Language

by Xiaolu Guo

Have you ever tried to learn another language? When Zhuang first comes to London from China she feels like she is among an alien species. The city is disorientating, the people unfriendly, the language a muddle of dominant personal pronouns and moody verbs. But with increasing fluency in English surviving turns to living. And they say that the best way to learn a language is to fall in love with a native speaker…

Selected from the book A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo

VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS.

Also in the Vintage Minis series:
Desire by Haruki Murakami
Eating by Nigella Lawson
Race by Toni Morrison
Babies by Anne Enright

Genres: Fiction, China, Contemporary, Language, Asia, Short Stories, Essays

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Xiaolu Guo (Simplified Chinese: 郭小櫓 pinyin:guō xiǎo lǔ, born 1973) is a Chinese novelist and filmmaker. She utilizes various media, including film and writing, to tell stories of alienation, introspection and tragedy, and to explore China's past, present and future in an increasingly connected world.

Her novel A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary For Lovers was nominated for the 2007 Orange Prize for Fiction. She was also the 2005 Pearl Award (UK) winner for Creative Excellence.

Reviews

[Carlos Peguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro me ha divertido, angustiado y cautivado en menos de 100 páginas. La manera que tiene la autora de usar el lenguaje, ver Londres a través de sus ojos... No sé, ha sido una experiencia maravillosa. Me ha encantado.

[Meike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book contains excerpts from Xiaolu Guo's novel A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers - a story about a young Chinese woman who travels to England in order to learn the language and falls in love with a man who is 20 years her senior. The texts are like diary entries written by the protagonist, and they mirror her struggle with the foreign language and customs.

A fun, short read that reminded me of my time in China, where I felt similarly confused! Thanks to the fantastic fellow Goodreaders who sent me this! :-)

[Beliphaty · Rating 2 out of 5]

این کتاب به اسم «زبان» توسط کتابسرای نیک چاپ شده. من دغدغه‌ی کتاب را دوست داشتم ولی نمی‌دانم چرا انقدر سعی کرده بودند صفحه‌بندی زشتی داشته باشد. این سری کتاب‌های انتشارات پنگوئن در واقع تکه‌هایی کوتاه از کتاب‌هایی بزرگتر هستند. این هم ۱۰۰ صفحه از رمانی بزرگتر بود. روایتی از زبان یک دختر چینی که در بی‌خبری کامل از زبان و فرهنگ انگلستان به آن‌جا مهاجرت می‌کند و زبان باعث می‌شود آدم دیگری بشود. او عاشق می‌شود ولی نمی‌فهمد چرا نباید دفترچه خاطرات معشوقش را بخواند. مگر آدم‌ها همیشه باهم زندگی نمی‌کنند؟ پس خلوت به چه دردشان می‌خورد که انقدر روی نوشته‌های آن حساس هستند؟ نمی‌فهمد چرا معلم به او می‌گوید شکل من مفعول با من فاعل فرق دارد. مگر او دو نفر است؟ کتاب در ابتدا جملاتی عجیب و غریب دارد چون در نسخه‌ی اصل هم انگلیسی راوی ناقص و ضعیف بوده. رفته رفته زبان بهتر و توصیفات روان‌تر می‌شوند. من فریب خوردم و نسخه‌ی اصل را خریدم که ببینم چه خبر است ولی ریت کتاب اصلی در گوگل آنقدرها بالا نیست. حالا اگر خوب بود خبرتان می‌کنم. این یکی که ارزش یک بار خواندن را داشت.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but lovely experience. Really liked the structure and style. Definitely want to read the book this excerpt is taken from.

[Raimonda | knygoms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Būna, profilaktiškai, nieko per daug nesitikėdama užbėgi į knygyną prieš italų kalbos paskaitą, permeti akimis asortimentą ir akys pagauna mažyčių, nė 100 psl. neturinčių knygų kolekciją. Pačiame priekyje aplinkybėms per daug tinkanti knyga „Language“.
Pasklaidai puslapius — laužyta anglų kalba, jokių artikelių, laikai vienas su kitu susimaišę. Atsiverti nugarėlę, sužinai, kad knyga parašyta jaunos kinės studentės, atvykusios mokytis į Jungtinę Karalystę su minimaliais kalbos resursais ir žodynu rankose.
Ir tas žodynas tapo istorijos pagrindu — kiekvienas skyrelis pradėtas vis kitu anglų kalbos žodžiu ir merginos patirtimis, susijusiomis su juo.

Tai pasakojimas apie „ateivišką“ jausmą nepažįstamoje kultūroje. Apie kalbos įtaką pasaulio supratimui. Ir, kaip dažnai būna, apie meilę, didžiausią akstiną tą kitą pasaulį pažinti.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is only an excerpt from a longer story, and I will now be reading the rest. It's very funny and shines a lot on British idiosyncrasies, as well as being poignant and shining a simultaneous light on the life of an immigrant (as temporary as that may be).

