An Introduction to Learning The Chinese Language

AnIntroductiontoLearningTheChineseLanguageEditedbyAvrilCanuterocketlanguages.com/chinese/premium/ContentsIntroductionChapter1SomeSimpleFactsRegardingtheChineseLanguageChapter2WaystoLearntheChineseLanguageChapter3HowtoLearnChineseChapter4EasyWaystolearnChineseChapter5SomeBasicSkillsRequiredforLearningChineseChapter6HowtoGoAboutLearningChineseonlineChapter7SomeTechniquesWhichMayAssistYouWhenLearningtoSpeakChineseConclusionIntroductionFormanyyearsnow,theworldhasbeeninsistingthateveryoneshouldspeakEnglish.Butacrosstheworld,countrieshaveprovidedtheiryoungwithinitiativestolearnotherlanguagesalso.Yetinrecentmonths,Americanshavenowcometorealizethatthereisnowaneedforpeopletoabletospeaklanguagesthataremorespecialized.Certainlythefactisthatonelanguagewhichmanyschoolsarenowconsideringincludingwithintheircurriculums,notjustintheUSA,butaroundtheworld,isChinese.Presently,1.3billionpeoplespeakChinesearoundtheworld,andofthis,885millionspeakMandarin(theofficiallanguageofChina),whichalsohappenstobethemostdominantdialect.CurrentlyintheUSA,only24,000students(Grades7throughto12)areactuallystudyingthislanguage,buttheirnumbersaregrowingsteadily.However,thebiggestproblemthatmanyeducatorsintheUSarefacingwhenitcomestoexpandingtheirChineseprograms,isfindingpeoplewhoareactuallyqualifiedtoteachit.ThereareonlyafewUniversitiesintheUSAwhichofferprogramstoallowpeopletotrainandgaintheirteacher’scertificationinteachingtheChineselanguage.OneUniversity(GeorgeMason)includedaprogramwhichwouldallowpeopletogaintheirteacher’scertificateforteachingMandarin,andatotalof2peopleenrolledonthecourse.Thisiswhereexchangecoursescomeinuseful,andareverycriticalinhelpingensurethatthislanguage,alongwithArabic,canbetaughtinUSschools.HoweverforthosethatareinterestedinlearningtheChineselanguage,youwillfinditcanbeverydifficult.Soyouneedtobepreparedtospendagooddealofyoursparetime,asyouwillfinditwilltakesometimetolearn.However,throughthisbook,wehopetoprovideyouwithsomeusefulinformationthatwillhelpyoutolearnChinese.Chapter1–SomeSimpleFactsRegardingtheChineseLanguageToday,themoststandardformofChinesethatisspokenisknownasStandardMandarin,whichisbasedonadialectspokeninBeijing.ItisalsotheofficiallanguagenowusedbythepeopleofChina,aswellasthoseinTaiwan,andoneof4officiallanguagesspokenbythosepeoplefromSingapore.Also,youwillfindthatthislanguagehasnowbecomeoneofthesixofficiallanguagesusedbytheUnitedNations.AnotherstandardlanguagethatisspokenbyHongKongandMacau,whicharealsopartofChina,isStandardCantonese.Butinthisbook,wewillbelookingcloselyathowtolearnStandardMandarin.MostofthedialectsnowspokenbytheChinesepeoplewilloftenconsistofwordsspokenbytheirancestors,backwhenChinawasmadeupofvariousdifferentethnicgroups.ItwasonlyafterthesegroupshadcometogetherundertheChineseempire,thattheystartedtounitethelanguagesthattheyspoke.However,astheChineseuseastandardformalwrittenlanguage,nomatterwhatdialecttheyspeak,peoplewilloftenregardthesedialectsasbeingequal.But,infact,theyarelikeanyothercountry,theirownindividuals;theyjustuseastandardizedformofwriting.Itwasduringthelatterpartofthe19thCenturythatBeijingMandarinbecamethemorestandardformofChineselanguagetobeused.ButitwasatthistimemanyChinesedidspeakvariationsofMandarin,thoughtheywereverylimited.However,thingschangedwhentheeducationsysteminChinawasbasedonStandardMandarin,andwastobeusedasthelanguageforcarryingoutinstructions.Today,nearlyeverypersoninmainlandChinaspeaksMandarin.ItisimportanttonotethatthevariousdifferentdialectsofspokenChineseusetones.SomeareasofChina(intheNorth)willonlyuseasmanyas3tones,whileinSouthernChina,theycanusebetween6or10tonesastheyspeak.Today,moreandmorepeoplearelookingtolearnMandarinintheWesternhemisphereoftheworld.Upuntilabout10yearsago,itwasprovingtobeextremelydifficulttofindsomeonewhocouldteachothersthislanguage.Today,therearequiteanumberofschoolsacrosstheUS,andacrosstherestoftheworld,wherethislanguageisnowbeingtaught.Backin1991therewereonly2,000peopletakingChina’sofficialChineselanguageproficiencytest,andthisfigurehadrisento117,660by2005.Infact,theMinistryofEducationinChinabelievethatthereareover30millionpeoplearoundtheworldwhoarelearningMandarin.Chapter2–WaystoLearntheChineseLanguageIf,likemanyothers,youhavewantedtolearnalanguagewhichisuniqueandnotonethatmanypeoplearefamiliarwith,thenwhynotconsiderlearningChinese?Belowweprovideyouwithsomeeasytipswhichcanhelpyoutolearnalanguage,whichisbecomingincreasinglyessentialinmodernlife.First,youneedtolookatthebestwaythatYoulearnanysubject.Areyousomeonewholearnsalanguagebestwhentheyrewritephrasesthattheyhaveheard?Orareyousomeonewhofindsitmucheasiertolearnalanguagebyrereadingthingsoverandoveragain?Youmayfinditmucheasiertolearnthelanguageifyoueitherspeakitoutloudyourself,orhearsomeoneelsespeakingitforyou.Butifyouareunsure,thentrypracticingeachtechniquethathasbeenmentionedabove,andyouwillsoonseewhichofthemwillhelpyoumosttorememberwhatyouarelearningmoreeffectively.Rewritingeachphraseorwordontoapageofabookwilldefinitelyhelp,asthismeansthatyouhavesomethingthatyoucanreferbacktoifyouareha