Having listened to both Chinese and English, I'm suspicious of comparisons between the two languages, as I notice the _________ challenges they each present. English speakers say Chinese is extremely difficult because different words can be denoted by very _________ variations in tone. English is often bracketed with the label of ____________, a language of too many broken rules. Even more dangerous, in my view, is the __________ to view the gulf between different languages and behavior in translation . To listen to my mother speak English, an outside spectator might make the _________ that she has no concept of the temporal differences of past and future or that she is gender blind because she refers to my husband as "she". If one were not careful, one might also _________ that all Chinese people take an indirect route to get to the point. It is, rather, my mother's individual tendency to ________ her language and wander around a bit. I worry that the dominant society may see Chinese people from a limited perspective, _________ us in with the stereotype. I worry that the seemingly innocent stereotype may lead to actual _________ and be part of the reason why there are few Chinese in top management positions, or in the main judiciary or political sectors. I worry about the power of language: If one says anything enough times, it might become true, with or without ____________intent.