Nam Nguyen

[Mrs. P]

One more that I totally forgot about:

Nam and Polina Nguyen have opened up a figure skating party business which mainly focuses on selling flowers, plush toys and fun accessories. The business, called Gone with the Win, is one of the main sponsors of the rebooted TCC, along with Uno's KOSE, because that's where their story started

Can I put in a crazy prediction that the USFS announcer in 2038 will finally pronounce "Nguyen" correctly?

I cringed all weekend. "Nam New-en!" Ugh. I guess better than "N-goo-en"

For the record here's how you say it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSmy1m6IkWY#t=18

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Can I put in a crazy prediction that the USFS announcer in 2038 will finally pronounce "Nguyen" correctly?

I cringed all weekend. "Nam New-en!" Ugh. I guess better than "N-goo-en"

For the record here's how you say it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSmy1m6IkWY#t=18

Wow!!! I had never heard Nam speaking in Vietnamese before.

So good to see that he is keeping in touch with his heritage.

Just one question, though. In the short bit that I watched, Nam still used a lot of English words. Is this a case of there not being equivalent words in Vietnamese, or an indication that Nam has some shortages in his vocabulary?

I wouldn't be able to tell, because I don't know any Vietnamese. But you do!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Mrs. P]

Wow!!! I had never heard Nam speaking in Vietnamese before.

So good to see that he is keeping in touch with his heritage.

Just one question, though. In the short bit that I watched, Nam still used a lot of English words. Is this a case of there not being equivalent words in Vietnamese, or an indication that Nam has some shortages in his vocabulary?

I wouldn't be able to tell, because I don't know any Vietnamese. But you do!

CaroLiza_fan

I do the same exact thing. It's Viet-lish, basically.You try to speak Vietnamese but use English for words you're not sure of in Vietnamese.

 

[4everchan]

OMG

well from having known a few canadian vietnamese, Nam's command of the language is so so not that i speak any of it but my friends barely used any English

Nam is also speaking slower... BUT LOOK AT THAT OUTFIT WITH THE WHITE PANTS AND BLUE MUSIC NOTES AWWWWW so cute

 

[Mrs. P]

OMG

well from having known a few canadian vietnamese, Nam's command of the language is so so not that i speak any of it but my friends barely used any English

Nam is also speaking slower... BUT LOOK AT THAT OUTFIT WITH THE WHITE PANTS AND BLUE MUSIC NOTES AWWWWW so cute

I admire him for speaking though. He could have just gave up and speak in English and then have his dad translate for the audience. He'll be glad that he tried.

 

[4everchan]

oh yeah... i don't mean to belittle him at all... and actually, there was a trend in Canada : Asian parents (well also Ukrainians, Russians, Germans) would not nurture speaking mother tongue as they wouldn't want their children to be outcasts.... so Nam's vietnamese is BETTER than plenty of other kids who have never even had a chance to learn the language of their parents...

Patrick's mother tongue is Cantonese but it has become his 3rd language... His French has surpassed his mother tongue, exactly for these reasons as his dad wanted him to be bilingual in the Canadian sense (English/French)

Thanks for sharing this video!!!

I admire him for speaking though. He could have just gave up and speak in English and then have his dad translate for the audience. He'll be glad that he tried.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I do the same exact thing. It's Viet-lish, basically.You try to speak Vietnamese but use English for words you're not sure of in Vietnamese.

Ah, I see. Improvisation.

Not that that takes anything away. I'm still VERY impressed that he does speak so much of his ancestral language so well.

And it is obvious from your posts in various threads that you have a very good knowledge of the language as well. So, the same goes for you!

I always admire kids that grow up in an environment where they speak multiple languages. I would love to be able to do that.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Mrs. P]

Ah, I see. Improvisation.

Not that that takes anything away. I'm still VERY impressed that he does speak so much of his ancestral language so well.

And it is obvious from your posts in various threads that you have a very good knowledge of the language as well. So, the same goes for you!

I always admire kids that grow up in an environment where they speak multiple languages. I would love to be able to do that.

CaroLiza_fan

Haha, I'm actually terrible at it. i understand it really well (which I believe is Nam's case as well) but I speak like a first grader. Now I'm trying to go back and master the speaking part. I always felt awkward about it as a kid so didn't try, so that's why I hope Nam will keep speaking even if it's not perfect.

