Education & Reference Learning Chinese

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Dirtywhirl

Dirtywhirl

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I am looking to start learning Mandarin over the summer and am just wondering if anyone who has done so before has any suggestions on the best way to go about it.

I am open to private tutoring, self learning or going to a language school. I am especially interested in the schools, so any feedback on how any of the Melbourne based institutions are would be greatly appreciated.
 
spaced repetition flashcard system to memorise vocabulary

some information on it in the links

http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/what-is-an-srs

http://www.glowingfaceman.com/blog/spaced-repetition-systems/

http://toshuo.com/2009/review-anki-spaced-repetition-learning-system/




I use Anki (for japanese, but you can use it for any language or for any subject)

http://ichi2.net/anki/


hang out at any university, there are tonnes of foreign students that you can practice with. Maybe put up a poster/notice that indicates that you'll practice english with them if you can practice mandarin.

SBS has a multitude of different news broadcasts in every conceivable language. Good for listening practice once you reach an intermediate level.


you can study languages at University which is great.....but kinda expensive

if you're time and money poor, you can do night classes at Tafe

a multitude of language resources on the internet...... mostly pirated but some legal..... >,>


a good place to start for a total beginner who doesn't want to study in a classroom is the Pimsleur language program which is totally audio based.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimsleur_language_learning_system

but it is very expensive if you want to legally buy the program.... like hundreds of dollars.
 
I've done it over there at a private school for a few months and continue to indulge it as a hobby, though less energetically than before.

I started on Pimsleurs, it's OK but it's failing is it doesn't teach you the foundations of the language, that is the basic syllables and pronounciation. It would be good for someone comtemplating a holiday in China and not wanting to necessarily go too far with the language. Also works alongside other avenues.

Of the various textbooks available the most popular, and IMO after experiencing two others in the class scenario and owning this one, it is the best, is The New Practical Chinese Reader.

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Chi...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259046347&sr=8-1

Mind you some of the locally (Chinese) produced texts are crap compared to our standards of literary production. Full of typos and Chinglish, dearth of explanation. Textbooks are very cheap in China, like $5 each.

As a first step I would recommend attending a school and learning pinyin and the basics. The class is important because you need a fluent speaker to phonetically school you in the various sounds that constitute their syllables. I don't know which I haven't attended any in Melbourne, and I've noticed the TAFEs are usually once of twice a week only. That's not a lot of exposure.

BTW pinyin is the english looking phonetic version of the written language. Pinyin tells you how to say it. The normal Chinese characters, or Hanzi, are just dumb symbols. Chinese school students do learn pinyin, it isn't just for second language speakers, but it's rarely used outside of the education context.

东西 - Hanzi
dōngxi - Pinyin

Popular site for western chinese learners
http://www.chinese-forums.com/

Popular (best) dictionary/flashcard software for PDA. (Windows, Palm, iPhone coming or here).
http://www.pleco.com/
Also you have many other dedicated hardware devices.

Popular online audio lessons based in Shanghai. Associated PDF's too.
http://chinesepod.com/

It's tough going especially at the start, but just remember there are various components to the language, tones, grammar, hanzi, listening, speaking... just don't expect to master them all at once. Especially the Hanzi is hard at the beginning. I would actually rate grammar as harder than tones, but you get people who start out and neglect the tones and they have some work correcting that. Don't neglect the tones.

And I wouldn't necessarily say China is the best place to learn it. Quality over quantity applies.

Odd piece of trivia. In China all their local TV shows have subtitles, it's because the written form is constant but the spoken has the different dialects. So the written form has special significance.

(*hint* *hint* Bittorrent)
 

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i learnt undergrad at uni for 3 years. looking back cant believe how much i learnt!

but over the years without constant use i simply sigh when i see a character which i used to know the meaning of.

if uni aint your thing then tafe courses, night. then find some chinese speaking people and get chumming with them. i assume you're male (OP), find a nice mandarin speaking girl. if she wants payment offer bedtime activities as payment.

good luck
 
Epic bump...

Im intrigued by the lAnguage. Hit it by accident on a quiz and challenged myself to the numbers. Its amazing how quickly im able to read numbers from looking at either pronunciation or the writing. I have a good visual memory so i guess that helps, or maybe its being my 3rd language that helps. Good set of resources in the thread.
im really intrigued to learn more in my own time at my own pace.
 
I don't know if it has changed much since I went to school but they really should be teaching Chinese alot more. China and Chinese companies are playing a big part in trade with Australia it would be benificial to know atleast the basics.
 
LennyStarkiller said:
I don't know if it has changed much since I went to school but they really should be teaching Chinese alot more. China and Chinese companies are playing a big part in trade with Australia it would be benificial to know atleast the basics.
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i went to school in the early 90s and then it was still japanese. but the tide was turning.

i believe chinese is widespread now
 
I learned at school and won a scholarship to go over to Beijing to study it for a year. If you really wanna learn it, that's the only way. You'll be able to pick up the basics here, but to get your tones anything near right, you either need to get yourself a Chinese gf/bf or get over there. I learned from year 5 to year 12 and learned more in 3 months over there than I did in 7 years here.

Also, definitely start out on the net/books/tapes etc but once you've learned the basic rules (which are way easier than English's btw) the absolute best way to get better quickly is to talk to people (which is why having a gf/bf who speaks the language is handy).

