I'm trying to figure out which dialect of Chinese to learn for my travels...
I'm considering a trip to China. Actually more like moving to China for a year after I complete my degree in jr. College. I would like to spend the two years between now and then, studying Chinese.
I was considering Mandarin, as I thought that would be most useful because I'd like to go to North East China. But is there another dialect more common in that area? Does anyone know for certain?
I found this site called Glossika that says Mandarin is the dialect. Does anyone know how reliable site this is? It looks legit but I'd just like to be sure.
Thanks everyone in advance 😊.
Reply to this Mandarin or putonghua was elevated to the official Chinese language which makes it useful simply because of that fact. Of course, that will be of little comfort when you encounter all the traditional characters in use in southern China and Hong Kong, and on top of that they speak the Cantonese language with more complex use of tones which makes it rather different.
I would encourage you to pick Mandarin because as an added bonus you also get the simplified character set. The complex traditional characters used with Cantonese are quite a different ballgame and much harder to learn. There are some more dialects (and minority languages as well of course) but I think your primary choice should stand between Mandarin or Cantonese. You might want to take into account that Cantonese (and the traditional characters) are much more spread among the Chinese populations living in other countries, whereas Mandarin is focused on the mainland and especially the Beijing-area.
I took mandarin classes for six months earlier this year and although I am quite miserable at the pronunciation of tonal languages people would still say that it sounded like I was from Beijing... 😊
Reply to this Okay, thanks alot Johan 😊.
I am not in the position to take full time lessons in a class at this time, but I found a site run by a Serge Melynk with free audio lessons and you can access the transcripts and worksheets for as little as 60 dollars for 6 months. I'm thinking of buying them.
I've downloaded the first five or six audio lessons and they seem good. But looking at the titles of the many lessons, I feel that they wouldn't be as helpful to someone with absolutely NO Mandarin experience or knowledge. I feel that I could still benefit greatly from Serges lessons, but do you know of a good book and audio language course that I could use to go along with it?
I'm used to learning a new language by learning the basics of reading and writing, and then being introduced to simple, common phrases like Greetings, introducing yourself, then numbers, colors, and basic objects, and begin learning grammar so you can describe things so on and so forth, so that with in two months you can comfortably talk about things in the city and around the neighborhood, etc, etc. You can ask for and give directions, you write sentences, order food in a diner and talk about things that you like or dislike and you should be able to go to the doctor for a check up.
I am not at all familiar with tonal (is that word?) languages. What would be a few helpful tips for someone studying Chinese languages?
Reply to this Learning a language on your own is tricky, I know because I've tried many times and given up just as many. 😊 The material can rarely answer your questions and you risk getting stuck with bad habits from misunderstandings which become trickier to correct as time passes. Do you have access to foreign students from China near your place? Or perhaps you can find someone in the yellow pages offering evening classes. In my opinion it really is that important to have access to a native speaker, someone who can show you, encourage you, drive you on and quickly see what needs to be corrected. A good teacher is such a great way to keep up the motivation.
By comparison, I also took Russian for six months at uni level recently. Those classes were designed as self-study material, the teachers recorded webcasts and all sorts of interactive applications for learning, but without regular direct communication and meager feedback on the assignments it was doomed to be a failure.
If you want to go with self-study material I would say that you typically get what you pay for. There is such a lot of crappy books with dvds promising this and that number of words and phrases that you'll pick up in no time. However, if you are really serious about it, the best material I've come across is based on an American method of learning called Pimsleur. Their approach is to rub in words and phrases by giving you little pieces at a time and then challenging you to use them while at the same time sneaking in words or expressions you picked up in earlier classes. It is designed as a two way dialogue, so you have to be fast in snapping back at them. It works surprisingly well, but it still got tedious after a while and they are prohibitively expensive. Maybe the local library has a copy?
Reply to this I wouldn't even dream of tackling a language like Chinese or any of the Asian tongues without help!
I'm looking for a Mandarin speaker in my area, I have put up online adds and am making fliers to put up at the library and at the technical school and the community college. But I can only afford to pay someone four a few hours on weekends. I would like to have something that can help me while at the house and while I'm going through out my day.
My ad asks for someone who would meet with me for 1-2 hours every Sat and Sun and write and respond to letters through out the week via local post. and a 30 minute conversation on the phone every Wednesday. I cant really afford to take formal classes anywhere, as I'm about to begin college full time with 6 classes a day. (hopefully!)
I'm not able to afford to pay for much more than what my ad lists. Can you refer me to a site that helps match up foreign language penpals?
Hey! I just gave myself an idea!
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