Iv been here for long, so tell me...

Cleveland   Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:55 am GMT
Iv been here for long, got a lot of help from you kind guys,Im really appreciate about what you have done. After practices and setting up my self-confidence, I uploaded my recording about my accent, please have a look, give me some opinions, how far am I from the native-level? do you think it's possible to reach the native English speaking level without any trace?
Cleveland   Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:56 am GMT
forgot the track

http://media.putfile.com/MY-96-50

thank you
Guest   Thu Sep 27, 2007 1:08 am GMT
Learn the "th" sound, which is not a "z"

are you asian?
Cleveland   Thu Sep 27, 2007 1:14 am GMT
Thank you, amazingly you are right >:), but I prefer to say im an oriental, I refer asian to middle east and India people. the English word "Asia" really contains a lot >:).
Guest   Thu Sep 27, 2007 1:20 am GMT
lol I thought the usage of "oriental" is derogative in the US. You're not Korean are you? I think they have problems with the z's, or maybe not, I'm just a dilettante!
Cleveland   Thu Sep 27, 2007 1:24 am GMT
derogative? how? Im not in the US but Canada, how do you think about Oriental in the US? I really don't know
Guest   Thu Sep 27, 2007 1:26 am GMT
It's not politically correct in the US, you will be called ignorant or racist if you call someone oriental. I don't know why though.
Cleveland   Thu Sep 27, 2007 1:37 am GMT
that's weird... but I think I know why it refers to racist sometime, cuz like I said above, "Asia" this word really contains too many things, when somebody tells you he/she is an asian, u have to ask again, where?" cuz Indian and Indonesian they are more like one kind of people, middle east they are another kind, and of course Chinese/Korean/Japanese are in the other kind. so some racists they prefer to address out their identities, but the reason I use this word is just because I want make it more "Visualize"
Another Guest   Thu Sep 27, 2007 1:40 am GMT
.. I don't think so. Well, maybe. Not really. Oriental is like... a formal way of saying Asian. They could be used interchangeably. If one is used in a derogatory manner the other one could very well be taken that way if substituted in. That's just my opinion, though.
I hate spam   Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:42 am GMT
FYI: The term "Oriental" to refer to East Asians is illegal in the state of Washington:

"Wash. Rev. Code ยง 1.20.130 (2002):

(1) All state and local government statutes, codes, rules, regulations, and other official documents enacted after July 1, 2002, are required to use the term "Asian" when referring to persons of Asian descent. The use of the term "Oriental" is prohibited.
(2) The legislature urges all state and local entities to review their statutes, codes, rules, regulations, and other official documents and revise them to omit the use of the term "Oriental" when referring to persons of Asian descent.

The legislature finds that the use of the term "Oriental" when used to refer to persons of Asian descent is outdated and pejorative. There is a need to make clear that the term "Asian" is preferred terminology, and that this more modern and non-pejorative term must be used to replace outdated terminology."
TomJimJack   Thu Sep 27, 2007 1:26 pm GMT
Do the Americans have nothing else to do than to disapprove of "Oriental" and implement "Afroamerican"?
Cleveland   Thu Sep 27, 2007 2:17 pm GMT
men... the oriental or Asian issue is not really important for me, plz give me some advice about me accent >:) thanks
Asian American   Thu Sep 27, 2007 2:41 pm GMT
In the US at least, term "Oriental" should can be used to describe objects, such as a rug or a type of art, but people are "Asian". If you want to be more specific you can say "East-Asian" or "Southeast-Asian"....
Asian American   Thu Sep 27, 2007 2:42 pm GMT
Sorry I hit send without previewing my message first.

In the US at least, the term "Oriental" should only be used to describe objects, such as a rug or a type of art, but people are "Asian". If you want to be more specific you can say "East-Asian" or "Southeast-Asian"....
Guest   Thu Sep 27, 2007 6:00 pm GMT
How come Oriental became a derogatory term? Which is the difference between East and Orient? I find it a normal term , but you know, political correctness is absurd sometimes. Maybe the most correct term would be: people who live where the sun rises.