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.
Rosie From Learn Chinese Language Online (http://www.learn-chinese-language-online.com )
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.
I cannot emphasize enough the dearth of information, or the... Read More
My name is Luksi Humma, I am Choctaw or, Chahta,... Read More
The true meaning of Saturn is that he is the... Read More
1. Can you briefly summarize why you think history is... Read More
From the creative explosion marking the outset of the universe... Read More
In 1350 AD we were still quite a few centuries... Read More
The history of the royal barges dates back to the... Read More
On December 26, 2004 a massive tsunami swept through Thailand... Read More
Body piercing has grown so much in popularity in recent... Read More
"Game" TheoryThis article was inspired by Mick Napier's book ?Improvise:... Read More
Xenophon was a 4th Century BC Greek cavalry officer and... Read More
"Bohemian Grove is 'the greatest men's party on Earth', according... Read More
Women have been given the greatest gift of creativity there... Read More
The Art of War is an ancient Chinese text on... Read More
Towards the end of Million Dollar Baby the character Scraps,... Read More
A woman creates life from her womb, and man tries... Read More
Celebrity stalking has become the way for the socially inept... Read More
Lord Renfrew, Disney Professor of Archaeology at Cambridge University states:... Read More
Queen Mary I of England was born in 1516 to... Read More
What fairy tales of enchanted princesses and legendary lore of... Read More
Like many other aboriginal cultures around the world, the Inuit... Read More
THE BICYCLE OF LEONARDO DA VINCI: - "? a man... Read More
I had become too sick to live in America.Even with... Read More
ARTHUR KOESTLER:Humanitarian, historian and scientist are just a few of... Read More
A single-parent rose from obscurity in 8 years to become... Read More
Can We Pass The Test?American CitizenshipI'm the daughter of an... Read More
A mirror, when becoming a feng shui mirror, can be... Read More
In the State of Texas the Western Cowboy can be... Read More
In 1964 myself (René), Nelleke my wife, and our daughter... Read More
When building catapults, armies had to include in their ranks... Read More
IntroductionDo you know what "silk embroidery is? Do you know... Read More
Hello!If you haven't been transported by the mesmerizing sounds of... Read More
Silver is the most common of the Precious Metals. It's... Read More
But people are starting to take a new look at... Read More
Body jewelry and body piercing practices have been observed by... Read More
Everybody wants an edge that will give him or her... Read More
I was wondering if you might be interested in what... Read More
How necessary is cleaning your Civil War Uniform?The every day... Read More
This morning when I got out of bed, I had... Read More
The River Wandle is sourced from the North Downs above... Read More
Both Inuit Eskimo art and Native American art have gained... Read More
Xenophon was a 4th Century BC Greek cavalry officer and... Read More
Chinese Tattoos have always been hugely popular. At one stage... Read More
Lord Renfrew, Disney Professor of Archaeology at Cambridge University states:... Read More
A mirror, when becoming a feng shui mirror, can be... Read More
Towards the end of Million Dollar Baby the character Scraps,... Read More
I am very interested in reading about ghostly stories and... Read More
LifeI paint with an emphasis on expressing LIFE (the spirit... Read More
Just about everyone knows what his or her birthstone is.... Read More
New Age - A Paradigm Shift to Divine Consciousness &... Read More
The Million dollars was my life-savings earmarked for prime the... Read More
The export of certain Inuit sculpture from Canada to other... Read More
Gold is one of the metals taken from the earth... Read More
Original Tribal masks are often seen by unknowing eyes as... Read More
Wearing birthstone jewelry is very popular today. Not only is... Read More
Many people collect Inuit art as investments. Inuit art is... Read More
Vastu is one of the most ancient sciences of Indian... Read More
Hello!If you haven't been transported by the mesmerizing sounds of... Read More
In the State of Texas the Western Cowboy can be... Read More
IntroductionDo you know what "silk embroidery is? Do you know... Read More
They inhabit self-imposed ghettoes, subject to derision and worse, the... Read More
If you're still young enough to remember your birthday, you... Read More
Feng shui involves more than just colors and where you... Read More
The thunderbird has been one of the most dominant icons... Read More
'Mr. Rhodes aspired to be the creator of one of... Read More
Mexico needs to do something about the behavior of Gringos... Read More
Humanities |