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

My fault for not fully reading the description of this one before picking it up. I thought it would be a non-fiction book describing Xiaolu Guo's experience learning English after moving to London... but instead it was just a selection of excerpts from A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, which I read probably around 10 years ago now. I remember enjoying the book at the time, but have to say I was kind of disappointed that this was just a re-hash of that.

Some interesting observations on British and Chinese language and culture, but it probably won't linger in my mind for too long.

[SB · Rating 5 out of 5]

when i picked this up, i thought it was written by a bespectacled language theorist. but no, i was horribly wrong. it's written by a woman who is chinese and i actually was so impressed by the book while browsing that i decided to read it. and, i wasn't disappointed.

but, at first, i want to tell you about the book a little. it's about a 24 year old chinese woman coming to london to study english language. she speaks in broken english and that leads the story until she meets a british gentleman who fell in love with her. since english is also the second language to me and most of my life, i spoke and wrote in ungrammatical english. so, i was also a laughing stock to the people who actually thought i am uncivilised, uneducated, and i can't speak proper (or, PRAW-PUH) english. anyway so, that aspect drew me to this book, but i was surprised where the book led from there.

i won't tell you furthermore about this book in here. but, except this that this is the most beautiful and cutest book i have ever read. i was going through a rough patch for few days, but while reading this, i was smiling/grinning ear to ear, laughing and giggling like a child. i picked it up last night and finished it just now. yeah, it's that good. and, the funny part is not her speaking in broken english (why'd i laugh at that?), but the stories she told, the way she told. i have never thought that this book would surprise me like this poetic joy with a slice of (good) life. that's it. i don't want to say another word about this absolutely beautiful book, but except this one advice: READ. IT. ASAP.

[Jyotsna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, power packed read

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so lovely. So nice to be able to see the English language through the voice of a second language learner. The way she writes is really really nice, and the broken English actually makes it quite pleasant to read. I think this is a snippet of a longer book? I definitely want to read that. 3.5 stars I think… I want it to be longer!

[Anne]

Really lovely.

This little book is part of Xiaolu Guo's novel A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers. Zhuang is a young woman moves to England in order to learn 'proper' English and then to return to her hometown in a desert in China.

What makes this story about displacement and language and culture struggles unique is its style. Zhuang writes about her experiences in broken English, which shows her struggle with the language and her resolution to conquer it. This style makes reading about her experiences more immersive: rather than just a narrative which tells you this, the language of the book itself shows you this. This is Xiaolu Guo's brilliant feat.

What I also loved about this little book is how it stimulates thinking about other cultures and languages. For instance, when someone's language skills are limited, we have a hard time reminding ourselves that s/he can actually be quite intelligent, but just not able to express him/herself yet. You only see Zhuang in her limitations and reading her story in this style forces you to let go of your preconceptions about anyone who is different from you.

I've been in a relationship with an Asian guy for 3 years now, and a lot of the little examples in Language were recognisable. For example, us westerners may initially think people from faraway places all look alike, but guess what - sometimes they say exactly the same about white people. (Case in point: my boyfriend's mother).

What this little book showed me most is something I have known for 3 years now: being close to someone from the other side of the world will open up your eyes to a host of experiences and insights, both big and small.

[Anwen Hayward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiny bit miffed that this one has 5 totally blank pages at the back (technically 10?) which seems like a bit of a cop out and an attempt to bolster the length to over 100 pages, but still. I definitely want to read the larger work that this is taken from. This Vintage Minis series is a really nice idea.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

My god am I so happy that this book caught my eye. The title was what grabbed me and as a linguistic lover and I bought it without much thought.
This is a beautiful and hilarious recount of the protagonist time during her language study in London during the early 2000s.
I laughed at her comments on the English language and how confusing and irregular it is. Her mistakes and blunders (that once I realised the true meaning were even funnier) are all so endearing. I especially loved her notes on London, as a Brit it was hilarious.
This was such a short sample of what I know is going to be an amazing book to read. So good job little book. You have now pointed me in the direction of a book and author to check out!!

[Yara Zeitoun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as a gift for my birthday and I find it one of the most beautiful books I've read! For anyone interested in language, and how linguistics operate in the division of culture - I have yet to find a better book.

One of the most insightful, fascinating reads in a long time.
The insight this little book gives into the structures and difficulties cultures face because of language barriers is absolutely spot on. Such an interesting way to understand the far east and how different China is from the West.

I loved it, and can't wait to read more by this brave and brilliant author.

