Here’s a pretty cool language story.  Have you ever heard the term “Long time, no see.”?  Obviously, it’s a saying that almost every English speaker is aware of.  However, I’m pretty sure that it originated in China and is a direct translation of the Chinese saying, “Hao jiu bu jian”.  I thought it was odd when someone taught me this same saying in Chinese, but they also spoke decent English so I figured they were just translating a common English saying, that they happened to like, into Chinese.  Well, over time, I noticed other people, who didn’t speak English, saying it as well.  So, of course, I thought, “Why are they saying this literal translation of an English saying?”  Then I realized that English most likely borrowed it from Chinese.  The supporting argument is that the saying follows typical Chinese grammar which is way simpler than English.  Instead of, “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other” they just say, “Long time, no see”.  Chinese grammar is like this:  simple, straightforward, almost to the point of appearing half-witted on the surface.