Why Do You Learn Chinese?(ple help me with the survey)

[jjlu001]

My kindest friends, ple help me with this survey!!

1. Why do you learn Chinese? Because you have a Chinese partner? interested in the cousine, pottery, opera, or you just move there?

2. What's your general background? That means are you a teenager learning Chinese for your future? Or you are a expatriate that you have to survive in China? Or you are a retired person who recently buys a Chinese painting and wants to know more about Chinese culture?

This will help a Chinese-learning program. If you can share with me or quote from other experiences, it's appreciated!!

[confucius]

1. Because I'm interested in the cuisine. Learning Chinese helps me order food at Chinese restaurants around the world.

2. I am a retired person who recently bought a Chinese painting and now I want to know more about Chinese culture.

Glad to help!

[liuzhou]

This will help a Chinese-learning program

Would you like to expand on that a little?

[lpascoe]

1. I decided to learn Mandarin because I moved to Taiwan and it makes life here a lot easier. Also, now that I'm getting better at it, I figure it might come in handy in the future as far as work goes.

2. Almost 30. Ex-pat, really interested in languages.

[carlo]

1. Because it's the most commonly spoken language on Earth

2. Almost 30, have lived in several countries since age 1, currently working in and around China. Good luck with the survey!

[marcopolo79]

To be able to read the tattoos on the back of everyone I have sex with.

[HashiriKata]

For me, learning Chinese opens up many things I want to know about Far Eastern cultures, and I think it also provides an alternative to what I've already been familiar with.

To be able to read the tattoos on the back of everyone I have sex with.

If you publish the collection of those tattoos into a book, you could make some money along the way (but please try keeping it in one-volume format, even if the volume may become too thick. )

[beirne]

1. I visited China in 2001 and I like knowing the language when I go somewhere. (This was pretty handy when I spent the night in a hospital)

2. I thought every word in Chinese was one syllable and that there were 1600 syllables. I wanted to figure out how a language with 1600 words could work. I now know, of course, that this isn't true. I'll never trust the 1965 World Book again.

3. I turned 40 and wanted to see if I could still learn a language (I can, sort of).

[junebee]

1) My husband is Chinese but speaks flawless English. I originally learned some Mandarin to attract a Chinese man (I am a gweilo). Now I need to learn more to communicate with my in-laws. They are here now helping us with our new twins.

2) Age is confidential. I am white, upper middle class, college educated, proficient in English and also speak some Spanish (handy here in Florida). I am also a 2nd degree black belt in Hapkido (A Korean martial art).

Good luck in your study. Hope you get lots of responses.

Zai4jian4

[magores]

1) 37 yr old guy living in San Francisco

2) Been trying to learn for about a month and a half so far.

2) This city has a rather large Chinese-speaking population, and one of my jobs (I have two) is retail in a fairly heavy Chinese area.

3) A girl. Two actually. I started picking up a word or two in Cantonese and Mandarin because I didn't know which one GirlA speaks. Turns out she is Cantonese, and doesn't know Mandarin at all (At least, not my attempts at it.) GirlB is an ABC (I hope that term isn't offensive, if it is, let me know and I'll never use it again.) GirlB and her mom are Mandarin speakers.

So essentially, I'm learning Mandarin because of a woman. But, then, isn't that why all guys do 90% of the stuff they do? ;)

BTW... If anyone is in SF and wants to trade my English for their Mandarin, I'd love to hear from you. GirlB mom is helping me, but some of her pronunciations don't seem to be quite what I expect based on the books and Cds I have been working off of so far. But, who am I to question a Taiwan native?

Magores

[TSkillet]

probably because my parents were always speaking to me in Chinese.

30 year old Houston Texas resident who previously lived in Hong Kong, Guangzhou China, Berkeley California and Los Angeles California.

[kentsuarez]

Why? I love languages, and love really difficult challenges. So when I fell in love with a Sichuan girl, that was the only added impetus necessary.

General background? Hispanic (Mexican-American), raised as "white" American, lived 1 yr. in Madrid, 5 in Mexico, Spanish is 2nd language, then German, Mandarin, some Cantonese, and Thai. Only fluent in English, Spanish and Mandarin. Unfinished PhD in Psychology. Serious interest in Chinese paleography and etymology, calligraphy, handicrafts and DIY, art, culture, and Asian tomboys. Still looking for a new one. Am 42, living in Taipei.

[Claw]

1. Original reason: So that I am able to talk to the rest of my family. Current reason (though original reason still applies): I find Chinese grammar and comparative linguistics so interesting now that I have acquired the knowledge.
   
2. I was born in Hong Kong, and moved to the U.S. when I was very young, so my Chinese ability wasn't very good. I originally wanted to learn Cantonese (the dialect that the rest of my family speaks) when I got into college, but the class required that you take a year of Mandarin beforehand. So I took Mandarin for a year but then the professor who taught Cantonese went on sabbatical for two years so I never got the chance to take it. I found Mandarin interesting enough so I continued to take it for the next two years until I graduated from college. I learned Cantonese by myself on the side using my original Cantonese knowledge (I've always been able to listen but not speak very well) in conjunction with the new Mandarin and written Chinese knowledge I had acquired.
   

[perjp]

1. It seemed like a good idea when I started out...

Actually, it's a long story involving what is basically a series of coincidences. I think it can probably tracked back to a childhood involving too many Jackie Chan movies.

2. I'm a computer science major, when I finished my master's degree I wanted to try something completely different, and ended up in Shanghai.

[taibeihong]

I wanted to learn a new and challenging language that'd be profitable career-wise and, at college, Japanese lessons were full (and I figured there were too many people who already spoke good Japanese), Korean lessons had too few students (which meant the course could be discontinued) and Chinese had few students (giving me a competitive advantage) but enough to keep the course going.

[Guest IVYtony]

wow, you guys anwers most are awesome! I like seeing that jumping like a garrila

[Guest IVYtony]

well, my reason:

I was born in China and I had to learn Chinese, no other choice ;) just kidding

background: I have got my Bachelor in Science and now I'm pursing a PhD in Molecular Biology in US.

age: 24, getting old......

[Guest IVYtony]

marcopolo79's answer impressed me most!! haha............

you're the man!!!

[holger]

a) 我太太是北京人· 我们互相教语言·

B) coming from intellectual nowhere i decided to jettison that old small-world, narrow-minded eurocentric mentality i grew up with in order to prove myself that i was really the booby moron noodle chucklehead some coevals made be believe to be.

c) off topic but i must mention that all parents, regardless of what features or qualities they have should be banned on one lonely isle for reeducation.

[CordelialiCious]

1. Cuz I want to...as simple as that. I'm chinese and I can speak it fine grammar-wise but had never gotten the chance to learn to write it. So yeah...I just wanna get involved with it more.

2. Hm I guess I sorta answered this question above, but I'm just a teenager learning it for my own good for no particular reason