Deep regret about how I became literate (changed the title a bit!)

[vellocet]

Others want to read and understand Zhuangzi or Mao's poetry in the original. 

I  cannot believe in this day and age anyone would go to the trouble of learning Chinese for this, other than academics. Maybe this was true decades ago but not today. Today Chinese is for communicating with Chinese people, one way or another.

It was pointed out to me a long time ago, if I am not mistaken on this very forum, that Chinese kids go into school already speaking Chinese before they learn a single character. Adult learners should do the same. Oh, the horror of books that teach handwriting 我 as the first character on chapter 1, page 1.  How about 口？ or 吕？ or 品？

Full literacy is a marvelous goal but is such a high mountain on top of the Annapurna that already is Chinese. I was discouraged by the classic essay Why Chinese is so damn hard,https://pinyin.info/readings/texts/moser.html

in which academics who study Chinese full-time cannot read a book after years of study. If they can't, I have zero chance, too. I'll settle for being able to read all the characters used in my apps or by people on Wechat or menus or street signs or manuals of products I buy. 

[Moshen]

Quote

 

Others want to read and understand Zhuangzi or Mao's poetry in the original. 

I  cannot believe in this day and age anyone would go to the trouble of learning Chinese for this, other than academics. Maybe this was true decades ago but not today. Today Chinese is for communicating with Chinese people, one way or another.

 

 

Please forgive me for reacting so strongly, but you are being absolutely ridiculous here, and I feel personally insulted.  Who are you to throw stones at other people's interests?

 

Some people practice the art of calligraphy, even though "in this day and age" anyone can write without any practice on a computer.  Some people enjoy collecting old books, even though "in this day and age" you can find the same content online for mere dollars. Some people enjoy running 10 miles even though "in this day and age" you get there faster in a car.  My friend Cassandra studies botanical drawing even though "in this day and age" a camera can take a photo in an instant.  Etcetera.

 

I am not an academic, nor were most of the people in the Classical Chinese course I took last year.  Studying Zhuangzi in the original was one of the highlights of my year.  Honestly.  So please stop throwing stones.  

 

[Jan Finster]

On 9/27/2024 at 11:19 AM, Moshen said:

Please forgive me for reacting so strongly, but you are being absolutely ridiculous here, and I feel personally insulted.  Who are you to throw stones at other people's interests?

 

I fully agree. While I have zero interest in classical Chinese, I find it normal and somewhat a reflection of an intellectually healthy society that its members to some extent pursue interests that have no tangible transactional or economic value. 

[Tomsima]

I find it interesting that the 'Why Chinese is So Damn Hard' was in fact once one of the main sources of my drive to get better, knowing that I wasn't alone in the struggle and also in my enjoyment of the journey. I think its also the reason why 'Chinese the Hard Way' continues to be relevant to so many learners. Many advanced non-native speakers find it all too easy to forget that the earliest motivation to learn Chinese is very often 'learning the characters'. Putting 我 at the beginning of the book may seem misjudged in hindsight (point taken), but from my experience it is a key source of motivation for beginners. To be able to write a difficult character is a source of pride for many learners; to be able to write such a character in front of friends and family, even for a Chinese person who finds you studying their language, this in itself is what many find both meaningful and fun, and can go on to build a long term desire to master the language.