Best way to learn Chinese?

[dan1984]

My opinion on language is that you have two main parts:

Grammar, and vocabulary. If you want a building, you have to have the right materials, and good quality materials. But a pile of good quality materials doesn't make a building. So the materials (vocabulary) have to be put together in the right order, the right structure (grammar).

 

I'd say you need to start with learning grammar basics. Learn the three "de" markers (的 地 得) and the different ways they are used. (possessive, adjective marker, adverb marker). Learn the 把 pattern. Understand how a Chinese sentence breaks out. They don't put separations in, so you have to learn to read them: a single character is usually a function word or pronoun; a two character combination is the most common way you see verbs, objects, nouns; a three character combination is usually proper name; a four character combination is usually a phrase or saying (often idiomatic, chengyu 成语） But don't bother studying chengyus until after you are already fluent in Chinese. Most people don't use them that often in daily life.

 

You learn that structure while learning your basic, survival level Chinese.

 

I think the best way to do that is to read children's books, or something equally simple in natural language.

 

Once you have that down, you start adding in vocabulary. learn all the nouns and verbs you can, and start using them in simple SVO sentences. Sure, Chinese has some more complicated sentences, but most of their complexity is in adding descriptors. The hardest thing in a long Chinese sentence is figuring out which subject or object is being modified...it can change the meaning of the sentence.

 

But you must, must, must, must, must (I can't emphasize this enough) find a way to have fun studying Chinese. If it feels like work, you'll never get anywhere. Find some cartoons that you can enjoy. Find a television serial you think is interesting. Get into Chinese music. I can guarantee that they have enough variations of music that you can find just about any style you want. So maybe there aren't many songs that would classify as "ska", but I know of at least a dozen reggae style songs, and more than 50 jazz songs, bunches of blues, etc. These different songs are scattered across more than a dozen different singers...in the Chinese pop culture, the emphasis is on the person, not the style. That frees singers to do all sorts of different styles on one disc, and they do. But I digress.

 

The point is, you can get youtube videos of all sorts of songs and use the pause button to look up every character. Then watch/listen/sing along once a day. You will be learning Chinese, but in a fun way!

 

Or watch the television serial, and pause and look up every character, work on it until you understand at least 80%. The first episode may take you a week or more to get through. But the characters will use the same phrases, vocabulary and grammar. The 2nd episode will go faster, and each episode will get faster as you go, to the point that by the time you get to the last 3-4, you will be able to watch at near full speed.

 

Maybe. It depends on your progress.

 

But then whatever you do, make flashcards. And when you find yourself with nothing to do (waiting for an appointment, using the bathroom, waiting on your wife/husband to get ready to go, etc), pull out the flashcards and run through them. You don't have to test yourself hard, just glance at the Chinese character, then turn it over and look at the pronunciation and English. The point is repetition. Mindless repetition will get it into your head faster/easier than racking your brains to memorize it.

 

Seriously.

 

Learn how to write characters, just until you learn stroke order so that you can look characters up in a dictionary. They use the first stroke or the main radical to classify their characters in a dictionary, and you must understand that to look characters up. And you must look characters up to understand them.

 

Finally, don't worry so much about tones. Do your best to memorize, learn, and use them. But they are one element of pronunciation. Some chinese have a problem with th and s. So they may get "sink" and "think" pronounced wrong. But context lets you know which one they mean. Nearly every Chinese pronounces "Thanksgiving" as "Sexgiving". Do you have any problem understanding what they really mean? No.

 

Chinese without the tones is the same way. Context will help avoid 80% of the problem. But you must listen to how they speak, you must try to model their flow, and inflection. Even if you know the tones, if you use English inflection to emphasize a character, you will sound funny to them (and get teased).

 

Any questions or problems? I am always willing to be a language mentor. I have a few websites that I can share that help people with study.

 

I agree with this assessment whole-heartedly, especially as it relates to tones. My tones may not be 100% absolutely perfect, but I've still become fluent, and as you said, through context 95% of what is being said is still clear based on context. Tones are also not needed when reading/writing/typing characters, etc.

 

Environment is extremely important, try and surround yourself with Chinese speaking, be it talking with your significant other, being around Chinese friends/family, watching TV, etc. I've become fluent in Sichuanese just by listening to my significant other talk on the phone with friends/relatives back in Sichuan for about an hour each day for the past 2 years. For the beginner, even you don't understand what is being said, you're being desensitized to the "foreign-ness" of the language, and then slowly but surely over time it will become less foreign, and one day, it will click and everything will become clear.

 

Also, if you need any music recommendations, please let me know! Be it ska, rockabilly, death metal (not my cup of tea), rocknroll, punk, etc. I'm deeply involved with the Chinese music scene.

 

加油！

[credzba]

Found a new mandarin teaching site today.

This one caters mostly to Tsap, but I think most of the men will learn SOME words.

 

www.sexymandarin.com

[Urkidding]

I think I can learn Chinese this way!

 

 

http://i50.tinypic.com/6fbbxf.jpg

[chilton747]

I think I can learn Chinese this way!

 

 

http://i50.tinypic.com/6fbbxf.jpg

 

So where the hail have you been?

[Urkidding]

I think I can learn Chinese this way!

 

 

http://i50.tinypic.com/6fbbxf.jpg

 

So where the hail have you been?

 

Playing dodge "mop"?

[chilton747]

I think I can learn Chinese this way!

 

 

http://i50.tinypic.com/6fbbxf.jpg

 

So where the hail have you been?

 

Playing dodge "mop"?

 

[Fu Lai]

can't connect http://www.sexymandarin.com/

[Randy W]

can't connect http://www.sexymandarin.com/

 

You will need a VPN connection to access any of the sites that are blocked. From here in Yulin, the sexymandarin site is accessible, but it uses YouTube videos, at least on the front page, that are not.