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In fact, the earliest record of
writing was in Chinese characters although very
different in form from modern characters (of which
there are many thousand).
4. The Chinese economy
is the fastest growing economy in the world, and so
in the work environment even speaking a little
Chinese will give you a competitive edge, if your
company invests in China or is considering doing so.
5. Language and culture are linked and learning
something of the Chinese language will help give an
appreciation of the cultural heritage of China.
6. China is accessible to the foreign visitor in a
way that it has not been in the past and travel to
and within China is becoming easier, but to make the
most of this opportunity for travel, language at a
basic level is important. Mandarin is spoken
throughout China.
7. China is becoming increasingly important in the
world and may be the dominant economic power in the
not so distant future.
8. Food. You can eat in the tourist restaurants in
hotels but if you want to see more of China it is
more better to try the food and experience the
culture in local restaurants.
9. In 2008 the Olympics are being held in Beijing.
In 2008 many foreign visitors will descend on China
to watch the Olympics. It is an ideal opportunity,
if you are lucky enough to be going, to stand out
from the crowd by being one of the few who has
learnt at least a few words of Mandarin.
10. Like any other language, it is possible to learn
a few words and phrases in Mandarin, enough to be
polite without spending years in further education. Linguata would help.
Frank Middleton is a freelance author and writes
occasional articles for www.linguata.com a site with
a practical realistic and fast approach to learning
words and phrases in a foreign language, using a
combination of sophisticated testing and simple
games. Author Frank Middleton
Learn Chinese Language
Tips and Techniques
There's no doubt
learning any foreign language requires effort, time
and commitment. This holds true even more,
especially when there's a big difference between
one's native tongue and learning a new language.
On the other side, knowing the tips and techniques
of learning a new language can make all the
difference on how effective and successful you can
achieve.
Based on personal learning experiences, along with others (either online or offline), here are some of
the learning Chinese language tips and techniques on
becoming successful in mastering the Chinese
language.
By using one, or a combination of these tips and
techniques, will maximize your effectiveness,
minimize your time, and at the same time, make your
learning fun and enjoyable.
Step I - Where to start?
Start from learning the Chinese pronunciation.
Learning Chinese Pinyin should be the first step of
learning Chinese language. Pinyin contains all the
Chinese phonetic alphabets where they are used in
the pronunciation of Chinese characters. To
distinguish the different tones, pay close attention
to the four types by reading the Pinyin letters,
initials, finals, and all possible combinations.
The objective of this phase is for you to be able to
read any Chinese character with marked in Pinyin and
also write a given pronunciation in Pinyin format.
Be warned: learn the correct pronunciation from the
start, do not build bad habits!
Step II - Listen, practice and memorize simple
Chinese vocabulary and sentences
Tips:
Take a local community Chinese class, do the
practice drills with your study partner. The more
you speak, the easier it will be for you to learn.
Get a good dictionary and make sure it has the
phonetic spellings of the words.
Find a native Chinese speaker to converse with, many
Chinese students would like to practice their
English as an exchange to teach you Chinese.
Visit a Chinese restaurant or Chinese community
center where Chinese is spoken natively.
Read out loud, listen to and repeat after tape or
online radio, watch Chinese movies and TV programs.
Listen carefully to the new sounds. Repeat them as
accurately as possible, try to forget the sounds of
your native language.
Sing Chinese songs.
Borrow cassette tapes from the local library, review
and listen to the tapes frequently until you're able
to speak the words and sentences all by yourself.
Review older vocabulary every so often to refresh
your memory. Step III - Write Chinese Understand
Chinese writing strokes and rules
Read our Writing Chinese section ( http://www.learn-chinese-language-online.com/writing-chinese.html
) to understand Chinese writing strokes and rules.
This will provide a good solid foundation on how
Chinese characters are formed.
Tips:
Only way to learn Chinese characters is to memorize
them, practice writing a character on paper until
you remember it. Start from easy ones, which also
include all the strokes, for example, 一(one),
十(ten), 中(middle), 山(mountain), 上(above), 火(fire),
河(river), 入(enter).
Rather than writing one word many times before doing
the next one, write each word once or twice then go
through the whole list again until you've done the
required number of repetitions. This will reinforce
the new words more firmly in your memory.
