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Kunming Slang!!

Neverwinter (26 posts) • 0

What we call Kunming hua (Kunming dialect) today isn't exactly what we'd call Kunming hua, say, 20 years ago. As can be imagined, all various dialects of China have undergone a passive process of assimilation by becoming more and more like mandarin. Just like every urban landscape in China is becoming more and more of an identical collection of concrete and steel.

Below are a few examples of what can be fashionably referred to as "Kunming slang". Hope you find 'em somewhat amusin'.

***
Good job! (used to describe sth. of good quality) = 板扎 (ban3 zha2)

Oh, my God! (to express shock, disbelief etc.) = 买买三 (mai3 mai3 san0)

Interesting, amusing = 太仙啦 (tai4 xian1 la0)

Comical, ridiculous = 太雀啦 (tai4 que4 la0)

Mean, abnoxious = 槽耐 (cao2 nai4)

to argue speciously = 强搜刚 (qiang2 sou1 gan1)

Disgusting, appalling = 捂俗 (wu1 su2)

To challenge someone, unwilling to submit = 枪的起 (qiang1 de0 qi2)

Stubborn, unwilling to accept advice = 日鼓的 (ri4 gu3 de0)

Vicious = 拔毒 (ba2 du2)

Bottom fishing, rob the house when it's on fire = 捡豁皮 (jian3 huo1 pi2)

Shabby = 偻馊 (lou2 sou1)

to take advantage of = 占马门 (zhan4 ma3 men2)

useless, good-for-nothing = 日脓 (ri4 nong2)

Feeling cross = 心收不滑耍 (xin1 shou1 bu4 hua2 shua3)

holden (1 post) • 0

i like your way of marking kunming slangs' pronounciation. may i know what each of 1\2\3\4 stands for in tones?

Neverwinter (26 posts) • 0

Yes, the numbers stand for the tones:

1: flat
2: risin'
3: dip then rise again
4: droppin'
0: toneless

web.mit.edu/jinzhang/www/pinyin/tones/index.html

Actually I haven't yet decided on an exact way to represent the tones of Kunming dialect. Academically speakin' there're only 4 tones in Kunming dialect (some say 4 1/2 for mandarin and 3 1/2 for Kunming hua); they are generally less sharp and somewhat languid compared to Mandarin. The thing is, if you follow the pronunciation I've provided above what you'll get is similar to what we call Ma Pu (Mandarin from Ma Street) - meanin' mandarin with a heavy local accent - this is because there's no established phonetics system for Kunming hua... Yet, if you pay attention to how the locals pronounce (in terms of tone and element differences) it's only a matter of time before you can figure it out.

Enjoy yourself in Kunming!

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