VideoHotpot - VI – The Tone Police
In our most dramatic VideoHotPot, ever, we show you what happens when you get your tones wrong.
The Tone Cop is the very same maniac that has stalked Ken since he first made his tones public last September. It ain’t pretty, but then, nor are poor tones.
For newbies/absolute beginners: There are four tones in the Chinese language. Even where the syllables are the same, a change in tone, can radically alter the meaning of a word. This graphic video shows you what happens when your tones go horribly wrong.
What is VideoHotpot?
VideoHotpot is an entertaining video which shows how beginners of the language practice in an authentic situation. The situational format of the lesson aims to provide the student with an arsenal of phrases and vocabulary to utilize and improvise with a person who is not your teacher and has no idea what level of Chinese you’re at.
WARNING! The Tones Are Intentionally Poor
This is video is jam packed full of accurate tonal Chinese, however, when the Western hosts try to speak, there are some mistakes. But in this case, for the purpose of comedic value, the tones are intentionally botched. So… Don’t freak out. Also, as another warning, this video does use some light Chinese curse words, and some small scale nudity. As so, it has been given an official rating of O.V.W.S.H. (Only View With a Sense of Humor).
VideoHotpot is Temporarily on Hiatus!
Due to important undercover, confidential, and inter-galactic defense responsibilities, your hosts Tayhler and Ryan will be missing in action for an undetermined period of time. If you enjoyed all the VideoHotpot action, please continue to make comments and send in emails. If there is enough response and enthusiasm, maybe, just maybe, there could be a truimphant return! However, until then, VideoHotpot is on permanent hiatus… please don’t cry.
Now THAT’S funny.
Thx so so sooooooo much! That is really coooooooool!
哈哈哈哈 hahahahaha, music from the eighties, rap–umm if we can call it that, proper study habits, and such dramatic improvements in conversational Chinese, it has it all! Best wishes to Tayhler and Ryan in all their future covert, super-important, intergalactic work. This VideoPot is one for the ages.
Where can we download it?
F@rking Classic!!! Well done guys!
Wow. We are happy everyone is enjoying this episode of VideoHotpot. Ryan & Tayhler have left Shanghai and returned to Canada to continue their studies. We decided to go ahead and publish the Tone Police episode as quickly as we could. At some point we will also provide download links in another post. There are still some episodes yet to come after the May holiday.
Matt Park / 段伟 Team ChinesePod
That’s one way to get us off of coffee.
Well done, guys-we miss ya.
Aric (Big Shot #2)
OK, so how are these people getting it? Was it sent to an elite few to make everyone else feel bad? Is it for subscribers only? or What?
Aunty Sue,
Can you not just hit “play” here on the page? It should play right from here, without you having to download anything?
Click on the “play” icon here on the picture above these blogs.
Aric
Ah, that would explain it. I don’t see a play button anywhere here. But I can’t do streaming media for various computer and bandwidth reasons. I have to download first then play, so if that’s what it is I guess “it” knows what I aint got, and therefore is not showing me the button either.
Thanks for the explanation.
CPod Team
多多多!
And to Ryan and Tayhler thanks aye
Mike in Jubei
Don’t forget Video Hotpot 5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT9g7Y7PJZo
That\’s brilliant, absolutely loved it.
Oh yeah, some great garage band work there too!
I must be having the same problem as AuntySue (no relation!) because I had to find it on youtube.com My #3 son helped me find it and he watched it with me. We both loved it. He’s the same age as the guys and enjoyed it as much as I did and he doesn’t even speak Chinese!!!
As I said on the forum, episode 6 is THE BEST. I’m going to miss Ryan and Tayhler. They have just the right attitude for the job. And I’m quite charmed by Steve’s(?), um, bottom. That remained in Shanghai, right?
Sandra
Oh, and why is it we can’t download episodes 5 and 6, so we can play them on our iPODs and PDAs?
Ryan and Tayhler; you guys ROCK! Keep up the good work; I want MORE, MORE, MORE Videohotpots. And thanks for sneaking in the nude shot too!
Will the tone police be around when other foreigners make their mistakes? Are they out to get us all?
Loved it!
Definitely my favorite. Ryan and Tayhler have done an awesome job.
I’ll write the transcript if y’all provide the MPEGs for 5&6.
That is REALLY funny! It is sooo silly but the silliness is what makes it funny. I love it. Keep the videos coming!
I found the video to be truly funny. (It had a particular resonance for me, ahem.) I think this creation could only haave happend here - a true CPod original.
One thing that has emerged (prompted by the formidable Lantian) is that CPod strives to make it easy for people to learn this language. This includes the content, the forms, the mode of delivery, and the fact that you can have fun with this language. I hope that this is true.
