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September 8, 2008 5:17:47 AM CDT

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Chinese Create Slang for New Technology

Posted May 28, 08 5:05 PM CDT in World 

(Newser) – New technology has kids in China generating their own modern lingo, I.D. Magazine reports. The millennia-old Mandarin language lacks terms for things like cell phones (which go as shou ji, or "hand machine") and USB (which goes as yo pan, a word created partly phonetically), forcing users to resort to slang. The new words are spread through television and other pop culture.

Some novel expressions even get their own written characters. One artist created new characters for “pollution” (a combination of existing roots for “air” and “poison”) and “computer” (a square in the middle to represent the monitor, a long cross stroke under the square for the keyboard, and a dot on the right for the mouse).

Source I.D. Magazine

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Volunteer teacher Hanae Ota writes the Chinese character for the word, "forever" during a Chinese Level 2 class at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, on February 10, 2005. The class was   (KRT Photos)
Athlete Summit   (Getty Images)
A student practices calligraphy during a Chinese Level 2 class at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, on February 10, 2005. She is practicing writing characters for "good luck," a phrase   (KRT Photos)
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China  • technology  • language  • Mandarin  • slang


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