Read Chinese newspapers, booklets and books
found at your local library or Chinese market
Watch movies or TV programs with Chinese subtitles,
it is a great way to learn Chinese speaking and
writing at the same time in a simulated real-life
scenario.
Use post-it notepaper to write down the characters
and stick them on the objects you are about to
learn.
Write vocabulary words using index or flash
cards on one side with the definition on the other
side.
Use your imagination by linking the shape of the new
word by first glancing to something you are familiar
with. Play vocabulary by creating a 3-column
vocabulary sheet with characters, pinyin, and
English definitions. Fold the paper with only one or
two columns showing and then take practice written
tests.
After a while, you will notice that many characters
have elements in common, either related to meaning
or pronunciation. Note the common elements and use
them to help you remember new characters.
Take advantage of free learning Chinese resources
online. If you can memorize about 1,000 - 2,000
characters, you will feel comfortable with reading
and writing modern Chinese.
Step IV: Grammar?
Learn the basic grammar, but try not to worry and be
constrained by the rules. After all, languages are
spoken as a way to express meaning.
The basic grammar elements are almost identical with
different languages; however, the sequence may be
different. Pay particular attention to the
differences and practice on them.
The most important points on learning new foreign
languages:
Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Being
self-conscious can be an obstacle in learning a
language. Remember, most people are willing to
helping you rather than laughing at you.
Don't be discouraged by the difficulties at first
attempt. Practice, practice, and practice! you will
be amazed by your own progress!
Be persistent. Allocate a set time on studying and
follow the schedule. Studying a little every day is
more effective than studying for a long period at
once.
Author
Rosie From Learn Chinese Language Online (http://www.chinese-online.info)
The goal of Learn Chinese Language Online (LCLO) is
to reduce the Mandarin Learning curve, promote and
introduce the most efficient way to grasp the broad
foundation of Chinese language.
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Seven Free Online
Resources for Learning Chinese Faster
Are you learning
Chinese?
Chances are, you've already searched the internet
for information that'll help you learn Chinese. And
what do you find? Lots of sites offering free
information on learning Chinese.
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I did an online search recently and realized that
with all the information out there, it can be pretty
confusing for a person who's just beginning to learn
Chinese to figure out what's useful and what's not.
Where should you start? Which are the sites that
offer you, the beginning Chinese learner, practical
advice and Chinese phrases you can use immediately?
I decided to put together a select list of useful,
free online resources to jump start your learning of
Chinese and help you get better results in less
time. :-)
Learn Chinese Resource #1:
**"How to Learn Chinese with More Fun and in Less
Time in Five Easy Steps"
This step-by-step guide does two things: it gives
you proven tips on how to approach the study of
Chinese for better and faster results plus the 80%
of listening, speaking, writing and reading basics
you need to know when you're at the beginning stage
of learning Chinese. Sign up for this 5-part
mini-course at http://www.living-chinese-symbols.com/learning-chinese
Learn Chinese Resource #2:
**Chinese Pod
Free, daily Chinese conversational audio mp3 lessons
(called podcasts) based on real situations (ordering
food, renting an apartment, talking about yourself
etc.) you can download, listen and review on the go
to start speaking Mandarin right away. Start with
their New User Guide. Visit Chinese Pod at http://www.living-chinese-symbols.com/chinese-pod
**Five Beginner Steps to Learning Chinese Faster
Rgoogle_color_url = "D4C3A2";an learning Chinese in
China. This funny and useful “5 Beginner Steps to
Learning Chinese Faster” free email course doesn't
teach you Chinese but describes a beginner's
strategy for how to get out into a real
Chinese-speaking environment and learn it for
yourself. Sign up at http://www.living-chinese-symbols.com/master-chinese-faster
Learn Chinese Resource #4:
google_color_border = "e9e9dd";
google_color_bg = "e9e9dd";el to China, learn useful
Chinese phrases (note: no Chinese characters, only
in pinyin, the Romanized script) for introducing
yourself, getting around, shopping, booking a hotel
in China etc. in this interesting ten-part, online
beginner's Mandarin course in slideshow format with
text, images and audio followed by a one-minute
video shot in China and cultural notes. Learn BBC
Real Chinese at http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/real_chinese/index.shtml
Learn Chinese Resource #5:
**Chinese Forums
Find like-minded, motivated Chinese learners to
discuss topics related to learning Chinese and
Chinese culture. Chinese-forums.com is an online
community of people with an interest in learning
Chinese language and culture. When you're just
starting to learn Chinese, keeping yourself
motivated is vital for getting results. This is
where you'll find other motivated Chinese learners
of all skill levels to exchange tips and information
whether it's about overcoming difficulties in
learning Chinese Mandarin or sharing your favorite
Chinese movie or travel destination in China. Visit
http://www.chinese-forums.com.