 

[4everchan]

you could always learn it better ? I only bothered learning English in my 20s.... but now, I speak it with almost no accent. Never too late and baby P could learn it too

Haha, I'm actually terrible at it. i understand it really well (which I believe is Nam's case as well) but I speak like a first grader. I always felt awkward about it as a kid so didn't try, so that's why I hope Nam will keep speaking even if it's not perfect.

 

[Mrs. P]

you could always learn it better ? I only bothered learning English in my 20s.... but now, I speak it with almost no accent. Never too late and baby P could learn it too

Yes, that's what I'm thinking...

 

[TheGrandSophy]

And the start of that TSL interview tells us that Nam himself prefers N-you-en so perhaps we should all go for that with him.

 

[xibsuarz]

Nam looking forward to the next thing :yes:

 

[thoakun]

And the start of that TSL interview tells us that Nam himself prefers N-you-en so perhaps we should all go for that with him.

Nam's pronunciation is wrong but since that's what he prefers so we can all go with that. His parents' pronunciation is correct but that'd definitely give them a hard time when they do some administrative work. Nam's command of the spoken Vietnamese is a mixed bag. His pronunciation and intonation are spot on and he can understand Vietnamese well but his vocabulary is very limited, considering that he doesn't know the Vietnamese words for simple words like hour, compete, improve. Nonetheless, I applaud him for speaking Vietnamese in the interview. Btw, I've realized that his mother has a Central Vietnamese accent.

 

[Mrs. P]

Nam's pronunciation is wrong but since that's what he prefers so we can all go with that. His parents' pronunciation is correct but that'd definitely give them a hard time when they do some administrative work. Nam's command of the spoken Vietnamese is a mixed bag. His pronunciation and intonation are spot on and he can understand Vietnamese well but his vocabulary is very limited, considering that he doesn't know the Vietnamese words for simple words like hour, compete, improve. Nonetheless, I applaud him for speaking Vietnamese in the interview. Btw, I've realized that his mother has a Central Vietnamese accent.

Yeah, I think part of it is just he doesn't have spend a lifetime telling people how to pronounce it. That "Ng" sound has always been really difficult for me to. So yeah, while I cringe, I also understand the challenge.

Yes Nam's intonation is great, which is awesome in a language where tones can dictate different meanings. I really hope he keeps trying and build his vocabulary. One huge plus of San Jose is its huuuugggeee Vietnamese community (the San Jose Mecury News used to run a Vietnamese language paper. I'd argue it's only second to Orange County in Southern California as far as population), so there will be opportunities.

I might have to bug you about language stuff, thokun since I'm learning too.

 

[thoakun]

Yeah, I think part of it is just he doesn't have spend a lifetime telling people how to pronounce it. That "Ng" sound has always been really difficult for me to. So yeah, while I cringe, I also understand the challenge.

Yes Nam's intonation is great, which is awesome in a language where tones can dictate different meanings. I really hope he keeps trying and build his vocabulary. One huge plus of San Jose is its huuuugggeee Vietnamese community (the San Jose Mecury News used to run a Vietnamese language paper. I'd argue it's only second to Orange County in Southern California as far as population), so there will be opportunities.

I might have to bug you about language stuff, thokun since I'm learning too.

I'm willing to help, Mrs P .
Btw, Nam's father made some remarks which I think may shed some lights about his family and possibly the coaching change:
- The host asked if Nam's parents have ever wanted to give up investing on Nam and the father answered that it's a legitimate concern. They invest a lot of money and effort on Nam's training but sometimes the results are vague and it can be stressful.

- Nam's father is highly involved in Nam's training, particularly off-ice training. He learned skating himself, googled everything whatever techniques in skating he didn't know and taught Nam how to jump off ice. He's opening a studio which teach Nam's friends and fellow skaters how to jump on the floor.

- His parents have a close-knit relationship with the Vietnamese community in Toronto and but Nam only got introduced formally to the community recently (as of June 2015) His father thanked a lot of Vietnamese people throughout the interview and said that it was important for Nam to represent the Vietnamese overseas community.

