{"id":2933,"date":"2015-01-19T10:11:52","date_gmt":"2015-01-19T10:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?p=2933"},"modified":"2015-02-17T20:58:35","modified_gmt":"2015-02-17T20:58:35","slug":"periodical-quora-qas-digest-about-chinese-learning-january-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/periodical-quora-qas-digest-about-chinese-learning-january-2015.html","title":{"rendered":"Periodical Quora Q&As Digest about Chinese Learning – January 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you have inquiries about learning Chinese or about Chinese culture? Here we recommend a website called Quora.com. You can learn ask any question and there will be great answer from someone who has first hand experience with the topic. There are some interesting topics especially with non-native speakers who give some great insight on Chinese related questions. Here are practical and interesting topics about Chinese learning in this periodical digest.<\/p>\n

General<\/h2>\n

1.Q:How do I learn Mandarin Chinese well?<\/h3>\n

A:<\/strong> As learners, we have different goals<\/strong>, motivations<\/strong>, and opportunities<\/strong>. Whether you looking to obtain business opportunities in China, taking expensive classes or have a passion for Chinese writing, you will not learn Chinese the same way. You will see that your goal may even change along the way since it’s a process learning Chinese Before you set your goals though you should find your own learning style and what motivates you to learn the language. I believe having internal motivation makes learning Chinese much easier than external motivations such as the idea of doing business in China. I think this is the key ingredient to learning Chinese well. Here are some details of how to learn Chinese well<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Getting started<\/h4>\n

First you should get the pronunciation right at the very beginning. You won’t be able to fix it efficiently later. The best way is with a Chinese teacher who can correct you. If you can’t find teacher, use a Pinyin Chart<\/a> software and try to pronounce all the sounds exactly like you hear them. There are many software applications that you can use on your computer, smartphone or other devices.. It would better if you can find one with dictation where you need to guess the tones which will help you to pronounce them correctly. You can also find such drills online, like this one: Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are 2 keys in mastering the tones: relentless drills with single and double syllables<\/strong> and listen to people speaking. With drills, practice makes perfect. Listening to people speak at the sentence level and imitate them will help you sound more native. It will become easier if you have done the drills before.<\/p>\n

Enough about pronunciation, and let\u2019s move on to a more interesting topic, immersion<\/strong>. Here are two things contributed enormously to my immersion in the Chinese language and culture:<\/p>\n

1.QQ<\/strong><\/p>\n

This application has made the bridge between theoretical classroom Chinese and real life Chinese for me. This was the first time I realized reading a text in Chinese characters was not so out of reach as it seemed. Using QQ kick-started by ability to actually communicate with Chinese people. Through this application, I had real conversations in Chinese even though they were simple. This was a major milestone, which a few learners actually reach. At the beginning, I copy and paste from\/to Google Translate all the time and used a mouse over a dictionary for every single word I had to read. But it paid off more than I could hope helping me learn faster.<\/p>\n

2.Untethered immersion<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I first moved to China I usually hung out with my French classmates and had limited contact with the locals. I was somewhat in an expat bubble. After a few months though, I got a Chinese girlfriend. When we were going out with her circle of friends, the conversations were all in Chinese. This social outings forced me to learn listening skills in order to keep up with the conversations they were having. This time was a great leap forward in my listening comprehension.<\/p>\n

At about that same time, I started watching Chinese TV series and movies. The subtitles in the TV shows and movies helped me understand the Chinese being used. Having both text and voice will help you make the bridge between words you know orally and the actual characters used in these words. I also paid more attention to every bit of writing I could see, whether in the street, at the post office, or karaoke lyrics.<\/p>\n

Many people disregard Chinese characters and decide to learn only oral Chinese. I think you lose a lot by doing this method. By learning characters, it will increase on your oral Chinese, and the other way round. You get more insight by doing both at the same time. However, learning how to write characters is another matter. Writing skills will help the reading and vocabulary acquisition, but it’s less crucial.<\/p>\n

