C Customer (A.)
TD Taxi driver (K.)
S Shopkeeper (J.)
T Teacher (S.)
Citation form tones are shown below, improvised with extra characters when they couldn't be produced as single character (e.g., the verb to be [si]). It wasn't always practical to use the same spellings we used in class, so some church romanization spellings are used, e.g., the asterisk instead of the superscript n for nasal endings of words, the double o instead of the o with a superscript dot.
(In parentheses: suggestions for non-verbal language]
[In square brackets: English meaning]
C: Ùn-chiàng!
[Driver!]
TD: Sío-chía, lí hó.
_ _
Lí si Tâi-oân-lâng á-si Tiong-kok-lâng?
[Hello, Miss. Are you Taiwanese or Chinese?]
_
C: Góa si Tiong-kok-lâng.
[I'm Chinese.]
TD: Siá*?
[(Irritated/incredulous)
What?
(Goes back to reading newspaper instead of preparing to drive customer.)]
_
C: Góa si Tâi-oân-lâng.
[I'm Taiwanese.]
' _
TD: Hó. Jip-lâi. Lí aì khì tó-ui?
[Okay, get in. Where do you want to go?]
C: Lâu Tiàm.
[The Liu Family Store.]
' _ '
TD: Chin che lâng kóng hit keng Tiàm ê mih-kia* chiok siok,
_ _
m-kù góa m-bat khì-kòe.
_ ' _
Tiàm ti sím-mih sóo-chai?
[Many people say their goods are quite cheap,
but I have never gone there.
Where is it?]
_ _ ' _
C: Si ti îu-kiok au-piah.
[It's behind the Post Office.]
' _ .
TD: Sin îu-kiok, si bô?
[The new post office?]
_ '
C: Si. Tùi chia it-tit kîa*,
_ _
te sa* ê loo-kháu oat chìa*-chhíu-pêng.
' _
Îu-kiok ti tò-chhíu-pêng.
[Yes. From here go straight,
at the third intersection go right,
and the Post Office is on the left.]
_ _ ' _ _ _ .
TD: Si ti hak-hau ê tùi-bin, si bô?
[Opposite the school?]
'
C: Tioh.
[Yes.]
>>>DURING THE RECKLESSLY DRIVEN TRIP,
CUSTOMER ASKS TAXI DRIVER TO DRIVE MORE CAREFULLY.
TAXI DRIVER RESPONDS WITH "Hó, hó."
BUT DOESN'T MAKE ANY REAL CHANGES.<<<
. ' _
TD: Kàu a. Sì-chap-ji khoo.
[Here we are. NT$420.]
' _
C: Hó. Góa lâi bé mih-kia*.
[Okay, I'm going to shop.]
_
TD: Góa ia beh lâi.
[I want to go, too.]
_
C: Si àn-chóa*?
[(Annoyed) Why?]
_ '
TD: Góa ia beh khoà* chit-ê.
[(Oblivious to C's being annoyed)
I want to look around.]
S: Sío-chía, Sin-se*, lí hó.
[Hello, Miss. Hello, Sir.]
C: Thâu-ke-nîu, lí hó.
[Hello, shopkeeper.]
TD: Lí hó.
[Hello.]
S: Sit-lé, sin-se*,
_ _ ' _
lí be-sái ti chia chiah "bin-láng".
[I'm sorry, sir,
You can't eat "bin-lang" here.]
TD: Ooh.
[Oh.
(Looks around for someplace to spit, then spits in pocket.)]
'
S: Lín aì beh bé sím-mih?
[What would you like to buy?]
_ _ .
C: Lí u be pío-á bô?
[Do you have watches?]
'
S: Chin che khóan. Lí aì tó chit-khóan pío-á?
_
Góa u Eng-kok pío-á, Bí-kok pío-á, Tek-kok pío-á....
[Many kinds. What kind would you like?
I have British watches, American watches, German watches,...]
C: Hó, hó.
Góa beh khòa* Tek-kok pío-á.
[(Interrupting Shopkeeper)
May I see a German watch?]
S: Tek-kok pío-á chin súi.
[German watches are very beautiful.]
_ _
C: Goa-che chî*?
[How much?]
S: Kaù-chheng chhit pah khoo.
[NT$9700.]
TD: Chiok kuì!
[How expensive!]
S: (Noticing but ignoring TD's comment)
_ _
Góa ia u chit-ê Eng-kok pío-á.
Bô kuì.
[I also have this British watch. It's not expensive.]
TD: Sî-kan bô chún!
[The time is wrong!]
_
C (to TD): Mài kóng-oe!
_ _ ' ' _
Lí m-si kóng lí beh khòa* pat ê mih-kia*?
[Be quiet!
Didn't you say you wanted to look at some other things?]
TD: Sit-lé.
_ _ _
Thâu-ke-nîu, cha-poo ê pian-sóo ti tó-ui?
[Excuse me.
Shopkeeper, where is the men's bathroom?]
S: (Pointing)
'
It-tit kîa*,
oat tò-chhíu-pêng.
[Go straight, then left.]
_
TD: To-sia.
[Thanks.]
'
C: Thâu-ke-nîu. Góa aì khoà* tò-pêng hit-ê.