[Suad Shamma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I liked the structure and the way it was written. I enjoyed going through Xiaolu Guo's journey, even though it was uncomfortable at times, which made me sympathize with her.

The only issue I had was that the ending felt a little abrupt. I know it's a series of excerpts from her book, but I wish they had found a different way to end the book.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was brilliant!!!
Hilarious!
I laughed out loud almost throughout it.
But so nice observations and nice connections. I really appreciated them.
I will look for the whole book. Super good!

[Giulia Yoko Galbarini · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It’s important to be able to live with uncertainty.”

[˗ ˏ ˋ Lili ˎ ˊ ˗ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come

[Hannah L · Rating 4 out of 5]

thoughts

[Barney · Rating 4 out of 5]

funny, wryly-observed short story of a chinese lady moving to the uk and being utterly bewildered - although be warned, first half sans-weird-englishman much better than the first.

[jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I trying to express me, but confusing – I see other little me try expressing me in other language. Maybe I not need feeling lonely, because I always can talk to other ‘me’.”

[Adam Chatfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a moving and heart warming read, which gives the reader an insight into the kinds of feelings, fears and funny words a non English speaker comes up against on their first arriving to the UK. Xiaolu Guo shares a few of her thoughts and feelings, and we enjoy how the intricacies of meaning in our language make it that bit more difficult for others to grasp and bumble along with. I look forward to reading the full book!

[Dane Cobain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic! I wasn’t expecting particularly great things from it for some reason, perhaps because of what I’ve made of the other books in the Vintage Mini Moderns box set, but this was thought provoking and enlightening, offering me a different perspective on the society that I live in.

This book is basically Guo’s first impressions afterarriving in the UK from communist China,and it’s all written in her vernacular to echo the way that she spoke. I’d recommend giving this a read if you can.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic! I wasn’t expecting particularly great things from it for some reason, perhaps because of what I’ve made of the other books in the Vintage Mini Moderns box set, but this was thought provoking and enlightening, offering me a different perspective on the society that I live in.

This bookis basically Guo’s first impressions afterarriving in the UK from communist China,and it’s all written in her vernacular to echo the way that she spoke. I’d recommend giving this a read if you can.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect from this little book and I was pleasantly surprised. It is a lovely short story/diary entry about a young girls first experience in an English speaking country but no English language experience. The format in which the book was written was really interesting in terms of the fact that it is written how the character speaks so you can really empathise with her difficult language learning experience.
Lovely little book.

[Johanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first one sitting book! <3

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers of my blog will know that I simply cannot resist a book series due to prettiness, matching-ness or just because they are labelled a series. The Vintage Minis series takes extracts of work from a writer on a particular subject, and bundles them all up very nicely in a slim paperback (which is also sold at a nice price of $7.99 AUD). I recently had a dilemma of wanting to use a fashionable handbag and having a public transport commute and this book took up the challenge very nicely. (No, I wasn’t going to read on my phone).

I have read Xiaolu Guo’s novels before (I Am China) but I was captivated by the start of Language, which reads as a handwritten note on a single page: ‘sorry of my English’. I am a sucker for notes, pictures, letters or any kind of insert in a book. The chapters also start with an English word and the definition. This is apt as the story is told by Zhuang, who has moved to London from China at the request of her parents to learn English. Their aim is for her to become the international contact for their shoe factory. Zhuang is not overjoyed at this, particularly on landing when she finds the West is nothing like books or movies. It’s nothing like her dictionary either with funny requests and sentences that don’t make sense. She feels like she is only just surviving in a world that is the complete opposite to what she is used to with sentences focusing on the wrong parts and strange foods. But then she meets a man at the cinema, who teaches her about patisseries, plants and love…

Language is a condensed version of A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers. Reading this only makes me want to read the full book more – I don’t care that I’ve read some parts, I just want to know more about Zhuang’s story. (And is that truly the ending?) I loved how she tells the story in her disordered, broken English which sometimes makes more sense than ‘proper’ English. It’s easy to get into the swing of her way of telling things and interesting to see her perspective on things like scones and manners. Zhuang is charming, easy to like and it’s wonderful seeing her grow through love and improving her English.

I’m definitely planning to seek out more of these Vintage Minis – a great way to try a new writer, explore a familiar writer’s unread works or to slip into a bag for extra reading time.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

[Schwarzer_Elch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitivamente, este es uno de los mejores libros que he leído en mi vida.

"Language" es el diario de Zhuang, una ciudadana china de 20 y pocos años que llega a Londres para estudiar inglés.

Sus conocimientos del idioma anglosajón son bastante básicos, por lo que siempre anda acompañada de un diccionario chino - inglés del que intenta obtener ayuda para entender mejor el mundo en el que ahora se encuentra. Sin embargo, su única barrera no será la lingüísitca: Zhuang también deberá tratar de entender el capitalismo y, sobre todo, la idiosincracia del pueblo inglés.

