Final month in country sprint - how to prepare for the real world? (Going from class to self-study)

[Gymnosopher]

So I hate to start posts about myself however can't find a thread about specifically transitioning from full-time formal study (i.e. University/language classes) to part-time self study - any links to similar topics/articles etc. would also be greatly appreciated.

My situation presently is having taken a Mandarin course in China from September-January, which I will continue for several weeks next month to both make extending my visa for a month easier and give me some exposure/pressure to study, I am returning to the UK at the end of March to start full time work. Whilst I feel I've been working hard and don't want to let the momentum dissipate the reality is going to be much less hours in the day open to Chinese study and I will be training on the job too - including a month spent studying (not language) in India after 2 weeks training.

- So the first part of my question really is about switching from dedicated study to part time, which I have no experience with - am I looking at moving away from relying so much on textbooks and vocab on Anki etc; and how do other people organise their time best to study when working full time?

With regards to where I'm actually at, the semester I read was basically the second semester that would be taken for absolute beginners. This was challenging and I went along with other students to sit the (new) HSK4 test in December which I passed -though didn't Ace-. On the Anki scale that's 2750 facts (adding in everything from the first semester course I never sat and stupidly dumping in unique facts from the HSK 4 list - so I get repetitions like 黄，黄色，黄的，男，男的，男人) and I've recently been going back to do the writing reverse cards I'd missed due to HSK/exam cramming whilst also junking some particularly hard/not so relevant ones 《梁祝》《罗密欧与朱丽叶》《春江花月夜》 etc. that were in our seriously dated book (my girlfriend constantly berates me for saying things like 联欢会 or 可不是 - funny how we trust our books). Anyway, this did give me that overloaded learners block which stopped me from learning from native material as my plate was very full, but right now I'm planning on finishing my textbooks and then opening up to the world of native material more fully.

- So the second part of my question is more about where to turn with regards to native material (or self-study textbooks/grammar books) from here? I know this is more in line with many many different part of the forum but I'm interested in particular with how to make the jump to 'start' this kind of thing and indeed whether it's the right thing to do?

Finally, and to re-echo the title, I've got a little over a month left in China and want to prepare myself to switch to part-time self study as best I can. I have been of the mindset that whilst in country I have a good chance at immersion and speaking/listening practice when I get home it's going to be a lot easier to learn by reading - so I've been trying to hammer reading and writing of words/characters at least, under the impression that this takes time I won't have later (the long short-cut argument of AJATT, Heisig etc. though I don't use their method) though I will be able to read and learn more grammar, words etc. in context. I guess this is the difference from having studied Chinese for 2 years at Uni and then coming to China (the 'you're wasting your time in country' argument) but hey, I have a good degree and am enjoying my language study now so let it be.

- What can one do best in this situation (in country, full time for study etc.) that will put me in good stead/the best position to study in 'the real world' i.e. working in the West and struggling to find study time?

Any advice/suggestions welcome, thanks!

[anonymoose]

Buy some Chinese books that you can take home. Spend the rest of your time in China communicating with locals, as this is something that you will have much fewer opportunities for when back home. Leave the reading and learning characters for when you get back. Go out and see a bit more of the city or country. Take a friend with you, and practice while you are out. Take your girlfriend back to the UK with you.

[jbradfor]

travel.

[Gymnosopher]

I may do some travel though as just back from a month of it might lie low for a while! Am trying to see more of the city though...

@anonymoose what do you mean by Chinese books - more like textbooks, study materials or books written in Chinese for natives? I'll be taking some textbooks back however had read before that it can be easier to find study materials for English speakers learning Chinese back at home, and hadn't really considered native books too much actually. What would you recommend?

Also I've been with my girlfriend for almost 4 years, so leaving her behind had never crossed my mind as an option either ;) I'm told that should make for a good base in my language learning too, however as she's a professional interpreter English is more than default!

