Japan also seemed like the better choice because the northern latitude coincided with China’s capital, Beijing.
What is going on in this person's brain? Do they think the magnetic poles impact a person's accent? Being closer to the equator makes you sound more like a hick or what lmao
Ah yes studying Arabic in Mexico will help me develop an Algerian accent because of the latitude
Oh dear god I think he first learned Taiwan has a different accent, and separately learned that it's in the south, so therefore there would be a southern accent and mentally melded the two together as Taiwanese have a hillbilly accent
He then learned the University of Tokyo has a good Mandarin course, and it's on the same level latitude as Beijing, so he would get a proper northerner accent.
It's like a few months ago when discussing the Napoleon film with my friend, she had previously learned that Napoleon was exiled to an island (twice) and also that he was defeated at Waterloo, so she assumed The Battle of Waterloo was either entirely a naval battle or naval with some aspects on an island. She then said she hasn't watched the film but will eventually because she enjoyed the naval battles in Pirates of the Caribbean so she wants to see Ridley Scott's take on the Battle of Waterloo.
"You... You've conflated two completely unrelated facts about this one subject in your head. Waterloo was not a naval battle"
"He was on an island when he lost?"
"No he was exiled to an isla- wait, did you think Waterloo was on the water because "water" is in the name?"
"He was defeated and died on the island? Was it not a naval battle?"
i just wanted to point out that an exaggerated taiwanese accent is generally perceived to be more effeminate to your average mainlander. so their son was not in any danger of sounding like a hillbilly, at worst people might think he was gay or fem
I was told that Southern Chinese accents do not sound good on men, and Taiwanese accents could come across as “feminine”-sounding. It seems like Taiwan is also the only place in Asia where gay marriage is legal, so there seems to be some logic in that. Not prejudiced or anything, but I’m not spending thousands to send my son overseas so he can sound gay.
They are so prejudiced
Northern accents are apparently more masculine, hence our choice in Japan, a northern masculine country.
This is actually a thing, Taiwanese Mandarin accents are difficult to the point that even Taiwanese people acknowledge it because the other way around with another accent is usually easier to understand
What? Taiwanese Mandarin is extremely standard and perfectly understandable for anyone who speaks putonghua. I can still tell if someone is Taiwanese but it is very close to Standard Mandarin compared to many regional accents in Mainland China.
Now, Hong Kong people trying to speak Mandarin, on the other hand, can be a complete mess and their accents hard to decipher.
Imagine if the OP sent their son to some other Chinese diaspora and comes back with fluent Wenzhounese and is completely unable to communicate with 99.95% of Mandarin and Cantonese speakers
since southerners including taiwanese don't distinguish s/sh, z/zh, c/ch, and in some cases r/l and f/h, it could be a bit difficult to listen and understand for beginners.
Beginners probably, but Taiwanese Mandarin is perfectly intelligible for the vast majority of Mainland China. Taiwanese dramas were extremely popular in the 90s and early 2000s, and Taiwanese pop music used to be everywhere in the 2000s. I grew up watching and listening to those shit lol.
Yes there are slight differences in pronunciation but I cannot imagine it being difficult for any native speaker. In fact, there are regional Mainland accents where I really have to pay a lot of attention to keep up with, and this is certainly not the case for Taiwanese Mandarin.
I was thinking about from a learner's perspective. and local people, especially middle age and older, don't talk like people on TV.
but yeah sichuanese or like hubeinese with their weird bendy tones and stuff is way more difficult for me as a non-native than southeastern mandarin, but i found most people in central/western china can code-switch to a kind of standard mandarin as well
People with Taiwanese accent are perceived to be more effeminate. And there's no singular "hillbilly accent" because China is like the UK where the further your (Mandarin) accent diverges from the standard, the more you're perceived to be from a working class/peasantry background.
https://www.teamblind.com/post/Accidentally-sent-my-son-to-Japan-to-study-Chinese-fxdjjwqJ
This has to be a bit. They didn't want to send their son to Taiwan because they have a "hillbilly accent", so they sent him to Japan instead?