[Shopkeeper, could I see the one on the left?]
_
S: Chit-ê Bí-kok pío-á chin súi.
Bô kuì.
_
Sî-kan ia chún.
[This American watch is very beautiful.
It's not expensive.
(Somewhat sarcastically:)
And the time is correct.]
_ _
C: Goa-che chî*?
[How much?]
' _
S: Lak-chheng goo.
[NT$6500.]
_ ' '
C: Góa si hak-seng, bô sím-mih chî*.
. . . .
_ _ ' '
Lí e-sái be siok chit-sut-á bô?
[I'm a student and don't have much money.
How about a small discount?]
' _
S: Hó. Lak-chheng ji.
[Okay. $6200.]
_
C: Hó, to-sia.
(Pays money.)
[Great, thanks.]
T: A-ché, lí hó!
[Big sister, hi!]
_
S: Sío-moe, lí hó!
_ .
Chit ui sío-chía tú-tú a bé chit-ê chin súi ê pío-á.
[Little sister, hi!
This woman just bought this beautiful watch.]
C: Lí hó.
[Hello.]
T: Lí hó.
_ _ _ '
Góa si ti Tâi-oân tai-hak kà Eng-bûn.
/ .
Tú-tú tùi Bí-kok tng-lâi.
[(To Customer)
Hello.
I teach English at National Taiwan University.
I just got back from America.]
' _
C: Lí khì Bí-kok sím-mih sóo-chai?
[Where did you go in New York?]
_ '
T: Góa khì Níu iok tai-hak kà Tâi-gí.
[I went to New York University to teach Taiwanese.]
.
_ _ _ ' _ _
S: Sío-moe, lí u be Níu-iok ê mih-kia* hoo góa bô?
[Sister, did you buy the New York goods for me?]
_
TD: Thâu-ke-nîu, chhía*-mng,
_ _ _ .
lí kóng cha-poo ê pian-sóo ti chìa*-chhíu-pêng, si bô?
[(Interrupting the conversation)
Shopkeeper, excuse me,
you said the men's bathroom was on the right, didn't you?]
S: (Somewhat irritated.)
_ ' _ _
M-tioh. He si cha-bóo ê pian-sóo!
[No, that's the woman's bathroom!]
TD: Ooh. Sit-lé.
[Oh, sorry.]
_ _ _ .
T: Chit ui si lín ang, si bô?
[Is this your husband?]
_
C: I kan-na si ùn-chiàng.
[He's just the taxi driver.]
_ _
TD: Góa si; Hoo Kian-Siông.
_ _
Chhía*-mng, lí si...
[(Ignoring C's remark)
I'm Kian-Siong Hoo.
And you are...]
_ . .
T: Hoo sin-se*, lí hó.
_ _
Góa si thâu-ke-nîu ê sío-moe.
[Hello, Mr. Ho.
I'm the shopkeeper's younger sister.]
' _
TD: Chin hoa*-hí kap lí sek-sai.
_ _
Lí kám-ia-si thâu-ke-nîu?
[Nice to meet you.
Are you also a shopkeeper?]
_ _ _ _
T: M-si. Góa si lau-su.
_ _ _ _
M-kú góa ti níu-iok ke bé Loo-lê pío-á hoo a-ché.
[No, I'm a teacher.
But I buy Rolex watches on the streets of New York.
(Gives Rolex watches to Shopkeeper.)]
C: (Looks at watch more carefully,
suspicious of its quality,
then looks at shopkeeper.
Turns to Taxi Driver.)
Ùn-chiàng...
[Driver...]
/ . .
TD: Sío-chía, lí aì tng-khì bô?
[Miss, did you want to go back?]
.
' _
T: Lí chiah-pá boe?
_
Chin u-mîa ê Lí An beh lâi góan chhù.
' _
Lán lâi chò-hóe chiah-png.
[Have you eaten yet?
The famous Ang Lee is coming over.
Let's eat together.]
S: (Makes "shush-ing" motions to Teacher
when Teacher mentions Ang Lee.)
_ _
C: Sit-lé, góa u tai-chì.
Góa seng lâi cháu.
[Sorry, I have to go.
I'll be going now.]
'
TD: Sío-chía, sit-lé.
' _
Góa aì kap Lí An sek-sai.
[Miss, I'm sorry.
I want to meet Ang Lee.]
_ '
C: Lí si sím-mih khóan ê ùn-chiàng?
.
_ _ /
C: Hó, góa e-hiáu kiâ* loo tng-khì.
[(Annoyed at unexpectedly not having a ride back.)
What kind of a taxi driver are you?
Fine, I can walk home.]
_
TD: Hó. Chài-hoe.
[Okay, bye.]
_ _ ' .
S: Sío-moe kóng-m-tioh a.
'
Lí An kin-á-jit bô beh lâi.
[My sister was wrong.
Ang Lee is not coming.]
TD: I bô beh lâi?
Boâ-kín.
' _
Lán lâi chiah-png.
[He's not coming?
That's okay.
Let's eat.]
' _
S + T: Góan lâi chiah-png.
[(Emphasizing *Góan* as opposed to *Lán*
while pushing Taxi Driver out of store.)
*We'll* eat, not you.]
TD: Sío-chía!
[Miss!]