And what’s this crap about people getting their kids’ tongues cut so they can speak English better and without a Chinese accent???
Two reliable Taiwanese sources, so far.
Ask around.
It’s natural selection, Alien. People who sign up for such surgery are actually tied up and thrown into a deep well.
Ok, so probably not natural, but it works.
Well, maybe I can get rid of this North American accent that pesters me from time to time. Where can I get this done?
Actually, I’m hoping for more of a Beijing accent; can they do that too?
yepper…some parents are having this surgery performed on their kids in Korea as well. apparently the surgery helps them attain better english pronounciation.
But, it weally will depend on the qwuality of the childwens’ Engwish instwuctor…huhuhuhuh
There is a medical condition (ankyloglossia) where that membrane under the tongue is too short and limits movement of the tongue. It can, but usually doesn’t, affect speech. My younger son is mildly “tongue-tied” but it doesn’t seem to affect his speech.
Anyway, there can be complications from the tongue surgery, so it would seem to be a bad idea unless there were a valid medical reason to do it. The link below deals specifically with potential breast-feeding problems, but has a lot of general information on ankyloglossia.
http://www.cps.ca/english/statements/CP/cp02-02.htm
That’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard, IF that’s true. I wouldn’t be surprised that happens in South Korea tho. I heard from many that they are cosmetic surgery happy and go through extreme procedures that aren’t commonly practiced in the west.
These guys will do anything rather than study.
quote:
Originally posted by LittleIron: Well, maybe I can get rid of this North American accent that pesters me from time to time. Where can I get this done?Actually, I’m hoping for more of a Beijing accent; can they do that too?
I hate Beijing accents. Go for it if you think commie accents are in vogue.
Whart do you mearn you don’t like Beijirng accents? They’re so coor!
Sorry… my facetiousness slips out again…
I’ve always preferred the Taipei accent myself, at least over Beijing and southern Taiwanese…
quote:
Originally posted by LittleIron: Whart do you mearn you don't like Beijirng accents? They're so coor!Sorry… my facetiousness slips out again…
I’ve always preferred the Taipei accent myself, at least over Beijing and southern Taiwanese…
I don’t know. I just don’t like it. Well, I don’t like it when it’s really heavy and too much ‘s/r’ sounds, if you know what I mean. I prefer Shanghai accents. Or anyone who sounds like Zhang Ziyi of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon fame. Maaaan, she speaks such beautiful mandarin. She and others in the movie are the ones who’s gotten me interested in learning mandarin again.
I’ve often thought about tongue surgery – I’d like mine forked, to match my personality.
quote:Absolutely. I have aural sex fantasies about Zhang Ziyi where she feeds me peeled Lychees and whispers erotic Tang Dynasty poems to me.... [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/converted/hip-o-dude.gif[/img]
Originally posted by thyrdrail: I prefer Shanghai accents. Or anyone who sounds like Zhang Ziyi of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon fame. Maaaan, she speaks such beautiful mandarin. She and others in the movie are the ones who's gotten me interested in learning mandarin again.
So, I mentioned tongue surgery to my girlfriend last night and she said, “Well, yeah, I had it done when I was eight.” Needless to say, I was shocked.
She said that her mother was worried about her being able to speak English well. She mentioned this to he doctor who said, “No big deal.” He had her open her mouth, went in with scissors and snipped the skin that connects her tongue to the bottom of her mouth. She said that is bled profusely and the doctor sent her home to put ice in her mouth to stop the bleeding.
Incidentally, her English is great. I am not sure the “surgery” had anything to do with it.
My dad was born in Alaska about 58 years ago, and they snipped his tongue connecter thing when he was born. I dunno why. I guess it was just normal at the time. I thought that thing was there to keep you from swallowing your tongue or something though. Weird.
My littly had to have the membrane cut when he was 5 as it was impeding his speech. After it was done he did great - no more speech therapy as he could actually make the right tongue movements. But I don’t think his “tongue-tied” medical condition is so common.
…does that mean that I should get my tongue split in two if I want to speak fluently two languages ?
Might look kind’a cool…
No wonder my Spanish started to fade away as I got better in Mandarin : not enough room on my single-sided tongue !
Do they implant extra-fingers for piano beginners ?
Connie L.
If you raid the nest of a crow, procure a chick and snip the membrane at the bottom of it’s tongue, then it can be taught to talk… 
…apparently
I had a pet magpie when I was a kid that could talk without any tongue-cutting. A magpie’s a kind of crow.