Learning English

[RLS]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how my SO can learn some basic English. She lives and works long hours in Nanning which prevents her from lots of free hours. Any good contacts would be appreciated. Thanks and Happy Chinese New Year.

[jemmyell]

Hello,

 

I can very much recommend the Pimsleur tapes and CDs (ESL for Mandarin Speakers). I bought my SO and her daughter the tapes on eBay ($19.95) then the full 16 CDs from Plurality Language (the best price I could find) for $169 (regularly $345). After I sent the CDs my SO told me the first HALF (8 CDs worth) of the comprehensive was on the $19.95 audio tapes!!! I also sent two CD players from Fry's Electronics ($14.95 each) and rechargeable batteries so my SO and her daughter could study independently.

 

CD comprehensive ESL for Mandarin Speakers:

 

http://www.pluralitylanguage.com/languages...se_mandarin.htm

 

Tapes from Barnes and Noble:

 

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearc...42&fmt=AU&itm=3

 

I also took her a book 'Speak English like an American' that I bought at Amazon.com before I went to visit them.

 

BTW, sorry for the broken links. On Barnes and Nobel you can just do a search, the Plurality Language website has direct links for ESC Cds,

 

Good luck.

 

-James

Edited January 29, 2006 by jemmyell (see edit history)

[RLS]

Hello,

 

I can very much recommend the Pimsleur tapes and CDs (ESL for Mandarin Speakers). I bought my SO and her daughter the tapes on eBay ($19.95) then the full 16 CDs from Plurality Language (the best price I could find) for $169 (regularly $345). After I sent the CDs my SO told me the first HALF (8 CDs worth) of the comprehensive was on the $19.95 audio tapes!!! I also sent two CD players from Fry's Electronics ($14.95 each) and rechargeable batteries so my SO and her daughter could study independently.

 

CD comprehensive ESL for Mandarin Speakers:

 

http://www.pluralitylanguage.com/languages...se_mandarin.htm

 

Tapes from Barnes and Noble:

 

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearc...42&fmt=AU&itm=3

 

I also took her a book 'Speak English like an American' that I bought at Amazon.com before I went to visit them.

 

BTW, sorry for the broken links.  On Barnes and Nobel you can just do a search, the Plurality Language website has direct links for ESC Cds,

 

Good luck.

 

-James

186679[/snapback]

Thank you, James, for that information. I will look into it. Ron

[david_dawei]

I think she needs to be around a teacher of some sort.. ether get into a class or have a private tutor come to her home... my SO did both...

[jim_julian]

I'm sure she can find night school classes in Nanning. Normally you can attend one class for free, so she could check out several.

 

The advantage of taking English classes in China is that the instructor can speak Chinese. It is possible to find this in the US also, but not a sure thing.

 

Perhaps the biggest problem our Chinese SOs have is learning grammar, particularly if they did not take English in school as a child. If possible, she should find a class that puts some emphasis on grammar ... vocabulary is easier to build.

 

When my Lao Po and I talk we sometimes say we are going to speak perfect English. In this case I correct her grammar errors, explain, and she repeats. Of course we do not do this all the time since it becomes too frustrating and stifles communications. I have noticed an improvement in her grammar since we started doing this.

[Guest pushbrk]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how my SO can learn some basic English.  She lives and works long hours in Nanning which prevents her from lots of free hours.  Any good contacts would be appreciated.  Thanks and Happy Chinese New Year.

186678[/snapback]

There are lots of English night classes in Nanning. Most will be on a break for the holiday but the one my wife goes to begins again on March 4th. It is in a private home. Nanning is a big place. If she can't find a convenient one, I'll give you a contact for information.

[Am4wag]

My SO has a pocket translater,with which she can enter the english spelling.It will then display the chinese translation of the word,and will pronounce the (english) word.I also sent her a Rosetta Stone C-D course,where she can study at her liesure.I am told by many bookstores RS is the best.She also has a translation program installed on her computer.When we chat on IM's,and use the voice microphones,I am actually teaching her english while we are talking;if she does'nt understand what I say,I type in and say it again.She tells me our IM's are the best way to learn,as she is talking to a real person and can hear me pronounce.Now I want to make a note that many of the books (english/chinese dictionaries,etc.) cover Oxford english,and make use of "lenghthy" words we seldom use in US.She tells me this really adds confusion,especially when the fact is,she is coming to the US,and we talk a bit differently.We many times humorously differentiate english-and US english.

[Katrina]

In reference to Oxford English, you can also buy electronic dictionaries that use Longman's Dictionary. It is for American English. When my husband and I first started dating he didnt' have one so I bought him one for Christmas. They are really cheap. His only cost 300 yuan. Longman's has only half of the words of the Oxford dictionary though. But, again, we don't use a lot of the words in the Oxford one.

 

I also have a student who has great english and one way that he improved was by watching English movies. My husband did this also. In the beginning we watched movies together with the Chinese subtitles on. After his listening improved we watched with the English subtitles and now we don't use subtitles. His listening is really good now though. I talk pretty fast and I don't need to slow down at all for him. But, he also taught Chinese to all the foreigners at my university this last term. So, he has a lot of experience talking to foreigners.

 

Still, the best way is practice. Any way that she can practice with you is the best. One problem she will have is picking up on the native phrases and idioms we use. These things to make since unless someone explains. An example from my class once, "The chinese finally gave them the boot..." It was from a paper about the Chinese and Japanese. I asked my class what that ment. They were very confused about why the chinese would give a boot to the japanese. These things need explaining. But, with time they will come. My husband has learned, "What's up dog?" and "It's my way or the highway." These things are really cute to watch develop.

 

And finally, if she can find a school that has an american teacher that would be good. These schools usually have a chinese teacher for half the time and a foreign teacher for the other half. The chinese teacher teaches grammar and the foreign teacher works on oral and pronunciation. It will obviously be a little more expensive but that would be the best way to go. Practice with an American is really important. That way she starts to understand the accent. The chinese teachers at the private school I work part time for are good. Don't get me wrong, but she still needs to hear the accent a lot. And, listening to only you will only let her understand you. It's better that she practices with a few other english speakers as well.