I met a girl when I was over there and was with her for a few years. Long distance for a while, went back over a few times. My spoken Chinese was pretty much fluent. It's amazing how quickly you improve when you're immersed in it. I remember not only dreaming in Chinese but freaking out a bit when I realised that voice in your head telling you thoughts was speaking Chinese too!

Been back for years now and it's slowly fading away which is a shame. Interesting that I can still read it well. I get by conversationally but reach for more uncommon words.

I think my best advice with learning how to speak it is not to worry so much about building a huge vocab and sorta concentrate more on copying what you hear. I know I threw the books away after a while and just talked to people as much as I could and then sorta copied what I'd heard the next time that word came up. That's how you get your tones good (which is probably a bit further down the track but still).

Writing and reading can be learned here though. You just gotta practice, practice practice. More you practice, quicker you'll pick it up.

It's bloody way easier now than it was when I started. You don't even need to know how to use a Chinese dictionary these days. Just type it in to google and Robert's your 叔父



Sent from my 0PJA10 using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Djcjdees said:
I learned at school and won a scholarship to go over to Beijing to study it for a year. If you really wanna learn it, that's the only way. You'll be able to pick up the basics here, but to get your tones anything near right, you either need to get yourself a Chinese gf/bf or get over there. I learned from year 5 to year 12 and learned more in 3 months over there than I did in 7 years here.

Also, definitely start out on the net/books/tapes etc but once you've learned the basic rules (which are way easier than English's btw) the absolute best way to get better quickly is to talk to people (which is why having a gf/bf who speaks the language is handy).

I met a girl when I was over there and was with her for a few years. Long distance for a while, went back over a few times. My spoken Chinese was pretty much fluent. It's amazing how quickly you improve when you're immersed in it. I remember not only dreaming in Chinese but freaking out a bit when I realised that voice in your head telling you thoughts was speaking Chinese too!

Been back for years now and it's slowly fading away which is a shame. Interesting that I can still read it well. I get by conversationally but reach for more uncommon words.

I think my best advice with learning how to speak it is not to worry so much about building a huge vocab and sorta concentrate more on copying what you hear. I know I threw the books away after a while and just talked to people as much as I could and then sorta copied what I'd heard the next time that word came up. That's how you get your tones good (which is probably a bit further down the track but still).

Writing and reading can be learned here though. You just gotta practice, practice practice. More you practice, quicker you'll pick it up.

It's bloody way easier now than it was when I started. You don't even need to know how to use a Chinese dictionary these days. Just type it in to google and Robert's you're 叔父



Sent from my 0PJA10 using Tapatalk
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great post. so true. i have heard from 1 source that when i sleep talk its in fluent chinese. what dialect (mandarin or cantonese) my source is unclear on.

agree getting a gf/bf is a good way to prosper. it's beneficial both ways really. the chinese national can hook onto you in an attempt to get PR, and you learn to speak quicker. i myself don't have a chinese gf as i dont want the potential burden of assisting with PR. however i know that the female folk over there are attentive, willing for most part, adventurous and passionate.
 
peternorth said:
great post. so true. i have heard from 1 source that when i sleep talk its in fluent chinese. what dialect (mandarin or cantonese) my source is unclear on.

agree getting a gf/bf is a good way to prosper. it's beneficial both ways really. the chinese national can hook onto you in an attempt to get PR, and you learn to speak quicker. i myself don't have a chinese gf as i dont want the potential burden of assisting with PR. however i know that the female folk over there are attentive, willing for most part, adventurous and passionate.
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PR?
 

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peternorth said:
great post. so true. i have heard from 1 source that when i sleep talk its in fluent chinese. what dialect (mandarin or cantonese) my source is unclear on.

agree getting a gf/bf is a good way to prosper. it's beneficial both ways really.
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Agree mate.

I can speak a fair bit of Mandarin. I have had a tutor for two years, a Chinese girlfriend and Chinese friends.
It helps.

Still have to put in a shit load of my spare time to learn, study and practice. So you have to be committed.

Also I can read a little Mandarin as well. You can learn to speak the language without learning to read Chinese characters but I would suggest doing both.
 
apollo_creed said:
Agree mate.

I can speak a fair bit of Mandarin. I have had a tutor for two years, a Chinese girlfriend and Chinese friends.
It helps.

Still have to put in a shit load of my spare time to learn, study and practice. So you have to be committed.

Also I can read a little Mandarin as well. You can learn to speak the language without learning to read Chinese characters but I would suggest doing both.
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commitment indeed!

you dont read mandarin but brosef. you read chinese. ;)

whereabouts is your girlfriend from (in china)?
 
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Dirtywhirl said:
OP did not

Have picked up bits and pieces as my partner is Chinese and we have traveled there a few times, but never fully committed to learning the language.
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i fel language is a confidence thing. for example, when i go to china i can speak more mandarin than i do here, BUT only with certain people. if the person im speaking to understands my limitations our conversation will be better. that being the case, i know the person then my confidence increases and i care little about grammar etc. but put my in front of a stranger, its danger danger danger.

another example. i had a massage earlier this year while on my travels interstate. she was mandarin speaking first. i felt comfortable with her and withdrew my barriers that are normally erected in foreign situations. we were able to chat in chinese casually, usually in short sentences. but in the end i was happy
 

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