Dreaming in Chinese by Deborah Fallows

Deborah Fallows' book Dreaming in Chinese offers a readable look at Mandarin and the ways language and culture interact. Even neophyte students of Mandarin such as myself will recognize and appreciate some of the words and phrases in Fallows' book -- Wo ai ni (I love you) and and Ni hao (Hello), for instance. Other Chinese statements such as Ni de Zhongwen hen hao (Your Chinese is very good!) are a tad more foreign to native English speakers. (Forgive my inability to include tonal marks.)

Throughout her book, Fallows adeptly explains some of the incredible differences between Mandarin and some other languages, particularly English. Mandarin, for example, has no verb tense. So, Americans should not be surprised when Chinese speakers have trouble with English tense. Likewise, the Chinese should not be appalled when native English speakers of Mandarin might vainly grasp for a male pronoun vs. a female pronoun and never find it -- not, that is, until he or she (ta) learns to read and write in Mandarin rather than only speak it. There are different Chinese characters for he and she but only in writing.

Fallows brings a doctoral degree in linguistics and three years in China to the book. She has lived in Shanghai and Beijing, cities that we learn have been big rivals over the years, in language and culture. Her book is interesting and informative. It's humorous at times, such as when she talks about the intense yet inexplicable dislike some Beijing and Shanghai residents have for each other. It's touching when she talks about the "tender" side that emerged among the Chinese after the deadly earthquake (dizhen) in May 2008.

I heartily recommend the book, most especially to readers with a special interest in China, Mandarin and linguistics.