Re: Teaching by Translation: a cousin

phippsmartin_at_hotmail.com
Date: 03/29/05 

Date: 29 Mar 2005 02:42:55 -0800

Jim Walsh wrote:
> On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 12:08:29 -0800, Michael Farris thought carefully
and
> wrote:
>
> > ...I never shied away from translating vocabulary (again, just out
of
> > time considerations, the time it takes to explain some vocabulary
is
> > distracting).
>
> OK, let's try.
>
> Please translate the noun "a cousin" into Chinese. Or would this be
one
> you felt you could quickly demonstrate?

Neither. It's too abstract a concept for very young children. But
older children and adults could understand that "your cousin" means the
"your father and mother's nieces and nephews" (if they already
understand "niece" and "nephew").

The fact that the word "cousin" doesn't carry much meaning in
traditional China and that they therefore don't have a single word for
it is irrelevent if the students already understand "niece" and
"nephew".

Martin