Here is the summary of my suggestions of learning Chinese well.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Learn Pinyin and do pronunciation drills until you are perfectly comfortable with Chinese phonetics.<\/li>\n
  2. Learn basic characters, key vocabulary and simple sentences (for their grammatical patterns).<\/li>\n
  3. Practice speaking, listening and reading through immersion.<\/li>\n
  4. Add writing to the mix once you’re relatively comfortable with the other areas..<\/li>\n
  5. Occasionally, pick up a grammar book to help you formalize and get a more abstract vision of what you learned.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Here are some recommendations for apps to get started:
    \nSkritter is just amazing! Learning to write Hanzi with it is fun because it’s like playing a game. It was also a major proponent to increasing my vocabulary. This helped me because it uses a particular algorithm (    Spaced Repetition<\/a>) that makes it most efficient and fun!<\/p>\n

    ChinesePod’s Upper Intermediate and Advanced podcasts to learn more grammar patterns and idioms. Their podcasts are quite entertaining and cover a wide range of interesting topics. Then I could use Skritter to retain the lesson’s vocabulary in my memory. Many patterns I use naturally in my conversations today were first learned with ChinesePod.<\/p>\n

    Conclusion<\/h4>\n

    Have an internal motivation<\/strong> (interest in the language itself) rather than an external one (making money in China). Why? If you enjoy learning Chinese because you find it fun and interesting, it will be much easier, and you will get much farther.<\/p>\n

    Make sure you get the pronunciation right from the start<\/strong>. It’s the only part which you will have trouble fixing later. Use pinyin charts, and do repetitive drills, until you’re sure your pronunciation is correct. Later it will service you well where you’ll be able to hear the different accents, and create your own personal accent. You’ll be able to sound either like a native, or you’ll forge your own accent.
    \nOnce you have the right motivation, and got the pronunciation right, it’s just a matter of time. Find the tools which fit your needs, seize the opportunities, and sooner than you think, you’ll be fluent.<\/p>\n

    2. Q: When making Chinese flashcards, is it best to put the character and Pinyin on the same side or on different sides (i.e., Pinyin & English \/\/ Character, or English \/\/ Pinyin & character)?<\/h3>\n

    A:<\/strong> I’ve found it most helpful to use software that can test each element independently. Pleco’s flashcard system, for example, supports that. You could get much the same effect with physical cards if you used multiple cards per vocabulary word, e.g., (Pinyin \/\/ Characters; English \/\/ Characters; and, if you like, the third combination English \/\/ Pinyin) or putting the character on one side and the English plus pinyin on the other.<\/p>\n

    The best way is the way that helps you personally learn the fastest. You should try different combinations until you hit on the one that works best for you.<\/p>\n

    The nice thing about this setup is that it lets you account for different levels of recall about different aspects of a word. If you have no trouble remembering what a given set of characters meanings; however you may struggle remembering how to pronounce it, you can focus on just the pronunciation part by repeating that card more often.<\/p>\n

    Chinese Characters<\/h2>\n

    3.Q: What are the sounds associated with certain radicals in the Chinese language?<\/h3>\n

    A:<\/strong> The radicals do not indicate any phonetic content; it’s the other half of the character that does this. Radicals give you a category that can hint at the meaning of the character.<\/p>\n

    1. As an example, let’s begin with \u9a6c ma3, which means horse. I can add radicals to this character to get new characters with very similar phonetic content:<\/p>\n

    By adding the female radical \u5973 + \u9a6c = \u5988 ma1, which means mother. The radical hints at the meaning, while the other half suggests the pronunciation.<\/p>\n

    2. Adding the mouth radical \u53e3 +\u9a6c = \u5417 ma, which is a particle indicating a question. The mouth radical is frequently seen with other radicals.<\/p>\n

    3. Adding two mouth radicals on top gives \u9a82 ma4, to scold.<\/p>\n

    These examples aren\u2019t always same for every character though because there are a ton of exceptions:<\/p>\n