Learn Chinese Resource #6:
**CRI Radio
A great site to read and listen to radio broadcasts
in English and Chinese about China and life in China
– China news, culture, sports, travel, entertainment
etc. CRI Radio can be found at http://en.chinabroadcast.cn.
Learn Chinese Resource #7:
**Chinese Fonts
If you're not reading Chinese characters properly on
your computer, like the chinese words for “learn
Chinese” 学中文 follow the link to find out how to
display and type Chinese fonts on your Windows or
Mac computer: http://www.living-chinese-symbols.com/chinese-fonts.html
There you have it -- seven free online resources for
learning Chinese faster.
If there's any "secret" to learning Chinese faster
and with better results, it's this: learn a little,
use a lot!
Don't be afraid of making mistakes, or fret about
getting the pronunciation right.
Start by speaking Mandarin with Chinese friends
whenever you can. There'll be lots of slip-ups along
the way, but you'll be pleasantly surprised at how
much you can accomplish in a short time!
Author
Liow Kah Joon is the award-winning author of the
children's book about China “A Musical Journey: From
the Great Wall of China to the Water Towns of
Jiangnan”. Kah Joon's Living-Chinese-Symbols site is
a handy guide to the Chinese language and lifestyle.
You can sign up for his free monthly Chinese Symbols
ezine at
http://www.living-chinese-symbols.com.
Learn
Chinese Pronunciation: the 80/20 Guide, Part 1
"I want to learn Chinese
but just give me the basics!"
That’s what this Chinese pronunciation guide is all
about. It’s all that you need to know about the
pinyin system of Chinese pronunciation to get by.
The 80% that’s important. (Spend 20% of time to
learn the 80% that's important.)
To speak Mandarin, the first thing is to learn
Chinese pronunciation of words using the system
known as pinyin.
Pinyin is the Romanized Chinese phonetic system and
is the most effective aid to learn Chinese
pronunciation today. (Romanized means using English
alphabets.) Pinyin was invented in the 1950’s so
that anyone, especially English speaking people,
could learn Chinese pronunciation easily.
Most of the letters in pinyin have the same sounds
as letters of the alphabet – with only a few
exceptions. It’s really a very practical system that
reduces the time it takes to learn Chinese words.
Can you imagine an English speaker trying to
pronounce Chinese characters without pinyin?
First, "The Four Tones" of Chinese pronunciation
Chinese is a tonal language. This means each Chinese
character is a syllable with a fixed tone. A
different tone is a different Chinese character and
hence a different meaning. To learn Chinese, you'll
have to learn Chinese characters individually.
Chinese pronunciation involves four tones, each
indicated by a tone mark. The tone marks are placed
over the vowels. (If the letter “i” has a tone mark
over it, the dot is removed.”
First Tone: a high, level tone represented by “-“ as
in mā 妈 “mother”
Second Tone: a rising, questioning tone represented
by “/” as in má 麻 “to have pins and needles”
Third Tone: a drawling tone falling then rising
represented by “v” as in mǎ 马 “horse”
Fourth Tone: a sharp falling tone represented by “”
as in mà 骂 “to scold”
Each syllable is written as a combination of
consonants and vowels, plus the tone mark. Some
syllables don’t start with consonants. And the only
consonants that come after vowels are are the nasal
“n” or “ng”.
(From here on, I’m just going to use 1, 2 3, 4 to
represent the four tones in Chinese pronunciation.)
