Xiaofan, sometimes when channel-hopping I watch the China TV channel for a few minutes One thing I've noticed, even though I haven't a clue what is being talked about, is that nobody ever hesitates. Sentences are not punctuated with ums, ers, aaaahs, or mmms. Is this generally a characteristic of (the) Chinese ? -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist