Speaking of Chinese

I feel I should add to the previous blog (about the rest of the world not speaking enough Chinese, according to the Chinese government) below.

Many people want to know some phrases before they visit a country, others feel it's absolutely necessary. While some (like this writer) don't even bother to learn any before hopping on the plane. However, I've since learned from my mistake - you'll be greeted with more smiles if you just try to utter 'NiHao' than 'Excuse me, I'm looking for ...'.

It's not so hard as one might think. You'll hear people all over the world claim that Chinese or Czech or Thai or Russia.. etc is the hardest language to learn. Don't listen to negatives, think about your goal. Do you want to read Mao's little red book in it's native characters or be able to say numbers? Once you know what you're after it's not that hard to obtain.

Give yourself time, try not to (like me) save language lessons for the plane/train/drive over. Audio recordings are essential for learning spoken Chinese - especially if you haven't mastered pinyin pronunciation yet.

Tones you say? The number one problem English speakers have is learning tones. Don't get discouraged by that! Just listen to recordings of the phrases you wish to learn and repeat exactly the same as the speaker (I find it helps if the speaker/teacher is the same gender as the student). The bottom line is - it takes time to recognize and remember the tones for each character/word.

* A small note about audio recordings. Most use 'standard' Chinese or Peking/Beijing dialect - this is what students across China are taught in school. However, you'll find that in reality Mandarin can sound vastly different from Beijing to Shanghai to Fujian.. etc. Not to mention other languages such as Wu or Shanghai-ese (don't get me started)! If you can say what you want to say in Standard Chinese - you'll probably be understood, don't worry about that. My concern is that you understand the answer! Be warned that in some provinces L & N, s & sh sounds may not be as pronounced as you're used to. *


Should you learn Chinese characters? That's up to you, I find them interesting and love the lore behind how some characters evolved into their present shapes. But, really, how much reading are you planning on doing over your week in China? Besides washroom signs (male/female), what do YOU need/want to know?

And the number one reason I'm writing this blog is to tell you: learning Chinese is not costly. There are many helpful sites on learning spoken and written Chinese (many are free), and a wide range of ways to speak to Chinese people (language exchanges, Skype, QQ, MSN).

Once you are in China you will find it easier to learn and remember Chinese as you are immersed in it. So am I telling you to listen to Chinese for an hour a day? Yes, I mean no haha.. not unless you want to. I am saying that a handful of words will make locals feel their language is appreciated and possibly open some conversation, but it's not impossible to travel China on English alone.

Tip: Learn to say some of your favourite foods (rice, noodles, egg, fish, lamb, tomato) if you plan to visit restaurants off the beaten path. Outside of Beijing, Shanghai, HongKong; English menus are less common. I'm saying this because sometimes the pictures on menus (if you use the point-and-order method) are deceiving.

Chinese Language sites:
Nciku
Chinese Tools
Chinese Learner
Chinese Phrases

Chinese Characters:
Learn Chinese ez

Chinese Language Software:
WenLin