- His father admitted that he's hot-tempered and very strict towards his children. His mother is the mediator of all the family tensions.

- The host asked: "The Vietnamese by tradition use caning to teach children while the Canadian foster a positive teach method by praising the children. Which method do you use to educate your children?" They answer that they retain whatever good about the Vietnamese tradition while trying their best to adap to the Canadian culture. Caning is out of quesiton in Canada anyway .

 

[Mrs. P]

I'm willing to help, Mrs P .
Btw, Nam's father made some remarks which I think may shed some lights about his family and possibly the coaching change:
- The host asked if Nam's parents have ever wanted to give up investing on Nam and the father answered that it's a legitimate concern. They invest a lot of money and effort on Nam's training but sometimes the results are vague and it can be stressful.
- Nam's father is highly involved in Nam's training, particularly off-ice training. He learned skating himself, googled everything whatever techniques in skating he didn't know and taught Nam how to jump off ice. He's opening a studio which teach Nam's friends and fellow skaters how to jump on the floor.
- His parents have a close-knit relationship with the Vietnamese community in Toronto and but Nam only got introduced formally to the community recently (as of June 2015) His father thanked a lot of Vietnamese people throughout the interview and said that it was important for Nam to represent the Vietnamese overseas community.
- His father admitted that he's hot-tempered and very strict towards his children. His mother is the mediator of all the family tensions.

The interview was surpsingly frank, especially compared to what we see in most skating interviews. I was surprise he was so upfront on the financial investment. The interview was more than a year old, but I agree it shed a lot of light on the circumstances that could have lead to the coaching change.

Back to the topic. Sorry for the thread hijack, guys!

 

[ice coverage]

Nam's pronunciation is wrong but since that's what he prefers so we can all go with that. ....

I would not use the word "wrong." (Meanwhile, I do agree 100% that we should go with Nam's own pronunciation.)

Would you say that Ashley's pronunciation of Wagner is "wrong?" Her pronunciation is not the same as the name's pronunciation in German.
But I would not say that her pronunciation is wrong. And to your point, I think almost all of us are fine with going with her pronunciation.

Does Patrick's pronunciation of Chan exist in Chinese (whether Cantonese or Mandarin)?? AFAIK, it does not.
Same for Angela's pronunciation of Wang.

Nam has plenty of good company.

 

[thoakun]

The interview was surpsingly frank, especially compared to what we see in most skating interviews. I was surprise he was so upfront on the financial investment. The interview was more than a year old, but I agree it shed a lot of light on the circumstances that could have lead to the coaching change.

It's very common for Vietnamese to be open about their salaries, financial investment etc. The father's frankness needs to be understood in the context that he and his wife come from educated families (a lot of members on the mother's side are doctors). To most, if not all Vietnamese parents, education is a surefire route to success. It's great that they immigrated to Canada and opened their eyes to the many opportunities the children have to become well-rounded people.

 

[Mrs. P]

It's very common for Vietnamese to be open about their salaries, financial investment etc. The father's frankness needs to be understood in the context that he and his wife come from educated families (a lot of members on the mother's side are doctors). To most, if not all Vietnamese parents, education is a surefire route to success. It's great that they immigrated to Canada and opened their eyes to the many opportunities the children have to become well-rounded people.

Oh yeah, so true! My grandma's always asking me how much money my husband and I make. And I usually tell her most of the time.

 

[thoakun]

I would not use the word "wrong." (Meanwhile, I do agree 100% that we should go with Nam's own pronunciation.)

Would you say that Ashley's pronunciation of Wagner is "wrong?" Her pronunciation is not the same as the name's pronunciation in German.
But I would not say that her pronunciation is wrong. And to your point, I think almost all of us are fine with going with her pronunciation.

Does Patrick's pronunciation of Chan exist in Chinese (whether Cantonese or Mandarin)?? AFAIK, it does not.
Same for Angela's pronunciation of Wang.

Nam has plenty of good company.

I forgot to add that it's "wrong" from a native Vietnamese speaker's viewpoint, nothing else. I'm fine with the way Ashley and Patrick pronounce their surname.
Btw, thanks the mod for moving my post to the appropriate thread and sorry for the hijacking.