TaiwanPofLee
Member
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2014
- Member Type
- Academic
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- Taiwan
- Current Location
- Taiwan
What are the differences between "I am Chinese." and "I am a Chinese."
Thank you.
Thank you.
Just another English oddity! For some reason, We Chinese is perfectly natural, but He is a Chinese isn't.A Chinese member used 'Chinese' as a noun in the post below.
https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/...ked-the-loaf?p=1358783&viewfull=1#post1358783
1. A Chinese is sitting there.
2. Two Chinese are sitting there.
'A Chinese' is unnatural. How about 'Two Chinese'?
Is the 'Two Chinese' in post #13 natural?
I learned that West Asians may find that term offensive around twenty-five years ago here in the States. It's a slippery word anyway, in that it once meant something like "Turkey and points east" and gradually shifted eastward from there, so I guess it's not too great a loss.On a related note, we have recently had to abandon "oriental" here in Canada. I had always felt it was quite neutral, but Chinese-Canadians and immigrants from China decided it was pejorative, so it had to go. I still don't really understand why.