Ryan and Tayhler have only been here for a couple of months and their tones suck (that sounds rich, coming from me!). But I believe they’re doing a great job of showing the funny side of learning Mandarin and showing that it is something to be used in rea llife, rather than just an academic discipline.
Now I’m going to watch it again.
Ken
I’ve just noticed, there’s no blog entry for videohotpot 5 (is there?), but the URL of this one calls IT videohotpot5. Coincidence?
Really GREAT and funny to watch! :)))))
Congrats!:P
VideoHotPot is the wonderful !
you people are so great doing this ! Congratulation you own !
. . . .a special Ni Hao to the HéMa in the Zoo episode : ) .
like to watch them over and over again : ) its coooooooooool : )
Zai Jian ! . . . .
That was tai funny le!
Very sad to hear about Ryan’s and Tayhler’s departure. They were so entertaining. I jotted down an apropros comment about their leaving. Then a few days later when I came across it again, I couldn’t remember what it meant or why I had written it down, because I hadn’t included the translation. But now I remember what it means, so here it is!!
天下无不散之筵席。
tian1 xia4 wu2 bu4 san4 zhi1 yan2 xi2.
“There is no everlasting feast under the sun” which would be equivalent to the English saying, “All good things must come to an end.”
Also Lantian had made a comment about his ex-girlfriend being prettier than John of Sinosplice. So I wrote down,
各花入个眼。
ge4 hua1 ru4 ge4 yan3.
That, I remember. I’m not sure what the translation is, something about a flower. The equivalent saying is “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Perhaps some would consider John a prettier flower than Lantian’s ex. However, Lantian’s opinion is perfectly appropriate for his situation.
On the same page of notes as the above is: Wo3men yao4 qu4 dong4 wu4 yuan2. A timeless phrase from “The Three Kingdoms” if I remember correctly. Or is it from the translation of “Henry V”…
Anyway, once again, (sigh)…
天下无不散之筵席。。。 在建 Ryan and Tayhler!
No flash player? Doesn’t work? Need a downloaded file? Here’s the answer.
I’ve spent every night this week working out how to view the last two videohotpots so I hope it saves someone else the trouble.
Go to www.youtube.com and search for the videos (I had to try a few key words until I got it).
When you get to the video you want, highlight and copy the URL, but not the whole thing, just from the beginning http:// right up to the end of the numbers. (Stop just before the first “&”.) Don’t forget to Copy it to the clipboard (maybe Ctrl-C or EditMenu->Copy).
Then make sure Javascript is enabled and go to
http://javimoya.com/blog/youtube_en.php
(unlike similar sites, this one works even if you’re not using MSIE)
and paste in the URL that you copied from youtube. Hit the Download button next to that field.
It comes back to you with another button, called Download Link. Use that button to download the file.
Rename your downloaded file to something that makes sense, and put “.flv” at the end of it.
Download and install a program to play flv videos. On unix I just use mplayer which plays most audio/video.
Then if you like you can download and install another program to convert it to .mp4 to play on your portable.
The web page that provided the download suggests some programs you could use.
Oh yeah, thanks guys, it was worth it.
Can’t improve on that comment CatherineNC…but wanted to say how much I loved the videos too…particularly the last…so FUNNY! Don’t we need this humour to realize we’re all in the same boat when it comes to learning a language.
Two thumbs up, very hilarious!
Cheers.
You need to bring back video hot pot ASAP!
It has been quite a few weeks now since i’ve watched the “market” video.. and i just came across the “tone police” which is my FAVORITE.
eheh
I love the song
Wai guoooooo rennn…..
Mei nvvv
AHAHA
I love the lyrics, the comedy, and overall.. i also like making video montages. You did all a great job, and these videos are a great TRIBUTE to the work the ChinesePod staff is putting into…
In 3 weeks my exams will be over, so i will have the entire summer to sign up and study well. As ken says, i’ll use the “great ressources on the website”.
Yin wei Sheng Jing Cha… Wo Chen Gong Liao!
Do more videos! This was great!
That was awesome! An important lesson with plenty of humor. It just doesn’t get any better than this!
I wonder if I’m correct with the 汉字:
问 vs 吻 (ask vs kiss)
买 vs 卖 (buy vs sell)
美女 vs 霉女 (beautiful girl vs unlucky girl)
帅哥 vs 衰哥 (handsome guy vs unlucky guy)
价钱 vs 假钱 (price vs fake money)
病 vs 冰 (illness vs ice)
马 vs 妈 (horse vs mother)
I’m not sure with unlucky girl and unlucky guy.