Where next?

[Pravit]

I know everyone probably hates these types of threads, but I'm asking anyway I am going to finish TY Chinese soon and I want to pick up a new book as soon as I'm done with this one. What do you suggest?

[Pravit]

OK, OK, I'll get NPCR.

Seriously, I'm kind of tired of the "two Americans visit China" format. Can you guys recommend anything as a "step up" from TY Chinese? From one self-taught learner to another? Please?

[Pravit]

I've decided to choose between NPCR, Integrated Chinese, and Intermediate Chinese by Yip Po-Ching. But Integrated Chinese seems to have more than one level. I wonder if someone who's used the TY can make some suggestions. Even if you tell me to get "Learn Chinese 15 Minutes a Day in Your Car", I'll be happy.

[marcopolo79]

Honestly Pravit, if you're enrolled at a university, you should take advantage of the classes they offer, see if you can enroll in a Chinese class. If you can't, try auditing. If you're university doesn't offer it, then see if anyone else at the university would like to study with you, maybe then you could spring for a tutor.

[Pravit]

Marco, thank you for your reply!

You have to remember where I'm coming from, though. New Mexico State University. There is no Chinese program here, and there won't be one anytime soon. I'll try going up to random Chinese people and asking them to help me, but I don't think that would bode too well with them I mean, I wouldn't really like it if somebody came up to me asking me to help them learn Chinese. Since I don't really know it and all. And from what I've experienced, helping other people with foreign languages is really a lot more difficult than it seems.

Perhaps I was a little too vague in the original request. I'm interested in getting a general conversational vocabulary. I'd also like to be able to read newspaper articles and popular novels. I prefer simplified characters but I don't really have any preference.

[roddy]

If you are looking for more specific skills training, some of the books I mention here might be useful. That post was specifically for HSK prep, but most of the books I recommend are good textbooks in their own right. Not easy to get hold of in the US though.

[Pravit]

So you changed your mind about NPCR being a decent choice?

I'll certainly keep those in mind if I go to China sometime soon, but I think I'd have a hard time finding someone in the US who carries them. And they look a bit advanced.

Maybe this is kind of pushing it, but can someone who's worked with IC tell me which level book I should get(that is, if I do end up choosing IC)?

And I'm still open to other book suggestions.

[roddy]

Yeah, I typed 'NCPR is a decent choice', but then realised I didn't really know enough about the others you mentioned to comment. But you spotted my Ninja editing, damn you

Roddy

[Pravit]

Integrated Chinese 2 w/ audio CDs is looking like a fine choice. But everyone seems to say such nice things about PCR...hmmm... If I did get PCR, would you recommend starting with the first book?

EDIT: I decided on IC2 in the end, I'll tell you all how I like it.

[gato]

You have to remember where I'm coming from, though. New Mexico State University. There is no Chinese program here, and there won't be one anytime soon. I'll try going up to random Chinese people and asking them to help me, but I don't think that would bode too well with them I mean, I wouldn't really like it if somebody came up to me asking me to help them learn Chinese. Since I don't really know it and all. And from what I've experienced, helping other people with foreign languages is really a lot more difficult than it seems.

Even though you're in New Mexico, you must still have graduate students who just arrived from China or Taiwan. See if there's a Chinese graduate student association on campus. If so, you could ask them if anyone is interested in a language exchange. If You help them with their English, and they can help you with your Mandarin. If there's not a formal association, you should still be able to find some Chinese new arrival graduate students. Stake out the Electrical Engineering department, for example.

How much Chinese do you know, speaking and reading?

[beirne]

Integrated Chinese 2 w/ audio CDs is looking like a fine choice. But everyone seems to say such nice things about PCR...hmmm... If I did get PCR, would you recommend starting with the first book?

TYC was my second book, after spending some time on the Modern Chinese book. I've been through a bunch of books since then. I settled in on the PCR, in spite of the dopey storys about Gubo and Palanka and the low-grade propaganda. The thing I like about it is that it provides a long course of instruction and it is otherwise good enough. Get the tapes to go with it, but especially make sure you but the book "Practical Chinese Grammar". The grammatical explanations in the PCR are a bit brief, but the explanations and examples in the PGR are excellent. The PGR was written by professors who gave up hoping for the PCR to be improved. Each chapter follows the PCR lessons, but the book is an excellent reference on its own.

I started with the first book but went through the a lot of chapters real fast. I was weak on the characters, though, so that eventually slowed me down.

[Pravit]

Gato and Beirne, thanks for your answers.

Stake out the Electrical Engineering department, for example.

I am in the EE department. Yep, I might do some looking around and see if anyone wants a language exchange. The thing is that I don't know that much yet. I'm ordering the book in advance although I haven't finished TY yet, so that I won't sit around not learning anything.

Alas Beirne, I already ordered IC2. I've heard good things about both, so we'll see. It's a shame I'll have to miss out on this infamous Gubo and Palanka tradition, though.

[xuechengfeng]

Yeah, the best way if there is no Chinese program is to contact your English as Second Language dept. and ask around for Chinese people.

[beirne]

Alas Beirne, I already ordered IC2. I've heard good things about both, so we'll see. It's a shame I'll have to miss out on this infamous Gubo and Palanka tradition, though.

OK. Also a good book. I went through part of the first book as part of a Continuing Education class and my girlfriend teaches from it.

[beirne]

OK. Also a good book. I went through part of the first book as part of a Continuing Education class and my girlfriend teaches from it.

I said that because the first book in level 1 was good. Last night, though, I looked at the reviews at Amazon for Integrated Chinese Level 2 and found it got one 5, two 4's, one 3, two 2's, and two 1's. The text of the reviews shows clear supporters and retractors, but it sounds like one has to be willing to put some work into using the book.

[Pravit]

Really? I couldn't find any reviews on Amazon for it, so I just went off of what people on the forum were saying. In fact, everything on Amazon was "Special Order."

[beirne]

Search for "Integrated Chinese, Level 2: Textbook". I'd include a URL but I haven't figured out if the Amazon URL has my info embedded. If what you are getting is Level 1 book 2 it may be better. There aren't any reviews for it.

[roddy]

This one? and that does have my ID imbedded

Anyone who wants to make a small donation to the forums while purchasing from Amazon can click on shop in the header - fully searchable.

Roddy

[Pravit]

That's weird, I could have sworn those reviews weren't there when I searched for it on Amazon. Edit: See? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/103-8245233-6705431

Some of them don't look too good. But the guy who was complaining about grammar should take another look at the text. I don't think they'd introduce something without having used it in the dialogue. He should probably give the dialogue another look and see how it's used there. Here's my take on the two explanations he used in his review: "If A de hua"(hypothetical clause), "then B"(the second clause must be there). As for "sui zhe", I think I'd need to see it in context, but from the explanation I'd guess the way it goes is "(change A) sui zhe, (change B that comes with change A)."

As for the other choice, NPCR, from what I read on this forum the grammatical explanations are also virtually nonexistent. I've heard good things about IC from others, so we'll just have to see how I like it, I guess - no point in me reading reviews for it after I've bought it! I'm interested in learning both sets of characters and if I need any help, I know where to ask

[yonglan]

What are TY and TYC?