Chinese Learning Strategies for Heritage Students

[jinjin]

Hi everyone:

I'm Taiwanese/Japanese and was born/raised in the US. I grew up speaking Mandarin (both my parents are native Mandarin speakers--my half Japanese mother grew up in Taiwan) but I read/write at an elementary level.

Due to work, I need to learn business terms and improve my mandarin. Written isn't as important as spoken.

What have other heritage learners done to improve their Chinese? I find that classes are either too easy on the spoken side but too difficult on the reading/writing side that I can't find one that I fit into. Even classes for heritage learners aren't that great because heritage learners are on all different levels.

So, let me know what your experiences have been. Thanks!

[chrix]

hi,

I was kind of a heritage learner in Japanese, and I have had plenty of opportunity observing heritage learners from the CJK languages. I have to say, the key is the written language.

As a bilingual, usually you can easily acquire proficiency in the so-called "low" areas of language use, which means how the language is used in colloquial situations, from just being exposed to it at home. The "high" areas of competency though, which means areas where language is formally used, can only be attained through studies. You will usually have done that for one of your languages, namely that of the country you grew up in and went to school in.

Business situations are usually a mixture of high and low, you can't have one without the other. But you seem to be okay with the "low" aspects, so in order to get to the "high" aspects, I think for you it would be key to make an effort to study the written language intensively, because it is hard to access the "high" areas without the written medium at your disposal. If you don't find the right classes for you, self-study together with a tutor might be the only way for you...

[chrix]

Another, more practical thought: formal language use is something everybody needs to be trained in, best example is the Japanese formal language: college graduates coming into junior company positions are usually first subjected to a training in how to use the formal language correctly. There's plenty of textbooks for Japanese who grew up in Japan to study. There might be similar textbooks, maybe aiming at business majors in college, for Chinese, along the lines of how do I behave in business situations, how do I write a business letter etc.

[gato]

I would give the same advice that I gave three years ago

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/9243-re-learning-chinese-the-second-time

Re-Learning Chinese (the second time)

A two-step program:

(1) Go through the 2000 most frequently used characters with flashcards, until you can recognize all the words you can speak; and then

(2) Work on business-level vocabulary through a combination of flashcards and reading.

[Hofmann]

I was in a similar situation. It's a pretty good position, especially if you speak Mandarin. I encourage you to acquire literacy, as more advanced learning materials assume it. At my university, there's a class for people like you. I recommend that you take a look at the course catalog at a school near you.

I recommend that you download a popup translator, and read around. Wikipedia articles are good reading material.

[roddy]

Just came across this, a book designed specifically for American heritage students. Can't actually see that it's being released yet though, the product page lists it at '1Y' and doesn't have any info.

[character]

Me and China -- I've seen this in UNC's bookstore.

Also, there's Keeping My Mandarin Alive by Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. I'd only recommend borrowing this from a library for inspiration.

gato's advice seems the quickest way to go if you don't like the classes you've tried.

[onebir]

Might be worth having a look at Oh, China!: Elementary Reader of Modern Chinese for Advanced Beginners:

Oh, China! is a textbook for the growing number of "advanced beginners" who are studying Mandarin Chinese. These are students who, usually because of their Chinese family backgrounds, can speak and understand elementary Mandarin, but cannot read or write well enough for an intermediate course. Most first-year texts serve advanced beginners poorly by focusing on elementary vocabulary and conversation that the students already know. In contrast, this book offers help with what they most need: reading and writing, grammar, and achievement of standard pronunciation.

The content of the lessons has also been chosen to appeal specifically to advanced beginners. There are three clusters of topics: the home and social life of young Chinese- Americans, the notions of "overseas Chinese" and their ties to China, and important figures in modern Chinese history. Each lesson is given in both traditional and simplified characters, and, for the first fifteen lessons, in hanyu pinyin as well. The lessons are accompanied by vocabulary lists, grammar notes, usage exercises, and character stroke-order charts. The book begins with a detailed chapter on "foundation work" in Mandarin pronunciation, complete with exercises. It concludes with a complete Chinese-to-English vocabulary index.

I'm not a heritage speaker found it quite useful after a couple of years of kouyu evening classes. The big downside (for all the Princeton books AFAIK) is lack of easy/affordable access to the audio. Perhaps that's changed somehow.

It turns out the lead author of most of the Princeton series was forced to change some of them for presenting China in an unfavourable light.

Edited May 26, 2009 at 10:39 AM by onebir
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