), and then I told her about Dr. Seuss, and gave her the full text of “Fox in Socks”. The tongue twister she gave to me is actually a song, sung by “SHE” (a band of three girls) and entitled 中国话 (zhongguohua, or “Spoken Chinese” / “Chinese language”). I haven’t spent much time on the lyrics yet, but maybe I will come back and add pinyin (and translation if I’m really ambitious). Without further ado, the tongue-twister song lyrics: