Conversations with PRCs.

Speaking with PRCs (people from the Republic of China) in English, can be an illuminating practice. Indeed, it can be quite astonishing what they say.

Recently, I spoke to a PRC woman.

"What would you say if the person next to you, on a bus, started smoking?"

"Off your cigarette.", she replied, quite sure of herself.

I didn't smile, though felt like it. I continued to speak with her.

"What do you think of the welfare system?", I asked, somewhat later in the conversation.

There was a little pause, then she seemed to nod to herself.

"She is a beautiful girl, kindful and friendfully...and she helps me do my homework."

I had no words in me sufficient to reply to such a wondrous statement, so I just nodded, as if I understood what she was trying to say.

Perhaps, at this point, a little background on this young woman would be appropriate. She is a mainland Chinese woman, studying English. She is the best student in her class, in written work, but clearly has some trouble with spoken English.

I just thought that her example of incomprehension of spoken English would put into perspective the Singaporean practice of importing large numbers of PRCs, as cheap labour. I can only foresee a myriad of problems, arising from this.

She said something else which is so off the wall that I cannot even write it, without offending some people. Let us just say that she misunderstood an ordinary word to be a reference to certain illegal practices between people - and then launched into a statement in defense of people's choices in such matters. Yet, I had not even mentioned the subject at all. I suppose it would have been hilarious, if it wasn't so worrying.

Perhaps the people who import PRCs should try to speak to them in English, before offering them a job. They might just then have the kind of experience I have, when I speak to them.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to:http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

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