You can see the importance of getting the tones
right when you learn Chinese pronunciation to avoid
misunderstandings and comic situations.
A friend of mine just learnt the Chinese words for
“secretary” “mi4 shu1” and instead said “mystery
book” “mi2 shu1”. I bet you've heard stories like
that of people.
It will take some time to get the tones right
because they’re not “natural” to English speakers.
Do your best when to pick up the tones when you
learn Chinese, but don’t be deterred. Eventually
you’ll get it. But just so you know, you don’t have
to be perfect.
I have American friends living in Shanghai who get
by fine with a flat tone. Of course, breakdowns in
communication arise now and then, but the Chinese
people can see you’re a foreigner learning the
Chinese language (i.e. their language) and they’ll
try hard to make sense of what you say.
So, they’re doing all the “hard work”!
Want to learn Chinese for pleasure and profit in
less time? Like to creatively enhance your life with
Chinese characters and symbols?
Learn Chinese
Pronunciation: the 80/20 Guide, Part 2
"I want to learn Chinese
but just give me the basics!"
That’s what this Chinese pronunciation guide is all
about. It’s all that you need to know about the
pinyin system of Chinese pronunciation to get by.
The 80% that’s important. (Spend 20% of time to
learn the 80% that's important.)
Continued from Part 1, learn Chinese pronunciation,
the 4 tones...
1. Consonants
There are 24 consonants in pinyin which are
pronounced a lot like in English.
b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l, g, k, ng, h, j, q, x, zh, ch,
sh, r, z, c, s, y, w
Learn Chinese pronunciation of Consonants
b as in boy
p as in pine
m as in mother
f as in food
d as in dig
t as in talk
n as in none
l as in loud
g as in good
k as in kid
ng as in song
h as in hot
j as in jeep
q like “ch” in cheat
x like a sound between the “s” in see and the “sh”
in she
zh like “dg” in sludge
ch as in children
sh as in shake
r as in raw
z like “ds” in words
c like “ts” in eats
s as in son
y as in Yao Ming
w as in we
2. Vowels
There are 6 simple vowels.
a, o, e, i, u, ü
Learn Chinese pronunciation of Vowels
- a as in mama
- o as in drop
- e as in
- I as in sit
- U as in look
- ü like the u in the French rue
3. Vowel Combinations
In Chinese pronunciation, basic vowels can form
vowel combinations with each other or with a nasal
consonant.
Learn Chinese pronunciation of Vowel Combinations
- ai like eye
- an sounds like “ah” with an emphatic “n” at the
end (NOT like “an” in can)
- ang sounds like “ah” with a soft “ng” (NOT like
“ang” in hang)
- ao is like “ao” in Tao
- ei is like “ay” in bay
- en is like “u” in sun
- eng is like “ung” in sung
- er like “ur” in purse
- ia is like ya
- iang is like young
- ie is like yeah
- iu is like the “ou” in you
- ian like yen
- iao is like “eow” in meow
- in as in “in” in gin
- ing as in “ing” in sing
- iong is like pinyin “yong”
- ong is like “ong” in kong
- ou is like “ow” in low
- ua is like “ua” in guava
- uan like one
- uang like “oo” + ang
- ui is like way
- un is like “wou” in would and ending in “n” sound
(woon)
- uo sounds like “wo” as in wall
- uai is like why
- ua is like “wa”
- üan like yuan and written without two dots
- üe is like “yue” (“we” in “wet”)
Want to learn Chinese for pleasure and profit in
less time? Like to creatively enhance your life with
Chinese characters and symbols?
Author Liow Kah Joon is
your guide. Sign up for his free Chinese Symbols
ezine at Living Chinese Symbols
Chinese Channels on
Satellite TV
Watching Chinese
televisions can be a great way to learn Chinese as
well as retain the Chinese that you've already
learned. From the news to family sit-coms, Chinese
channels can help people from novice to advanced
level in developing greater proficiencies in
reading, speaking, and listening.
