Why You Must Learn The Chinese Language Today

2009-02-26 Word Count: 622 Category: Reference & Education

A lot of people faced with the task of how to learn Chinese fly into a complete panic. The symbols look so strange to none Chinese speakers, and the words sound nothing like the languages we may be accustomed to. But there are shortcuts to learning Mandarin that will have even the most panic-stricken student speaking Chinese in no time.
You can overcome the first problem - those strange-looking but beautiful characters - by separating the act of speaking Chinese from the act of reading it. Admittedly Mandarin doesn't use the Roman alphabet, or technically, any alphabet at all – those symbols are called characters, and there are thousands of them. But luckily, many English-speakers learn to speak basic Mandarin without learning Chinese characters, because Chinese can be written in a Roman alphabet called Pinyin. This definitely helps foreigners struggling with how to learn Chinese!
The second problem - the sound of Mandarin words themselves can be explained by realizing that Mandarin is very dependent on pitch and tone. For example, the sound "ma" said in a high-pitched tone could mean "mother" in a different tone, it could mean "horse." Thus, it's important that students concerned with how to learn Chinese approach the language in a way that allows them to hear the words and phrases pronounced. Pimsleur Chinese and Rocket Chinese are excellent language learning programs for this reason; it helps you learn the Chinese language in the quickest and most effective way possible.
Concluding how to learn Chinese, you must know which type of Chinese you need to learn. There are quite a few variations of the Chinese language; whether these are dialects of a single language, or related but separate languages like Spanish and Hungarian, for instance is difficult to say. Two of the most commonly used variants of Chinese are Mandarin (the standard language of both the People's Republic of China and Taiwan), and Cantonese more commonly spoken in Hong Kong. But each variant is completely unique from the others, and a Cantonese speaker cannot be understood by a person who speaks only Mandarin.
In addition to practicing with a good audio-based program such as Rocket Chinese, it helps greatly to befriend a native speaker to chat with. This is true when learning any foreign language, but it's an especially important factor in how to learn Mandarin. Have you ever heard someone pronounce an unfamiliar name on the mobile, and failed to understand what they were trying to say to you? This is because you can't see the movements of their mouth as they say the words. With so many Chinese words dependent upon tone and the slightest variation of pronunciation, it helps so much to have a native Chinese speaker to watch as well as hear.
You say you don't know any native Chinese speakers? I'll bet you do! Is there a Chinese coffee shop nearby? If its proprietors speak the variant of Chinese you want to master, make them your Chinese speaking friends, because they'll definitely have input on how to learn Chinese! Is there a Civic Association in your area? In all likelihood, there will be Chinese people there. Look on the Internet for forums and meeting places featuring Chinese language and culture. And as a last resort, you can learn a great deal from watching Mandarin movies.
Last but not least, practice a lot! You'll never sound like a local Chinese speaker, but before you know it, you'll be able to carry on a smooth, articulate conversation in your new language. And your friends will never believe that only a couple of weeks ago, you had no idea how to speak Chinese!

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Gerrit du Plessis runs the popular language learning site www.rocketlanguagecourses.com/ Want more ways to learn Chinese fast? Visit the Rocket Chinese review site for more info and get your 6-day Free Chinese course.