FSI tapes - roll call!

[Mei_Na_De]

Hi, all -

I'm just curious who on these forums are currently working their way through the FSI Mandarin Chinese tapes (or have already completed them), how far you've gotten, and how long you've been studying. I figure there might be some value to connecting with each other as we are working on them.

I just started a couple of weeks ago, and I'm just about done with Module 1 (Orientation). I've also completed the Pronouciation/Romanization tapes and most of the Numbers tapes, based on the order suggested in the FSI materials.

I'm also curious about whether there has been any attempt to organize notes from users to provide brief updates about usage (I'm guessing, for example, that Tóngzhì ("comrade") is pretty much gone from common usage, but I don't know for sure. I'd be up for slowly working on this (with other interested folks) if such notes don't yet exist, and people think it might be a useful supplement.

So, who else is studying the FSI tapes?

~Doug

（梅纳德）

[googed]

I completed it and I think it gives you the basic foundation to continue learning Chinese. Here are the major caveats:

• It doesn't teach characters which you have to learn if you want to progress in Chinese to the intermediate or advanced levels.
  
• The pronunciation are degraded because of the quality of the tapes. I'd strongly recommend you learn pronunciation separately using the clearer Pimsleur tapes or any other you can lay your hands on.
  
• A lot of words are antiquated and sound odd 古怪的 in real speech. I think you should pay attention to them nevertheless since you will still encounter them in some formal occasions or in literature. You can try to speak to Chinese people on Live Mocha (via QQ, the Chinese skype) and try to learn how modern speech feels like. It will also help you with your tones.
  

[Saluki]

I'm also working through FSI. Been studying Chinese for 8 months on my own, in very limited spare time (while shaving, early morning jog, mowing the yard, etc.) I did quite a bit of skipping around at first but have since settled down to work through it systematically. From the beginning, I just finished the second ('biographical information') module. I review the written materials when I can.

I haven't gotten far because I've been concentrating on Pimsleur, ChinesePod and Popup Chinese (elementary, both). I've done dozens of the latter two and am most of the way through Pimsleur II. I am thinking of cutting back on these and focusing on FSI until I get through it. Although FSI is dated, I *really love* the businesslike structure and format. Same with Pimsleur. The English chattiness of most low-level Mandarin lessons slows the learning process and is enough to drive a person away.

[johnk]

I did download some of the FSI material so I could listen to it on my commute to work.

I thought it sounded odd. Not at all like the more modern stuff I listen to.

I asked one of my co-workers, a native speaker about it and she said it sounded like an old fashioned movie - something from the 50s or 60s.

I haven't listened to my FSI recordings in months now. I didn't really complete any of the modules it was just casual listening practice.

[Mei_Na_De]

Hi, all -

I've already done the entire Pimsleur series, so at the moment FSI is quite basic. I've heard that changes in the next couple of modules. I've also taken 4 college courses recently which gave me a really good foundation (including the simplified characters - I've shelved studying those so I can focus entirely on listening/speaking for the moment). I also have two weekly meetings with native Mandarin students at my college - one from Beijing and the other from Hunan Province. In each the plan is to spend half of the time talking in English and half in Mandarin so everyone benefits. I'm planning on using them to check the relevance of vocabulary and idioms I hear on the FSI tapes. I'd be happy to report back.

I enjoy the ChinesePod and PopupChinese podcasts but felt they were too random and haphazard for me. It was hard to see how I would retain much when they don't build on each other. Perhaps they are more useful at the more advanced levels.