Author Archives: khanbaliqist

What is a ‘sheep station’?

Posted on 16/06/2013 by khanbaliqist

I’ve always found it more than a little annoying that most of the world thinks the standard English-language word for a large property that runs sheep or cattle is a ‘ranch’. Of course, I know better. Such a property is … Continue reading →

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Dutch and Flemish, Mongolian and Inner Mongolian

Posted on 13/06/2013 by khanbaliqist

Recently I was looking at the Wikipedia post on Flemish. Flemish is, of course, the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium. The Wikipedia article explains the various dialect areas involved, and the role of both Hollandic and (to a lesser … Continue reading →

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Learning Inner Mongolian (4): Language-learning site

Posted on 05/06/2013 by khanbaliqist

The now completed second term at my Mongolian classes was devoted to building up reading skills. This was done by reading from a children’s textbook. As we went along, we were told the meaning of vocabulary, given an idea of … Continue reading →

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Searching for Gladys

Posted on 06/05/2013 by khanbaliqist

In May 2006, inspired by the book A Small Woman by Alan Burgess, I embarked on a trip to Yangcheng (陽城 / 阳城) in Shanxi province. This was my own personal adventure for the May holiday break that year. Rather … Continue reading →

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Learning Inner Mongolian (3): Learning the script

Posted on 27/01/2013 by khanbaliqist

I’ve now done a page on making sense of the Mongolian script, based on my learning experience with the Mongolian Language and Culture Classes. As mentioned previously, I started learning this script by myself in 2008 but dismally failed to … Continue reading →

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Use of numbers in Chinese slogans

Posted on 15/01/2013 by khanbaliqist

The use of numbers in Chinese slogans is well known and has been covered very wittily by Ted Anthony at his article on Chinese Use Numbers as Slogans. The best-known example is probably the Four Modernisations (四个现代化 / 四個現代化 sìge xiàndàihuà) … Continue reading →

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Learning Inner Mongolian (2): Spelling pronunciations as a method of teaching

Posted on 02/12/2012 by khanbaliqist

I initially taught myself the traditional Mongolian script in 2008. It was always a struggle to keep the script fixed in mind and even more difficult to hazard a reasonable guess at the pronunciation of written texts. Learning the script … Continue reading →

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China decides that second-best is best

Posted on 23/11/2012 by khanbaliqist

It’s now over a week since China wrapped up the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (中国共产党第十八次全国代表大会 Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Dì-shíbā-cì Quánguó Dàibiǎo Dàhuì or 十八大 Shíbādà) in Beijing. Predictably, in the leadup to that momentous event, the … Continue reading →

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Learning Inner Mongolian (1)

Posted on 24/10/2012 by khanbaliqist

One reason this blog has become sporadic of late is that I’ve started attending beginner-level Mongolian classes once a week at Minzu University. The classes started in September, but thanks to three weeks in Tokyo and the Chinese national day … Continue reading →

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Shots of Tokyo

Posted on 03/10/2012 by khanbaliqist

There is something truly impressive about Tokyo. While Hong Kong’s jungle of buildings built on rocky islands and peninsulas beside the water is more picturesque and vibrant, while Shanghai conveys the raw power of rapid high-rise development, and while Beijing … Continue reading →

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