This would make the reader think they don't know the language very well. She had to use the vocabulary she knew so she asked, “Do you know why the neighbors are so sad?” (Schmitt, 107). The cleaning lady responded in a “Chinese way of telling me he was dead” (Schmitt, 107). The housekeeper seemed to understand that she didn't know Chinese very well, so it seemed reasonable for her to respond in "Chinese baby" (Schmitt, 107). However, it is interesting to note that she knew that the maid responded in “baby Chinese” rather than proper or more complex Chinese (Schmitt, 107). The cleaning lady may have also reacted this way since she knows she is a foreigner. Normally, foreigners know little or no foreign language in a country they are visiting or staying.