So Just Exactly What Made Me Write This
I've long been learning Mandarin ever since I was a kid. But to be raised in the language environment I have been in, I wouldn't consider myself to be a native speaker of the Chinese language. Even today, I find it challenging to converse very fluently with the Chinese from China. I've found that I still frequently include some English expressions that I simply cannot explain in Chinese without stopping the conversation. However, my exposure to Chinese continues to be good as I majored in Chinese in university and I've been giving lessons to numerous people for a fair few years.
During these years, I've come to know that to master Chinese, you really would need to be equipped with three things. You need enthusiasm, the proper techniques and good learning tools. I have my individual way of thinking when it comes to Chinese language learning. It often irritates me whenever I observe how schools within my homeland are educating the students in the wrong manner, either by continuously lowering standards, or reducing the learning of important aspects of the language such as writing.
Therefore, I find that I have to write something to enable others to pick up on the proper concepts about the Chinese language so that they can excel.
Sounds, Form, Meaning and Usage
The many learners of Chinese most often would lament that Chinese language is far from easy to achieve proficiency. They normally concentrate in learning how to communicate in Chinese.
However, they did not think about the differences in language features that are bound to exist in every different language. The fact that they had not noticed the close relationship between sound, form and meaning in each individual Chinese character, had only made learning the language, even if it's just the speaking part, that much harder. Chinese do not have so many ways of pronunciation as does English. If we're not going to learn the characters which differentiates the meaning of one similar Chinese sound to another, we will not be able to memorize enough "Chinese sounds in context" to become proficient in the language.
I continue to request students or beginners to put into memory the fundamentals of Chinese pinyin rules, grammar and word order, as well as how the general guidelines are for writing Chinese characters. It's just impossible to master Chinese without memory work, through creative teaching or creative learning, whatever they call it nowadays.
The greatest obstacle anyone can encounter in the course of learning Chinese characters is that they have no clue what different words mean when familiar characters come together. Although all these characters are the highest appearing characters and the student has already learned about it, they still do not know what different combinations of these characters mean.
I always emphasize that you need to learn the basic meanings of each character you come across, so that you will find it easier to learn the compound words when characters come together. It is just not possible to remember every combination of different characters. Native Chinese speakers don't learn it that way, and neither should you. Master the fundamental meanings of each character and everything will come easier in the future.
Of course there would be words that you won't be able to guess, but most of them would have some form of derived relationship from the root words that you have learned. There is one fact I have to clarify though. Most characters in Chinese have multiple root meanings, and it's important to keep expanding your understanding of these meanings. It's not impossible, when you compare it with trying to remember every word you come across. Isn't that equating to memorizing the dictionary already?
How do you prevent yourself from instantly forgetting everything that you've learned? You simple have to practise. Make sure you have the chance to see the Chinese character, listen to its pronunciation, see it in use and use it yourself, and connect the usage with actual experiences. The more senses and experiences that can be hooked to a particular piece of information, the better we'll remember it. It's even better if you can associate with feelings that you felt regarding the particular situation when you used the word. An example is that you would never forget a word if there was ever an occasion when you used the word wrongly and resulted in a very embarrassing situation.
Ways to Continue the Fight in the Long Run
There will be a portion of those who started out learning the language, who will surrender before mastering Chinese. These people sometimes will find fault with the language so that they can feel better about giving up.
Motivation plays a vital role in ensuring that learning continues to be fun, so that we don't give up. Steve Kaufman, a polyglot who have learned ten languages revealed the secret to language learning as engaging in motivating and interest-triggering content.
Steve Kaufman maintains that interesting articles would push us to continue learning just so we can finish reading whatever we have set out to finish. Two other similar examples are people who learned korean and Japanese because they fell in love with Korean TV variety shows and Japanese anime cartoons.
Of course, other than great content to keep you interested. The other usual factors play a part. Find a partner to learn the language with you, keep setting small goals and reward yourself when you have reached your goals or certain milestones. Keep a progress updates that you know that things are moving and you want to keep them that way. The secret to motivation is to make yourself feel good. If learning can be associated to feeling good by your mind, you will be less likely to give up. It's also interesting to know that there is such a thing known as "mental muscles". Studies have shown that when we endured on a little bit and achieve our targets, every time our will gets stronger with every target accomplished. These all add up to make up strong determination in people. Go find that TV show that you like, and try going through some conversations to see if you can act out the part in their native language!
Learning Resources
Learning Chinese language is similar to everything else. And that includes getting hold of the right tools to help us learn better.
Get yourself the essential learning tools such as dictionaries or learning softwares. You would probably also need audio tapes for practices in pronunciation and listening. Also get yourself a book on Chinese characters. All in all, do read up the Chinese culture as well, and ensure that all topics that frequently come in handy are learned. Once done, take action and start learning!
