2 ms·

My Sifu in kung fu would get asked about muggers frequently, by new students. He always stressed the importance of having the laces on your shoes tied, and pra

My Sifu in kung fu would get asked about muggers frequently, by new students. He always stressed the importance of having the laces on your shoes tied, and practicing your wind sprints.

thaumasiotes 5y ago
> My Sifu This is itself an example of "art imitating art" as per upthread. English speakers use the word "sifu" as part of its own independent cultural tradition. They use it even in contexts where it makes no sense, surrounded by Mandarin references - notably in Kung Fu Panda and less notably here: http://gowdb.com/troops/6582 http://gowdb.com/troops/6582 - because they are sure it's "Chinese". But if you learned the word by studying Chinese you'd spell it shifu. The English word comes from exposure to southerners who make no distinction between "s" and "sh". But distinguishing those two sounds is not a problem for English speakers.
- samatman 5y ago
  Shows what you know. Sifu is Cantonese, and that's how he spells it.
  - thaumasiotes 5y ago
    I'm curious where you think your comment contradicts mine.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - samatman 5y ago
      What in detail? Ok. > This is itself an example of "art imitating art" as per upthread. In contradiction to your comment, this is an example of my correctly using Sifu's title, exactly as he spells and pronounces it. > English speakers use the word "sifu" as part of its own independent cultural tradition. In contradiction to your comment, I am using the word "sifu" as part of a cultural tradition which came to America from Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong. I'm an English speaker; you are wrong. > They use it even in contexts where it makes no sense, surrounded by Mandarin references - notably in Kung Fu Panda and less notably here: http://gowdb.com/troops/6582 http://gowdb.com/troops/6582 - because they are sure it's "Chinese". This may be true, but in contradiction to your first sentence (which I may fairly consider the rest of the paragraph to continue), this is not an example of that. > But if you learned the word by studying Chinese you'd spell it shifu. In contradiction to your comment, if you learned the word from a Cantonese speaker you would spell it sifu, which is how it's pronounced. Cantonese is one of the languages called "Chinese", so you are wrong here. > The English word comes from exposure to southerners who make no distinction between "s" and "sh". The "southerners" you're referring to include the Cantonese, surely. Who pronounce that word /sifu/, not /ʃɚfʊ/, and spell it accordingly. This is precisely like saying gyoza should be spelled gyatze, or gato should be spelled chat. Meaningless! > But distinguishing those two sounds is not a problem for English speakers. Irrelevant.
      - thaumasiotes 5y ago
        >> English speakers use the word "sifu" as part of its own independent cultural tradition. > In contradiction to your comment, I am using the word "sifu" as part of a cultural tradition which came to America from Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong. This isn't a contradiction; you're agreeing with me. > The "southerners" you're referring to include the Cantonese, surely. Who pronounce that word /sifu/, not /ʃɚfʊ/, and spell it accordingly. You might be surprised to learn how the Cantonese spell 师傅.

My Sifu in kung fu would get asked about muggers frequently, by new students. He always stressed the importance of having the laces on your shoes tied, and practicing your wind sprints.

thaumasiotes 5y ago

> My Sifu This is itself an example of "art imitating art" as per upthread. English speakers use the word "sifu" as part of its own independent cultural tradition. They use it even in contexts where it makes no sense, surrounded by Mandarin references - notably in Kung Fu Panda and less notably here: http://gowdb.com/troops/6582 http://gowdb.com/troops/6582 - because they are sure it's "Chinese". But if you learned the word by studying Chinese you'd spell it shifu. The English word comes from exposure to southerners who make no distinction between "s" and "sh". But distinguishing those two sounds is not a problem for English speakers.

samatman 5y ago
Shows what you know. Sifu is Cantonese, and that's how he spells it.
- thaumasiotes 5y ago
  I'm curious where you think your comment contradicts mine.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - samatman 5y ago
    What in detail? Ok. > This is itself an example of "art imitating art" as per upthread. In contradiction to your comment, this is an example of my correctly using Sifu's title, exactly as he spells and pronounces it. > English speakers use the word "sifu" as part of its own independent cultural tradition. In contradiction to your comment, I am using the word "sifu" as part of a cultural tradition which came to America from Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong. I'm an English speaker; you are wrong. > They use it even in contexts where it makes no sense, surrounded by Mandarin references - notably in Kung Fu Panda and less notably here: http://gowdb.com/troops/6582 http://gowdb.com/troops/6582 - because they are sure it's "Chinese". This may be true, but in contradiction to your first sentence (which I may fairly consider the rest of the paragraph to continue), this is not an example of that. > But if you learned the word by studying Chinese you'd spell it shifu. In contradiction to your comment, if you learned the word from a Cantonese speaker you would spell it sifu, which is how it's pronounced. Cantonese is one of the languages called "Chinese", so you are wrong here. > The English word comes from exposure to southerners who make no distinction between "s" and "sh". The "southerners" you're referring to include the Cantonese, surely. Who pronounce that word /sifu/, not /ʃɚfʊ/, and spell it accordingly. This is precisely like saying gyoza should be spelled gyatze, or gato should be spelled chat. Meaningless! > But distinguishing those two sounds is not a problem for English speakers. Irrelevant.
    - thaumasiotes 5y ago
      >> English speakers use the word "sifu" as part of its own independent cultural tradition. > In contradiction to your comment, I am using the word "sifu" as part of a cultural tradition which came to America from Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong. This isn't a contradiction; you're agreeing with me. > The "southerners" you're referring to include the Cantonese, surely. Who pronounce that word /sifu/, not /ʃɚfʊ/, and spell it accordingly. You might be surprised to learn how the Cantonese spell 师傅.