Good Learning Programs

[maxpower]

Has anyone use the RosettaStone Mandarin program for the computer? I've heard great things about them and I'm thinking of picking up the Mandarin version as a supplement to my intro to Chinese class. I like the class but feel I need some additional help. Any recommendations? I'm particularly interested in computer programs.

[beirne]

I liked it at first but it got boring after a while. The idea is that you look at 4 pictures. The computer reads a phrase and you have to pick the picture that the phrase describes. There are other forms of this exercise, including reading. Going through the sets of 4 pictures got tedious for me. I also found later on I interpreted some words incorrectly and had to relearn them. Having said t hat, it normally sells for about $20 at Best Buy so if you are still curious it isn't too expensive to try out.

[sandra_49202@yahoo.com]

I know some one that hard of hearing both of their nerves damage in the ear. How can I go about teaching to speak chinese?

[Zingaro]

I use Rosetta Stone (the basic CDs, which I bought to try out) along with Instant Immersion. I've also used Pimsleur's Mandarin. I've found that each of these methods have their strengths and their weaknesses.

With Rosetta Stone, I've found that I have to repeat and repeat and repeat the lessons to really "acquire" the words or phrases. There's no translation, no pinyin guide, you just have to look and listen and work at it to make the connections. Rosetta Stone has been effective for vocabulary, at least so far.

With Instant Immersion there is a whole set of tools available to approach learning vocabulary, phrases and grammar from different vectors. And there's a decent reference dictionary included. Again, it's a matter of repetition until you "get it".

Pimslleur's tapes/CDs do the repetition for you, using a word or phrase over and over again. You're forced to LISTEN, which (I believe) is the key to learning any language, especially one with pronunciation forms very different from your native language.

I'm a quick learner in most things, and I've found that my retention is about equal in each of these three products. Each rrequires a somewhat different mental approach, but all require a lot of repetition.

Finally, I've made my most rapid progress actually being in China, spending time with friends, really LISTENING to their speech and asking questions. Fortunately, they're patient with me and happy to help me learn.

My approach basically has been to try to connect Mandarin words with their objects/actions, to learn enough grammar to make use of those words, and to then practice using those words in simple sentences. So far, it's working.

My next step is to start taking classes at a local college. Hopefully, the teaching methods won't be vastly different from the approach I've been using.