Chinese TV Packages
JadeWorld (HK, China, Taiwan)
The JadeWorld packages offers programmings from Hong
Kong, China, and Taiwan. Talk about cross strait
connections! You get 3 Hong Kong channels that are
geared toward Cantonese speakers in the United
States. And if you are a Hong Kong movie buff, the
third channel broadcasts HK films 24/7. The CCTV 4
and CCTV9, which speaks standard Mandarin, makes up
the Mainlaind Chinese channels. CCTV4 comes with "快
乐 中 国", a Chinese program that is designed to
instruct language learners, and CCTV9 showcases
"Learning Chinese", which is another excellent show
to help you with the speaking, listening, grammar,
and other aspects of Chinese instructions. Both
Shows air twice a day, every day from Monday-Friday
or Saturday. And the taiwanese channel is TVB8,
which airs popular Taiwanese music, variety shows,
news, and others. Now that is what I call variety!
You get Cantonese, Mandarin (mainland accent,
taiwanese accent), simple characters (mainland),
traditional characters (HK, Taiwan), and channels
with their own unique style and genre. All this in a
5 channel package.
My Experience with JadeWorld
My family and I have been watching the JadeWorld
channels for the last 7 years. When I want to go to
Hong Kong from my living room, I click to channel
450 and 451. If I feel like challenging my listening
skill, TVB8 is the channel that helps me decipher
what the heck the Taiwanese are saying. Channel 454
is where I get the most out of all the channels,
because it's all in standard Mandarin. I watch 455
whenever I get tired of listening to Chinese, but
want to get my CCTV news in English. What about 453,
the HK movie channel? I'm only interested in
watching certain kinds of movies, and I've already
seen most of the ones that interest me. 453 is to
veg out on the re-runs.
Mandarin DirectII Service
It is exactly what the name implies. You get four
mandarin channels, with each coming from Beijing,
Shanghai, and Taiwan. You get all many sub-genre of
programming from the Phoenix North American Chinese
Channel, the Pheonix Info News, the MTV Chi Channel,
and the CTI Zhong Tian channel. All Mandarin, all
the time for less than $16 a month. Not a bad deal.
And I'm particularly interested in what the MTV Chi
Channel is like.
Author
Toan Dam
Chinese Language Institutes LLC
http://www.chinese-language-institutes.com
College Board launches
course in Chinese language, culture
Representatives of the
People's Republic of China and College Board
President Gaston Caperton last month announced the
creation of an advanced placement program course and
examination in Chinese language and culture, citing
China's growing economic significance and the
College Board's commitment to promoting cultural
understanding in America's schools as motivating
forces behind the decision.
Yang Jiechi, Ambassador of China to the United
States, and Yah Meihua, director general of China's
National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign
Language, participated in the announcement on
Capitol Hill.
"People-to-people contact between China and the
United States is important for increasing mutual
understanding, fostering friendship and expanding
bilateral relations," Yang said. "The bridge of
understanding and friendship cannot be built without
language."
Chinese is the national language of the 1.3 billion
inhabitants of China and is the predominant language
of 31 million Chinese people living overseas. Today,
the majority of students in China learn English. Yet
few students in the United States are being offered
the international education needed to participate in
this part of the global arena. For example, one
million students in U.S. schools study French, a
language spoken by 70 million people worldwide.
Fewer than 50,000 students study Chinese, a language
spoken by almost 1.5 billion people worldwide.
"Our education system needs to respond to an
increasingly interconnected global economy and to
the growing cultural diversity in the United
States," Caperton said. According to the 2000 U.S.
Census Report, Chinese Americans are the largest
Asian group in the United States, with more than 2.7
million residents.
The College Board maintains that the study of a
world language, such as Chinese, should no longer be
seen as a ratified pursuit, but as a necessary
component of secondary education. "We want to ensure
that the next generation of Americans speaks more
than one language and is competitive in a global
marketplace," Caperton said.
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The development of AP Chinese language and culture
is the second step in a commitment by the College
Board to further multiculturalism and
multilingualism in secondary school education. In
September, the College Board, along with the Italian
government, announced the creation of an AP course
and examination in Italian language and culture.
The College Board's AP program allows students to
pursue college-level studies while they are still in
high school. Based on their performance on AP exams,
students can earn college credit, advanced
placement, or both.
COPYRIGHT Cox, Matthews & Associates
and Gale Group |
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