06.10.08
Posted in Unexplained at 8:36 pm by Randy Alexander
Sometimes you just can’t explain things.
I have a friend who likes to send me YouTube links of bands, and sometimes I send some back. I had been trying to think of songs that I liked when I was growing up. Somehow, David Essex’s 1973 hit Rock On came into my mind, so on April 9th of this year, I sent it to him, wondering if he liked it too. It’s really a one-of-a-kind thing. The drums are sparse with no snare or cymbals — only hi-hat, toms and bass drum, and the hi-hat and some of the drums have a single echo (not a repeating echo), as strong as the original signal, slapping back one sixteenth note later. The bass is very unusual as well, being stronger than the drums and having a very muddy sound. It too has the same echo on it. There is no guitar at all, which may be the strangest thing about the whole song; pop songs of that time were dominated by guitars. The song’s production is extremely complex, with a wide variety of vocal and percussive effects, and a striking string ensemble “solo” featuring glissandi. It left a big impression on me as a child. I guess I was seven or eight years old when I first heard it.
Yes, this does in fact have something to do with Manchu. Keep reading.
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05.22.08
Posted in Introductory, Script at 11:48 pm by Randy Alexander
You’ve all seen those movies where someone finds some ancient parchment or carving with strange runes written on it. And then some professor-type runs off with it for an hour or so and then comes back holding it above his head shouting, “I’ve got it! It means….”
Yeah, right.
Deciphering an unknown script can be a nearly impossible task. Some scripts, like the Indus Script, remain undeciphered, despite many researchers collectively spending decades attempting to do so, even with thousands of (albeit short) texts available.
But the Manchu script is not some mysterious script; it was the language of the Chinese government during the final dynasty. There is even a kind of colony in Xinjiang province that was started in 1764 called the Xibe (or Sibo) that may still even produce their own newspaper.
Let’s take a look at exactly how hard it is to learn Manchu script. Remember now, this isn’t some mysterious script that no one has ever deciphered. It was commonly used just less than 100 years ago. There are even textbooks and online study materials available (which I’ll give links to as we go).
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05.05.08
Posted in Excursions at 9:32 pm by Randy Alexander
Seeing as I live up here in Manchuria, all the hubbub about Manchu stirred up my wanderlust instinct and I was chomping at the bit to go poke around in 三家子 (sānjiāzi) or someplace. On the map, I noticed that there were some Manchu villages nearby, so I heeded the call.
I met with my friend Alice and caught the 08:15 bus to 乌拉街 (Wūlājiē ). It took about an hour and twenty minutes to get there. During the ride, we asked some other passengers and the 车长 (chēzhǎng , conductor) if anybody could speak Manchu there. Everybody said that they didn’t know anyone who could speak, but they thought there still might be some old people who could. The 车长 said that she thought they taught Manchu in the area primary school, so that’s where we headed when we got off the bus.
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Posted in Introductory at 9:01 pm by sima
Over the last year or so, Beijing Sounds has been a source of inspiration for those of us grappling with the finer points of life in China. Mandarin language obsessives have been treated to recordings and analyses of real Běijīnghuà, spoken by Beijingers young and old, as well as some of the other sounds one might hear out and about on the streets of the capital, and even the outlying lands.
All of this has led to detailed discussions, most of which have remained vaguely connected to the original subject matter. But in recent months, questions have been arising more quickly than anyone has been able to put them to bed. Indeed three of us have become quite obsessed with the current state of Manchu and whether it had an influence on modern Standard Mandarin.
It may have been Ken Grey, a sometime Beijing Sounds commenter, who planted the seed. He mentioned a time, not so very long ago, when the Manchu language could be heard on the streets of Beijing. If this was the case, who were the Manchu and where did they all go?
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