Hobbies as a language tool

[abcdefg]

Another recent thread made me think about this issue.

 

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/44831-if-you-had-to-relearn-mandarin-chinese-from-scratch-what-advice-would-you-give-yourself/#comment-336227

 

The foreigners I know who have learned conversational Chinese the quickest are people who have had lots of hobbies that have required their interacting with Chinese people in that language. (It might be that the more bookish, stay-at-home types learn reading skills quicker. I don't know.)

 

Realized that I now have several circles of local friends and that I've learned different vocabulary from each set. Not everything carries over from one milieu to another.

 

Started 太极拳 this Spring and it has all been verbal. Took a while to figure out what the 师傅 meant by "bufa" when pointing at my feet, but it finally clicked that it was 散步的步 and 方法的法。

 

I have some tea friends with whom I talk about 生普洱 and 熟普洱。Actually there was a carryover word that I felt triumphant to discover. One of the 太极拳 moves involves squatting low with legs crossed, and the teacher calls that 螺下来, which is the same root word as 碧螺春 tea. "In the shape of a snail."

 

Have some some travel friends, and some photography friends. Went to the Dongchuan Red Lands 东川红土地 a week or so ago and learned words for tripod, lens cap, megapixels and sensor size.

 

Have some cooking friends who are amateur foodies and we swap tips on where to find such and such a seasonal ingredient at a good price. I ask them, "How much should I be paying for oranges this week?" The answer turns out to be "It depends," and then follows a mini-class on the three or four different kinds of oranges available here.

 

Have tried to play 麻将 and 象棋 but they don't hold my interest, at least not at my very rudimentary skill level. One friend loves calligraphy and I tried that but didn't stick with it. Have a couple friends that do group folk dancing (Yunnan minority style) and I hope to try that out one evening before long.

 

Here in Kunming interacting via hobby activities also inevitably involves some 方言。 That's not particularly something I was after, but it just happens anyhow. This morning the 太极拳 teacher told me to stay behind because she wanted to give me 小刀。

 

I had been especially clumsy with the sword and I thought she meant to teach me first with a shorter one. But that turned out to be local slang for a private lesson. One of the older guys explained it later, and said 大刀 meant a group meal, whereas 小刀 was two people dining alone.

 

Not sure any of this would help me pass an exam, but it makes living here more fun.

 

[ChTTay]

Great post. I need to get myself some hobbies...a hobby... anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[abcdefg]

@ChTTay -- Maybe something you like to do back home is also available here in China.

 

Have to confess that I'm more fortunate than some in that I neither go to school full time nor work full time, thus have the leisure to investigate various hobbies, some of which turn out to be keepers and others of which turn out to be duds.

[Silent]

Can't agree more, only actual functional use of the language makes you really learn it.

 

 

Not sure any of this would help me pass an exam, but it makes living here more fun.

 

In some cases passing a test may be needed to qualify for a training, job or whatever, tests however tend to be a poor proxy for language skills.  The simple fact that after years of language learning a few test specific training sessions and/or test taking strategy tips can make a big difference in results illustrates this.

 

Unless you have a specific need for taking an exam be it to qualify for something or boost motivation by showing your progress there is little reason to take them.

[ChTTay]

I keep meaning to head over to the University and start playing football ("soccer") again but ... Just haven't. Would be a good, free way to meet a bunch of Chinese guys.

I wanted to get into bouldering but have never done it and can't find anyone who can introduce me to it either. There are a few outdoor walls around Haidian in or near the Universities.

[querido]

Ping-pong. I started a thread about it.

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/44484-chinese-learning-via-ping-pong/#comment-332679

I made two new Cantonese speaking friends this way (and could make more if I had any more friendship-energy). They now come to my home to play. We go out to eat, etc. Language exchange happens automatically.

[abcdefg]

I recall your ping-pong report, @Querido. That was a great breakthrough.

 

Language exchange happens automatically.

 

That's a key point. The learning is not in an artificial environment, such as a classroom.

 

My Tai-chi teacher sometimes arranges for her two young grandsons to show up at the end of class and I practice English with them a little bit in return for her helping me one-to-one. She herself has no interest in learning English, so what we have is "skill exchange by proxy."

[SiMaKe]

abcdefg,

 

With the stunning photographs in your post, I would say your photography hobby is going well.

[querido]

To abcdefg: About odd skill exchanges - one of these Cantonese speaking friends has in mind that our friendship will help her keep her *Mandarin* fresh. !! Wah, can you imagine how potentially gratifying that feels to me?! And, they imagine that our interaction could be helpful to their son (who has has not yet shown as much inclination to study as they hope). They don't know anything about flashcard programs or about any of the materials and methods that we talk about here in the forum. I'll try to live up to their hopes!

[abcdefg]

@Querido -- That must be gratifying -- to be considered a Mandarin resource.

 

@SiMaKe -- Thanks, but it was hard to miss out there in the Red Lands. Like shooting fish in a barrel.

 

They don't know anything about flashcard programs or about any of the materials and methods that we talk about here in the forum.

 

Not a soul in China knows these things. Not even university-trained teachers of Chinese as a foreign language. It's as though modern methods were being kept secret.

 

"Hot cutting-edge tips" for learning Chinese are still things like "Practice reading out loud when alone" and "Do the exercises over and over several time instead of just once."

[roddy]

Missed this when it was posted, but great topic. Doing what you want to do anyway, in Chinese, is a great route to learning Chinese. 

 

ChTTay, got any Chinese hobbies yet ;-)

[ChTTay]

Nah, every day i think of going down to Tsinghua to play football that afternoon. Usually end up taking a nap or reading the news instead.

Might try advertising on wechat.

I tried to find squash lessons (in Chinese) as i can't play but want to learn. I couldn't find anything.

[Flickserve]

Badminton is a popular sport in China, more so than squash.

Here is a list of badminton terminology

http://www.badmintoncentral.com/bc/2014/10/18/englishchinese-mandarin-badminton/

[abcdefg]

Thanks, that's helpful.

[Meng Lelan]

"Hot cutting-edge tips" for learning Chinese are still things like "Practice reading out loud when alone" and "Do the exercises over and over several time instead of just once."

 

 

 

Really. The first morning I was ever in China back in the 1980s, I got up at 5am to go out running and every Chinese university student was huddled in some corner alone reading aloud, anything that was supposed to be read aloud.