[poconopundit]

Hey Steely Tom,

If you use your pronunciation, are you saying your average Chinese person will understand who I’m talking about?

Would that be Mandarin Chinese?

Cheers.

[Steely Tom]

If you use your pronunciation, are you saying your average Chinese person will understand who I’m talking about?

I can't speak for the average Chinese person. Also, I'm not Chinese. I do have family members who are Chinese, and I've been to China, and get Chinese media in my house.

Would that be Mandarin Chinese?

Yes, the person who taught me to say it speaks Mandarin, which is otherwise called "Chinese," since it is the official language of the People's Republic of China. It is the dialect you will hear if you listen to the news broadcast on CCTV 4, or any other media channel originating in the PRC.

[Steely Tom]

Just to clarify my phonetic spelling — con-FOOTZ-e — the first syllable is pronounced so that it rhymes with "gun", and the second syllable is pronounced so it rhymes with "shoots."