How much did you learn in a semester?

[votrechien]

The title says it all. After a semester of studying in China, how much Mandarin did you learn?

Obviously its doubtful you were able to hold down a conversation about politics, but, for example, could you at least communicate somewhat effectively? If you were on a bus and some chinese people were talking smack about you, could you understand?

[Nibble]

That really depends on where you're studying and how good of a student you are. If you're taking a 3-hour-per-week university course in a Western country, then no. You'll come out being able to say "Hello, my name is Bob. I am Canadian. Where is the cafeteria?" and little else. If you go to a Chinese-speaking country, enter a one-textbook-lesson-per-day course, and are able to keep up with it, you'd obviously be much more proficient.

[Shadowdh]

I feel that after doing the 6 week summer course my spoken Chinese had improved quite a bit... I could get by day to day and even make a joke which was appreciated (of course they could have been laughing at my crap Chinese)... reading improved too...

as for the 2 posters above me chill and read Sailors post a bit better or perhaps work on the comprehension... unless I am misconstruing the tone of the posts it seems that the attacks are not warranted... and whats wrong with them speaking English you speaking Chinese... I did this and it seemed to work out fine... anyway I am prob reading the tone a bit wrong... (that and I am insanely jealous of anyone in China right now as I really want to be back there...!!!!)

[mpallard]

Actually, in response to the earlier to the original question, assuming the semester is spent in China or Taiwan, at the end of one semester you can say a lot basic phrases however if the response exceeds 1 sentence there is no way you are going to understand the answer.

I personally believe you need to put in at least 2 years of pretty hard core study (in a chinese speaking environment) before you can start having somewhat decent conversations with people.

[Shadowdh]

I dont agree with that assessment Mpallard.. I have one year at a Uni in the UK and 6 weeks at BLCU in China and I managed to hold a conversation fine and understand alot of the response... (sure not all but still more than one sentance)...

[mpallard]

Maybe you're a language genius, I don't know, but in order to be able to hold a decent conversation you really need to know a hell of a lot of words (and have heard them spoken in context a least couple times). I don't know how you could possibly learn all that vocabulary in six weeks or even 6 months.

I do not deny that could can hold a conversation (where are you from?, how long have you been here?, how old are you?, why are you studying Chinese?, etc.) , but I said "decent" conversation (I guess we all have our own definitions of this word).

The original question asked if you were on a bus and people were talking about you, would you know it or not. You would know it, but even if you could speak no Chinese at all there are enough non verbal signs (pointing, staring) that make it obvious. And if you knew basic Chinese it would be even more obvious as you would keep hearing the same words (英文，外国人，老外，练习, 美国, etc.) repeated over and over.

[roddy]

The guy asked a question about how much you can learn in a semster, and he's getting a load of stuff about racism and whether or not you should speak Chinese in the office. Go start your own topics, folks, or in the case of the racism one, don't.

Have removed the irrelevant posts, will try and sort them into one or two actual topics later.

[Shadowdh]

Maybe you're a language genius, I don't know, but in order to be able to hold a decent conversation you really need to know a hell of a lot of words (and have heard them spoken in context a least couple times). I don't know how you could possibly learn all that vocabulary in six weeks or even 6 months.

Heck no... but I am pretty diligent in studying and I REALLY listen... or at least try to... And as I said its with a year in a UK uni and then 6 weeks at BLCU... plus you really need to get away from the english speaking friends (not the Chinese people who speak English at you as they can still help and you can help them... sort of an exchange)...

I do not deny that could can hold a conversation (where are you from?, how long have you been here?, how old are you?, why are you studying Chinese?, etc.) , but I said "decent" conversation (I guess we all have our own definitions of this word).

I would consider the conversation you outline to be pretty decent but if you study and practice then it can go further (as it frequently does and then hey you get to learn new words)... also I found I could understand a lot more than I could speak...

The original question asked if you were on a bus and people were talking about you, would you know it or not. You would know it, but even if you could speak no Chinese at all there are enough non verbal signs (pointing, staring) that make it obvious. And if you knew basic Chinese it would be even more obvious as you would keep hearing the same words (英文，外国人，老外，练习, 美国, etc.) repeated over and over.