Lo maravilloso de este libro, es que Xiaolu Guo no realiza una crítica a la perspectiva de vida occidental, si no que plantea un viaje de entendimiento a través de un personaje tan entrañable como inocente que lucha por encajar en un mundo que no es el suyo y que lo intenta entender desde su propia lógica de vida.

Recomiendo este libro para todos aquellos que quieren ver el mundo a través de otros ojos, de otro pensamiento, de otra estructura de vida. No sé si hay ediciones en español, pero creo que no leerlo en su idioma original le quitaría muchísimo de su encanto.

John Gray menciona en su libro Siete tipos de ateísmo, que la humanidad no es una sola, si no que hay muchas humanidades. Pues Language es un maravilloso ejemplo de eso.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excerpted from a full-length novel entitled, A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, and it conveys what it's like to be a stranger in a strange land -- particularly when one has only a rudimentary grasp of the local language. Specifically, the story revolves around a young Chinese woman who moves to London to pursue her studies. In London, the young woman becomes involved with an older man, and much of the story looks at how culture -- and particularly language -- impacts the nature of the relationship. (And, also, how being in a relationship with a native of her new home impacts her language learning.)

Perhaps the most important factor influencing whether a reader will like or loath this book is how one feels about reading broken English. Like the dialectic poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar, this book isn't written in grammatically correct standard English. The broken - "learner's" - English is quite effective at conveying the struggle of language learning and how culture and language are intertwined. But if reading grammatically incorrect writing gives you a headache, then this book is not for you.

As for why this book consists of excerpts, it's part of a series called "Vintage Minis" that consists of short (or excerpted) works from prominent authors from around the globe, generally with a straightforward unifying theme. [Vintage Classics is an imprint of Penguin Random House.] The fact that the book was an excerpt didn't create a problem for me. The origin material is a literary fiction novel and doesn't seem to be significantly plot-driven. It's much more character-driven, and thus getting a limited picture doesn't open up a lot of unanswered questions about what will come next. In other words, it felt like it could have been a full piece of short, character-driven literary fiction.

I enjoyed reading this slim volume. I think it offers interesting insight into being a language learner abroad. If you're interested in the challenges of language and culture in an unfamiliar place, this thin book is well worth reading.

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pernah merasa terasing karena terhambat oleh bahasa?

Waktu aku merantau pertama kali ke Cibubur, logatku masih sangat medhok Jawa Timur. Nggak jarang di-bully dan jadi bahan bercandaan. Bahkan mantan pacarku ketika itu bilang kalau aku harus menghilangkan logatku karena menurutnya, that accent nggak bagus.

(Logat Jawa Timuranku sekarang nggak semedhok dulu ya karena "ditekan" oleh keadaan 😗)

Gara-gara logat aja, meski aku masih berbahasa Indonesia, ternyata aku merasa teralienasi. Gimana dengan yang beneran terkendala bahasa?

Xiaolu Guo pindah ke Inggris untuk melanjutkan studi. Inggris adalah negara asing pertamanya. Terbata-bata menggunakan bahasa Inggris, Guo kemana-mana selalu membaca Chinese-English Concise Dictionary. Banyak kosa kata asing yang ternyata nggak dia temukan dalam kamus. Membuatnya merasa "aneh."

Language yang dirangkum dalam seri Vintage Minis berisi bagian-bagian dari buku bahasa Inggris pertama yang ditulis oleh Xiaolu Guo berjudul A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers.

Dalam buku ini, sungguh terlihat bagaimana Guo menuliskan narasi dengan keterbatasan bahasa Inggrisnya. Namun itulah yang membuat buku ini istimewa. Ada perasaan bahwa ia ingin bercerita tapi terkendala grammar.

Selain itu, Guo juga tidak segan-segan untuk menuangkan pikirannya tentang perbedaan tinggal di China dengan di London. Bagaimana dia syok bahwa ada beberapa hal yang consider as rude di London, tapi sudah biasa ia dengar di China. Gegar budaya itu direkam melalui ekspresi keheranannya.

Hanya lewat 100 halaman dari buku Language ini, aku nggak sabar ingin segera baca A Lover's Discourse yang kubeli ketika BBW kemarin. Atau melanjutkan membaca Speaking and Being dari Kubra Gumusay.

Oh by the way, aku sekarang udah lebih santai ngobrolnya. Kalau tiba-tiba jadi medhok bahasa Jawa, aku juga nggak merasa gimana-gimana. Hamdalah, pacar aku yang sekarang menghargai diriku sebagaimana adanya.