A Small Gift

Although I would not classify myself as a linguist, I have had some good language teachers in the past (and present). One thing they often encouraged me to do was to associate words in the new language with words in English, to aid in memory. About 6 months ago I heard a phrase in Chinese that I quickly remembered and doubt that I will soon forget: 小意思 (shee-ow EE-suh). In Chinese, this means 'a small gift as a token of one's regard.' 'So,' you may ask, 'how did this help you with your language learning, and how does it relate to the pictures below?' The last two words of this phrase, when pronounced correctly, sound exactly like my niece's name: Isa. When I learned what the meaning of this phrase was, it made it that much more special. A gift to my brother and sister, but also to all of us. A 'small' gift? Well, that's debatable.


Happy 2nd Birthday, Isobel!