Hello hello, anybody home?
Who’s calling?
E.T.
It’s not a real phone call. This is a pretend call. My kids used to call me on their toy phone. It was a lot of fun. I asked them questions and they gave short and funny answers.
How do you say, “hello, hello on the phone in Chinese?” one mom asked me.
“It is 喂 喂 wèi wèi in Mandarin,” I replied.
The “hello” on the phone is different from the “hello” we usually say when we meet and see a friend. Language is everyday life. It changes with situation.
One Chinese word sometimes can mean many things. 看 kán is “see”, “watch”, “look”, “look at” in all verb tenses you might wonder. The meaning of the word in the context and it is in the scenario.
Every Chinese character is a building block. Each Chinese word your child acquired will help her build up phrases, expressions, and sentences one after another gradually. One step at a time.
The target language input starts with listening. Listening to the target language. Is your child listening to comprehensible Chinese language resources?
It is like making a phone call. You will need to understand the language the other person is speaking on the other side of the phone in order to respond.
When you first start introducing Mandarin Chinese to your child you might need assistance with English and pinyin so both you and your child can understand the content. But, as you practice every day when your child understands the meaning of a word, an expression, or a sentence you can then focus on the Mandarin.
Does your child have a toy phone? It’s time to make a phone call. Who’s calling home? Replace “E.T.” with any name you and your child pick.”
E.T. phone home. –E.T.
E.T. 打電話回家。 E.T. dǎ diàn huà huí jiā 。E.T. 打电话回家。
image on top of the page by Jason Lander
