Motivation?

[deterius]

What gets you motivated to study chinese?

Of course we all have our down times when its hard to see that we are making any progress, this esspecialy can be true at low levels. So I'd like to hear how do you people deal with it, what gets you going.

Me, a few things..

Acctualy browsing through the forum and seeing how much effort people put in to studing makes me wana go study.

And second, just talking in chinese with a freind. Not about studying, just 聊天. Many times after this I wana go study!

[novemberfog]

Whenever I hear natives speaking Mandarin naturally, it makes me want to study harder. At times I am ready to give up because the tones are so frustrating for me. It seems like I will never get the right stress on that 4th tone! But when I calm down, get some fresh air, I remember that I can do it, it might take years, but I can do it.

Also, when I read an essay or short story, at then end when I have understood it, and then look back on a page full of Chinese...it is a great feeling of acomplishment and makes we want to read faster.

When I see the pictures that other foreigners in China post, it makes me want to go see China, and if I go I want to be able to talk to people, even just small talk. I want to have that memory, just a small chat. My most memorable conversation was when I was still just learning to speak Japanese with confidence. I was in a train station diner, just have a beer and a small snack. I man sat down beside me, and somehow we started talking. We talked for an hour over a beer or two, and then he had to go. It was a very simple conversation, but I will always remember it. Such memories are much brighter than any hardships or struggles. Oh how I wish I could just go study abroad for a month (wihout losing my job and Visa here :-p)

[wushijiao]

I agree with novemberfog that it’s mainly the conversations that motivate me. I’m especially motivated when I have a good chat with someone that basically speaks no English, and therefore we couldn’t have communicated otherwise.

Personally, I’m also really motivated by the challenge of written Chinese. Back in 2002 during the run up to war, I was following the news in the English press obsessively. My Chinese at the time wasn’t all that good, but I was trying my best to read newspapers regardless. Anyway, the headline said something about “倒萨” 政策. I knew that 政策 was "policy". I looked up 倒萨 in the dictionary and found nothing. Then I thought about the characters individually. 倒 means “opposite, or opposing or inverted”, roughly. And I knew 萨 from the Chinese word 比萨 (bi’sa, the phonetic transliteration of “pizza”). Finally I realized that 萨 was short for 萨达姆 (Sadamu, or Saddam). I figured out, on my own, that “倒萨” was basically “regime change”! I have to admit, I was fairly proud of myself for figuring that out. To some degree, written Chinese is like a billion of those small mini-puzzles. The more experience you have, the easier it becomes, I think. To this day I still like “exploring” the written language and seeing what things I can figure out.

[Ferno]

Overhearing Chinese speak Mandarin and being able to pick out a few words or phrases. Even if it's very little I know that other people would just hear incomprehensible babble

that + China getting stronger

[mr.stinky]

1. Hunger. i'm looking forward to the day when i can walk into any restaurant and order

without consulting a dictionary or pointing. Actually getting what i ask for is a plus.

2. Helplessness. wouldn't it be great to be able to answer questions? sure i can ask for something in a shop, but then pray they don't ask for clarification.

3. Getting lost. so i get off at the wrong bus stop, to find my way back i can ask for

directions, but can't understand the answer. solution, just head in the direction they

point (hoping they know what you're asking, and know themselves), and ask again in

a couple blocks.

4. Dating. Someday i want to go on a date without a dictionary.

5. Illiteracy. news in the local language without being dependant on the sometimes

poor translations.