what do you use Chinese for?

[Shi Tong]

Hello Lu, interesting.

Lots of English schools are just introducing Chinese languages, but what I find equally interesting (and annoying) is that I've only ever met 1 English person who has been able to speak Mandarin since I've started learning- It would be really interesting for me to speak to another English person who can speak Mandarin, but I've not had the opportunity.

How about you? Do you know any fellow speakers, who are NOT native speakers?

[woliveri]

Lots of English schools are just introducing Chinese languages, but what I find equally interesting (and annoying) is that I've only ever met 1 English person who has been able to speak Mandarin since I've started learning- It would be really interesting for me to speak to another English person who can speak Mandarin, but I've not had the opportunity.

How about you? Do you know any fellow speakers, who are NOT native speakers?

I don't speak English (Queen's English), I speak American :mrgreen:

But, with that, I can hold a decent conversation in Mandarin.

[Shi Tong]

hahahaha..

Well, you speak American English, but lets not get into that debate.. tomato tomato!

I'd have to actually meet you and speak to you, but I still dont know anyone English who speaks Mandarin..

Lets hope someone replies soon 8)haha

[chrix]

yes, especially foreigners who have spent time abroad, but there's also some people who speak quite well without spending time in a Chinese-speaking country...

[xiaotao]

Trisha,

Websites that carry chinese material for children:

Chinasprout.com

Asianparents.com

Chinesetapes.com

childbook.com

[jbradfor]

Because I wanted to do a semester abroad, and I liked Chinese culture and history. [i ended up in Taiwan.]

[Shi Tong]

What did you think jbradfor?

[jbradfor]

I try not to think, it makes my head hurt.

Do you mean what did I think of Taiwan? I loved my time there. It was a lot of work, but I learned a lot, but language and culture. One of the highlights of my life. [FWIW, this was back in '89, I was at Tunghai in Taizhong.]

[xueshengDan]

This post is abit dated but still a interesting one. I have been studying Mandarin for 3 years almost and have seen days of great improvement and days of utter dispair. It is truely one of the most difficult task I have put myself into. The reward came last year when I went to Beijing and used only Mandarin while there. I travel alone without a guide so having 3 weeks there without any trouble was an ego builder. I enjoy using the language every opportunity I get, I have school every friday night and drive the teachers crazy with questions. I even do my banking in a chinese run bank so I can practice. I guess I just have a passion for the language, pure and simple. I have friend tell me that you need at least 4 years to really make break throughs, so next year I will come back to this post and see what happens. Good luck to everyone in their pursuit.

[Lu]

How about you? Do you know any fellow speakers, who are NOT native speakers?

Tons. Studied Chinese at three different universities, you bet I know a lot of non-native Chinese speakers by now.

[knadolny]

How about you? Do you know any fellow speakers, who are NOT native speakers?

Same here. After studying for long enough you are bound to meet some people who keep at it and can qualify to call themselves "speakers" of Chinese. Sure I had a lot of classmates who gave up after a year or two and aren't so good now, but I also know quite a few who stuck to it and speak great now.

Then not to mention my friends who stayed in college who I haven't talked to in a while. I imagine they are great now.

[TeresaWI]

Trisha

This book might be helpful to you: Kids Stuff Chinese:Easy Chinese Phrases for You and Your Kids by Therese Slevin Pirz

It has lots of phrases in it, organized by type. "wash your hands", "are you hungry", "let's go outside", etc.

[Shi Tong]

It's interesting how I've learned Mandarin for so long, but it's never been formal, appart from a 3 month stint in Taiwan.

My wife's friends who live here, or her family who come to visit, all speak to me in Chinese, so I get all my practice there, so I've never needed to make it into formal learning in England. I would definately meet some people who speak Mandarin in England if I get to A level stages and have to take classes.. which will be really interesting because I really have only ever met 1 other person!!

It's a shame you dont like thinking too much jbradfor, you seem pretty good at it!

[Lugubert]

I started learning Chinese from a general interest in linguistics. I wanted to get a glimpse of yet another non-IE language, if I were to have time and energy to go forlinguistic universals. Many of the other students were taking business administration or for other reasons hoped/planned for a profitable career in business directed at China, a few were ethnic Chinese who either had been adopted at an early age or had lived long enough in Sweden to be fluent in Swedish.

I stayed beyond the elementary stage despite my inability to recognize/produce correct tones. I've got the perfect excuse: two brain infarctions following as many strokes. My reading comprehension, using dictionaries etc., isn't too bad. I utterly fail at conversation. One day, I might try immersion because I intensely enjoyed my two trips to China (a total of some three months) when a former fellow student made the arrangements and interpreted for me.

[huaxia]

Thanks to all for sharing your opinions/experience with me. It's very helpful.

To woliveri, I'm actually teaching in Florida. I guess, in terms of learning resources, it's better than the old days. but still far from good enough.

[Hofmann]

I use Chinese to learn more Chinese.

[imron]

I use Chinese to learn more Chinese.

Yes Me too.

[Shi Tong]

Lugubert,

Personally I think some people just have a really hard time with speaking and listening to Chinese, and I dont think there's any problem with it.

I remember when I was learning French, my grammar, written and reading was absolutely rubbish, I didn't understand a thing about gender specific words etc, and I found the whole thing a nightmare.

When I went to Taiwan to learn Chinese I honestly thought that I'd never have a chance in hell to learn it at all, but it just fitted better than any other language.

[liuzhou]

what do you use Chinese for?

To get on with my life.

I live in China and found my deep knowledge of English and an obscure French accent wasn't too useful in downtown Chinese markets.

[trisha2766]

chrix - that's a good idea but our house is too small and we're a ways from the city, where the universities are.

xiaotao - thanks! I knew of a couple of those - but the others are new to me.

TeresaWI - thanks! Does it anyone know if this book (Kids Stuff Chinese:Easy Chinese Phrases for You and Your Kids) seems pretty accurate? For some reason I've always felt a bit skeptical about those 'Kids Stuff ' books. Amazon doesn't have a 'see inside this book' for it.