I've long been learning Mandarin ever since I was a kid. But to be raised in the language environment I have been in, I wouldn't consider myself to be a native speaker of the Chinese language. Even today, I find it challenging to converse very fluently with the Chinese from China. I've found that I still frequently include some English expressions that I simply cannot explain in Chinese without stopping the conversation. However, my exposure to Chinese continues to be good as I majored in Chinese in university and I've been giving lessons to numerous people for a fair few years.
During these years, I've come to know that to master Chinese, you really would need to be equipped with three things. You need enthusiasm, the proper techniques and good learning tools. I have my individual way of thinking when it comes to Chinese language learning. It often irritates me whenever I observe how schools within my homeland are educating the students in the wrong manner, either by continuously lowering standards, or reducing the learning of important aspects of the language such as writing.
Therefore, I find that I have to write something to enable others to pick up on the proper concepts about the Chinese language so that they can excel.
Sounds, Form, Meaning and Usage
The many learners of Chinese most often would lament that Chinese language is far from easy to achieve proficiency. They normally concentrate in learning how to communicate in Chinese.
However, they did not think about the differences in language features that are bound to exist in every different language. The fact that they had not noticed the close relationship between sound, form and meaning in each individual Chinese character, had only made learning the language, even if it's just the speaking part, that much harder. Chinese do not have so many ways of pronunciation as does English. If we're not going to learn the characters which differentiates the meaning of one similar Chinese sound to another, we will not be able to memorize enough "Chinese sounds in context" to become proficient in the language.
I continue to request students or beginners to put into memory the fundamentals of Chinese pinyin rules, grammar and word order, as well as how the general guidelines are for writing Chinese characters. It's just impossible to master Chinese without memory work, through creative teaching or creative learning, whatever they call it nowadays.
The greatest obstacle anyone can encounter in the course of learning Chinese characters is that they have no clue what different words mean when familiar characters come together. Although all these characters are the highest appearing characters and the student has already learned about it, they still do not know what different combinations of these characters mean.
I always emphasize that you need to learn the basic meanings of each character you come across, so that you will find it easier to learn the compound words when characters come together. It is just not possible to remember every combination of different characters. Native Chinese speakers don't learn it that way, and neither should you. Master the fundamental meanings of each character and everything will come easier in the future.
Of course there would be words that you won't be able to guess, but most of them would have some form of derived relationship from the root words that you have learned. There is one fact I have to clarify though. Most characters in Chinese have multiple root meanings, and it's important to keep expanding your understanding of these meanings. It's not impossible, when you compare it with trying to remember every word you come across. Isn't that equating to memorizing the dictionary already?
How do you prevent yourself from instantly forgetting everything that you've learned? You simple have to practise. Make sure you have the chance to see the Chinese character, listen to its pronunciation, see it in use and use it yourself, and connect the usage with actual experiences. The more senses and experiences that can be hooked to a particular piece of information, the better we'll remember it. It's even better if you can associate with feelings that you felt regarding the particular situation when you used the word. An example is that you would never forget a word if there was ever an occasion when you used the word wrongly and resulted in a very embarrassing situation.
Ways to Continue the Fight in the Long Run
There will be a portion of those who started out learning the language, who will surrender before mastering Chinese. These people sometimes will find fault with the language so that they can feel better about giving up.
Motivation plays a vital role in ensuring that learning continues to be fun, so that we don't give up. Steve Kaufman, a polyglot who have learned ten languages revealed the secret to language learning as engaging in motivating and interest-triggering content.
Steve Kaufman maintains that interesting articles would push us to continue learning just so we can finish reading whatever we have set out to finish. Two other similar examples are people who learned korean and Japanese because they fell in love with Korean TV variety shows and Japanese anime cartoons.
Of course, other than great content to keep you interested. The other usual factors play a part. Find a partner to learn the language with you, keep setting small goals and reward yourself when you have reached your goals or certain milestones. Keep a progress updates that you know that things are moving and you want to keep them that way. The secret to motivation is to make yourself feel good. If learning can be associated to feeling good by your mind, you will be less likely to give up. It's also interesting to know that there is such a thing known as "mental muscles". Studies have shown that when we endured on a little bit and achieve our targets, every time our will gets stronger with every target accomplished. These all add up to make up strong determination in people. Go find that TV show that you like, and try going through some conversations to see if you can act out the part in their native language!
Learning Resources
Learning Chinese language is similar to everything else. And that includes getting hold of the right tools to help us learn better.
Get yourself the essential learning tools such as dictionaries or learning softwares. You would probably also need audio tapes for practices in pronunciation and listening. Also get yourself a book on Chinese characters. All in all, do read up the Chinese culture as well, and ensure that all topics that frequently come in handy are learned. Once done, take action and start learning!
About the Author:
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