[anonymoose]

@anonymoose what do you mean by Chinese books - more like textbooks, study materials or books written in Chinese for natives?

Whatever you feel may be of use to you, really. I was thinking more along the lines of books for natives, but study materials might also be of use. At least they are substantially cheaper in China compared with the UK.

As for books for natives, you don't have to just consider literature. Personally, I am not a big fan of literature, either in Chinese or English. You may, for example, find it interesting to read something related to your professional field.

In any case, it will be much easier and cheaper to acquire native materials whilst you are still in China.

[Gymnosopher]

As for books for natives, you don't have to just consider literature. Personally, I am not a big fan of literature, either in Chinese or English. You may, for example, find it interesting to read something related to your professional field.

That's actually a great idea - I only held this vague, distant, idea that I'd come to read more and some day tackle fiction, feeling that non-fiction would be a step too far. Just the way you worded it makes it strike me that (as a study exercise at least) trying to tackle some professional material head on could be a good way to expose myself to vocabulary of interest and use to me in addition to other benefits. I've recently been struggling when asked what my work will involve etc (partly due to uncertainty mind) for instance.

Books here seem at least 10x cheaper, at least in like-for-like (a textbook published here versus there), however they suffer in being lumps of wood that weigh down luggage so it all adds up! Considering freighting some things back, though it's a shame really as I got a kindle right before coming here and have been avoiding it as it's full of English procrastination...

[anonymoose]

I only held this vague, distant, idea that I'd come to read more and some day tackle fiction, feeling that non-fiction would be a step too far

On the contrary, I think non-fiction is by far easier than fiction. Fiction tends to use poetic language, and by its nature, you never know what's coming next. On the other hand, non-fiction tends to be written in an accessible way as possible (if it is written well, at least), and just by common sense, you can guess more or less what is being said.

Besides that, in most practical communication, you will be trying to describe or talk about something in an as accurate and consice way as possible, much like a non-fiction book. Therefore, I feel that non-fiction is more useful when you are trying to build your vocabulary and sentence structures for real-life usage.

[Gymnosopher]

Is this a way that Chinese fiction is culturally differentiated from Western?

Though not having read any personally, I know that you can get your fair share of modern (not to mention classical) Chinese fiction that is set amongst Dynasties, Kung Fu Masters and Wartimes generally that will necessarily be a bit more poetic and culturally/historically embedded in the same way that TV and Film here are -- but I never took that to be the whole, thinking you could get your hands on the Chinese John Grisham, if not a translation of Western books. True, it's easy to take it for granted that references in even the lightest of Western fiction take cultural roots but at the same time you don't need to read Shakespeare as the rule and at the easiest end of the scale for both fiction and non-fiction the latter seems to be denser (as a native speaker).

The practical benefits seem really pertinent, accurate/concise communication (it's bad enough being accused of 'flowery' language in English as it is), that is if that doesn't make it more difficult. After all, the news is supposed to be just that and putting the speed of broadcasts aside the language therein is heralded as some of the most complicated - though very much proper and 普通话! Which reminds me of something I read on AJATT once regarding native material along the lines of - people suggest that if you learn Japanese via Anime you'll end up speaking like an Anime character, though those of us having grown up with cartoons in English don't seem to speak like a comic-book. The inverse could easily be falling into overly formal language in social situations (and being chastised for saying 我国 for instance) and speaking like a newscast, which isn't where native speakers get their language base from.

Then again, perhaps I'm just showing my level as still very much beginner by these notions!

[anonymoose]

Of course there are different levels of fiction and non-fiction, and some fiction can also be fairly easy to read. I don't think newspapers are representative of non-fiction, however, since newspapers tend to be written in a more concise way than most books would be. I certainly wouldn't want to speak like a newspaper either.

Anyway, non-fiction is just my personal preference since I am not a big fan of fiction. My original point was simply that you should make use of the opportunity to buy more books whilst you can. Whatever books you buy should suit your own interests - after all, it is you who will be reading them.