If it was one whole semester and you were in China and you studied hard with lots of practice then I would say you could follow a conversation but the colloquiallisms would kill, at least for me...

And I cant wait to see what the other posts were that you had to remove Roddy...

[HashiriKata]

And I cant wait to see what the other posts were that you had to remove Roddy...

Yes, put them back Roddy, because they are the whole point of me checking the board every minute!

Anyway, asking how much Chinese is learned in a semester is as precise as asking how much money is earned in a month without telling by who and where the earning is made.

[Qcash3]

I agree that, it depends on what type of student you are, but I also think that it also depends on how deeply you immerse yourself. If you stay locked up in your dorm, or hang out with primarily foreigners, then your Chinese is not going to be as good as it could be if you actually get out and mingle. In the beginning you may not understand at all what is being said to you, but after a while you will begin to pick up things here and there when you hear them used repeatedly. Osmosis...

[zarathustra]

Nibble,

Those one textbook lesson a day courses might be perfect for me. I'm looking to start in the spring and would really like the most intensive school as possible. I know there's one school that costs more than the rest; that might not be an option. But as far as the average costing schools, I'm not sure which is appropriate.

I'm looking to study Chinese for a few years before grad school at BeiDa. So learning Chinese as fast as possible is very important for me.

[yonitabonita]

I spent one semester at the BLCU, and came to China knowing how pinyin works, about 200 characters (max) and a Cantonese background.

In one semester, I'm at about 2500 characters. I can get the general gist of most newspaper articles, and during my summer holidays, I discovered that I could engage in conversations about Chinese politics. I couldn't get all the vocabulary all the time, and would often have to get people to explain using other plainer words, but ideas were exchanged about the Dalai Lama, Tibet, the pros and cons of Mao, the effect of backpackers and the Lonely Planet etc all the same. I think when we're learning another language, learning a political vocabulary (communist, democracy, culture, censorship) is about as hard or as easy as learning vocab for tying your shoes (shoelace, tie, bow, knot, tight, pull). They're all new words right? Anyway, I annoyingly digress.

I knew when people were talking about me even when they weren't talking to me.

My study habits: 4 hours of class per day. 1 hour homework. 2-3 hours of either reading anything in Chinese. At the very least 1-2 hours of daily rote learning of vocabulary AND chinese characters. For language practice, I go and get my veggies and beer during non-peak times so I can grab the opportunity to have a yarn when they're not busy. For tingli, I download lessons on the ipod and listen as I'm drifting off to sleep. (not effective)

I disagree that in 6 months, you can only achieve basic phrases. A whole heap is dependant on your own levels of motivation, discipline and ability.

[bianfuxia]

I'm not nearly as diligent a student as the previous poster but I tend to disagree with the notion that 6 months leaves you with only basic skills.

I did a beginner's semester at BLCU (though have now pulled out for various reasons to continue studying in different ways). Before I did that I knew zero Chinese, not even nihao.

I find that I can get the general gist of basic conversations about politics and education systems. I was on a train with some Chinese people, and my travelling companion spoke ok Mandarin, and we talked about the relative merits of the "Chinese" way and the "western" way of teaching. I was able to communicate my view that the two systems had their own merits, that the outcomes might be similar even if the methods were different, and that alot depended on the individual students and their willingness to learn.

Also, I found that I could understand a lot more than I could say - it is generally the case that your "passive" vocabulary is a lot larger than your "active" one. You remember words when they are spoken to you that you can't seem to recall when you want to say them.

OK, my grammar and pronunciation leave a lot to be desired, and I needed to rely on sign language as well. You would hardly describe my contribution as eloquent or sophisticated. But I got my message across, and the chinese people seemed to understand.

So after 6 months I feel I am beyond "where are you from, what's your name, how old are you", etc.

Recognising characters is another thing entirely - but in conversational situations, after 6 months, you can reasonably hope for a little more progress than simply the very basics.

If you study like a demon, you will be alot better than me after 6 months. Or even not like a demon, just like something vaguely resembling a committed student!

good luck!

[flameproof]

(of course they could have been laughing at my crap Chinese).....

My experience is that Chinese never laugh at your attempts to speak mandarin. When they smile it usually because they are happy that you try.

Keep also in mind that most chinese Mandarin speakers are not native speaker themselves (of pure Mandarin).