What is going on in this person's brain? Do they think the magnetic poles impact a person's accent? Being closer to the equator makes you sound more like a hick or what lmao
Ah yes studying Arabic in Mexico will help me develop an Algerian accent because of the latitude
Oh dear god I think he first learned Taiwan has a different accent, and separately learned that it's in the south, so therefore there would be a southern accent and mentally melded the two together as Taiwanese have a hillbilly accent
He then learned the University of Tokyo has a good Mandarin course, and it's on the same level latitude as Beijing, so he would get a proper northerner accent.
If this is real, this guy is incredible
The most
of 
It's like a few months ago when discussing the Napoleon film with my friend, she had previously learned that Napoleon was exiled to an island (twice) and also that he was defeated at Waterloo, so she assumed The Battle of Waterloo was either entirely a naval battle or naval with some aspects on an island. She then said she hasn't watched the film but will eventually because she enjoyed the naval battles in Pirates of the Caribbean so she wants to see Ridley Scott's take on the Battle of Waterloo.
"You... You've conflated two completely unrelated facts about this one subject in your head. Waterloo was not a naval battle"
"He was on an island when he lost?"
"No he was exiled to an isla- wait, did you think Waterloo was on the water because "water" is in the name?"
"He was defeated and died on the island? Was it not a naval battle?"
"Those are two completely different events"
dutch claims another victim. we can't let them get away with this!
Does your friend believe that Cat Stevens wrote the song "Cat's in the Cradle?"
hes a nordicist (hence the "ethnic german") and wants to stay in the higher latitudes
i just wanted to point out that an exaggerated taiwanese accent is generally perceived to be more effeminate to your average mainlander. so their son was not in any danger of sounding like a hillbilly, at worst people might think he was gay or fem
So the one part of China that is not ruled by the Communist Party is the same part of China whose locals are most likely to sound like "comrades"?
They are so prejudiced
TO LEARN CHINESE
I'm crying
This is actually a thing, Taiwanese Mandarin accents are difficult to the point that even Taiwanese people acknowledge it because the other way around with another accent is usually easier to understand
What? Taiwanese Mandarin is extremely standard and perfectly understandable for anyone who speaks putonghua. I can still tell if someone is Taiwanese but it is very close to Standard Mandarin compared to many regional accents in Mainland China.
Now, Hong Kong people trying to speak Mandarin, on the other hand, can be a complete mess and their accents hard to decipher.
Imagine if the OP sent their son to some other Chinese diaspora and comes back with fluent Wenzhounese and is completely unable to communicate with 99.95% of Mandarin and Cantonese speakers
"So do you speak Mandarin or Cantonese?"
"Wenzhounese."
"When Joe needs you to do what?"
"No, I speak Wenzhounese. It's the most divergent form of Wu Chinese. 5 million native speakers. Spoken in Zhejiang province."
"...So do you speak Mandarin or Cantonese?"
since southerners including taiwanese don't distinguish s/sh, z/zh, c/ch, and in some cases r/l and f/h, it could be a bit difficult to listen and understand for beginners.
Beginners probably, but Taiwanese Mandarin is perfectly intelligible for the vast majority of Mainland China. Taiwanese dramas were extremely popular in the 90s and early 2000s, and Taiwanese pop music used to be everywhere in the 2000s. I grew up watching and listening to those shit lol.
Yes there are slight differences in pronunciation but I cannot imagine it being difficult for any native speaker. In fact, there are regional Mainland accents where I really have to pay a lot of attention to keep up with, and this is certainly not the case for Taiwanese Mandarin.
I was thinking about from a learner's perspective. and local people, especially middle age and older, don't talk like people on TV.
but yeah sichuanese or like hubeinese with their weird bendy tones and stuff is way more difficult for me as a non-native than southeastern mandarin, but i found most people in central/western china can code-switch to a kind of standard mandarin as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnsiZOJjfUg
There are no Chicanos in Ba Sing Se
"So, Kanji is derived from Chinese"
"So you're telling me all Japanese is basically Chinese? Good to know"
Lowriders are universal. Last I checked Mexican street style was the up and comic popular trend in japan.
wtf is that website and why does everyone have a company name next to their screen name?
It's a forum for tech bros and software engineers, but it's anonymous. Except you have to provide what company you work for.
hahahahahahahahahaha
People with Taiwanese accent are perceived to be more effeminate. And there's no singular "hillbilly accent" because China is like the UK where the further your (Mandarin) accent diverges from the standard, the more you're perceived to be from a working class/peasantry background.