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Each character is a form of its own in the modern Chinese writing system, it represents a particular sound and at least one meaning.

It means that each Chinese symnol is a unity of form, sound and meaning.

You need to know each Chinese character or symbol individually to learn Chinese writing.

If you want to understand 90% of what you read, you will need a vocabulary of at least 3,000 characters.

A vocabulary of 4-5,000 characters allows you to understand almost everything written in Chinese in the modern context.

There are more than 60,000 characters listed in the largest Chinese dictionaries, but most of them are ancient symbols and no longer in use.

Only some 300, perhaps are simple representations of natural objects, it is a very small proportion of Chinese characters, all others are composite signs.

Generally, there are two components for each sign: a phonetic compontent which gives some idea of the pronunciation and a graphic component which represent a man, woman tree and so on.

Learning Chinese writing is quite different from learning a Western language.

You need to konw a whole series of sounds if you want to learn a Western language like English.

If you take an English word apart, separating it into its many phonetic syllables, it would lose its meaning altogether.

You first learn the characters and then you learn the word when you learn Chinese writing.

Take, for instance, the Chinese word da4 xue2 大学 which means “university”. First you learn da4 “big” and xue2 “school; learn” separately.

Although the meaning of da xue has to do with da and xue, it is not a simple case of da “big” plus xue “school”.

It does not mean “big school” at all.

If you were to learn the English word “university” and try to figure out its meaning based on the meanings of the five syllabic components u/ni/ver/sit/ty, you would not understand anything because they mean nothing.

So, the Chinese character forms the basis in learning Chinese writing whereas the word or sentence forms the basis for learning a Western language.

In Chinese writing, the symbol is the unit carrier of meaning, but in English it is the word which serves the same purpose.

Chinese characters are essentially pictures and they appeal to the eye.

In comparison, Western letters and words are based on sound rather than sight.

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1) Chinese is a group of different dialects of which Mandarin (Putonghua) is one, it is one of the Sino-Tibetan languages. Taken together there are more native speakers of Chinese than any other language. To put this in perspective there are approximately 915 million speakers of Mandarin (without including any of the other dialects such as Cantonese), compared to Spanish, the fourth most widely spoken language in the world with around 400 million speakers.

2) You don’t have to learning Chinese

3) Chinese literature. The dialects are not mutually intelligible but the written language is shared between them all. Although you do not need to learning Chinese characters to speak the language, by doing so you open the door to an enormously diverse and rich literature. In fact, the earliest record of writing was in Chinese characters although very different in form from modern characters (of which there are many thousand).

4) The Chinese economy is the fastest growing economy in the world, and so in the work environment even speaking a little Chinese will give you a competitive edge, if your company invests in China or is considering doing so.

5) Language and culture are linked, and it will help give an appreciation of the cultural heritage of China if you learn something of the Chinese language.

6) To make the most of this opportunity for travel, language at a basic level is important, although China is accessible to the foreign visitor in a way that it has not been in the past and travel to and within China is becoming easier. Mandarin is spoken all over China.

7) China is becoming more and more important in the world, and may be the dominant economic power in the not so distant future.

Food. You can eat in the tourist restaurants in hotels but if you want to see more of China it is more better to try the food and experience the culture in local restaurants.

9) 2008 Olympics are held in Beijing. In 2008 many foreign visitors will descend on China to watch the Olympics. It is an ideal opportunity, if you are lucky enough to be going, to stand out from the crowd by being one of the few who has learnt at least a few words of Mandarin.

10) It is possible to learn a few words and phrases in Mandarin, just like any other language, enough to be polite without spending years in further education.

Technorati Tags: learn Chinese, learning chinese, learning chinese online

Learning Chinese, and in particular Mandarin, may well be one of the best investments of your time, as China emerges as a world power it will enable you to both communicate and do business with the Chinese and look very good on a resume. However if you decide to learn Chinese there are several difficulties that a native English speaker has.

1) Little common ground with English

Learning how to speak Chinese is difficult firstly because there are very few words that sound similar to the English equivalent. By way of comparison, if you were to learn French then you already have hundreds, if not thousands of words that have a similar root word and are therefore essentially the same. For example:

· Person = Personne

· Telephone = telephone

· Newspaper = journal

While not identical are very similar, you also have words, such as busy=occupé, etc. When you try to learn Chinese, you don’t have that advantage.

2) Complex Written Characters

This part scares off many a well intentioned Chinese learner, with the thousand strong character list and complex patterns. As a single character generally represents entire words and phrases as opposed to a “letter” like we have in English, though it really isn’t as difficult as people think, and you will probably not need to know how to write them so much as recognise them in writing.

3) Tones

Tones are an aspect of Chinese that is completely absent in English, which makes it a somewhat difficult concept to grasp. Basically, it will shape it’s meaning by depending on how you say a word. For example, the word, “he” with a “high” tone means to drink, but if you said “he” with a rising tone then it means, “river”. There are 4 tones in Mandarin, and if you don’t use them then you will make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Believe it or not, this is not impossibly difficult to learn, you simply need a good course to study from.

Final Thoughts

No doubt, Learning Chinese is not a walk in the park, though that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to learn it. It is a little difficult, so the benefits are simply too good to not learn Mandarin. If you need a course to help you get started learning Chinese, check out the 3 top learn Chinese software packages guide for more info.

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It is the best and wise option to study abroad China to learn Mandarin Chinese and have a proper hold on the language. No doubt, there may be hundreds of language schools available around your vicinity who can guide you through the language, but when it comes to acquire an in-depth knowledge of Chinese culture, trend, and tradition beside the calligraphy, you must choose to study abroad in China instead of learning Chinese from the nearby language schools.

It is for sure that learning Chinese involves some investment and everybody looks for better learning facility on an investment of lowest cost. There are many genuine educations consulting company in China in order to cater the need of the people around the world, for example, China Study Abroad (CSA), it offers commendable learning facility coupled with fun filled staying and touring services at highly affordable cost.

Hence, when you made of your mind and decide to study abroad in China, just you have to do is to log on to your computer system and search for those websites that provide information on Mandarin Chinese learning schools and allow online registration for the course. And through proper comparison of cost, services, facilities and thoroughly checking the credentials of the company, you can approach any one education company that you feel best.

With wide range of selection option available, program participants can select best season to study, desired cities in China, and different accommodation facilities. Besides, the applicants are fully taken care of when they arrive in China and untile they leave. They are offered airport pick up, mobile phone for instant communication, discounted tour packages, insurance, night clubs, social events and see off to airport when you leave China. These educational companies arrange an internship program, gives an opportunity to volunteer in China on various cultural and literacy programs and employment opportunity in China.

Hence, if you are fond of Mandarin Chinese and looking for typical Chinese environment to enrich your Chinese learning experience, study abroad in China is the best option that we can suggest you. You can learn the language being just like a Chinese by making right selection of education consulting company, good season to study, best Chinese city, and good accommodation facility there. Therefor, you can think of study abroad China if you want better Chinese learning experience.

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Those who teach face many challenges and difficulties every day in the classroom. These problems can be compounded by language barriers for those who work with children and adults who are learning English as a second language. As our world becomes smaller and cities become more multicultural, our schools have to find ways of working with children from all backgrounds. However, fun and innovative teaching methods are making the task easier for educators on the front lines. In this article, we will share some tips from experienced teachers who truly know how to reach out to their students.

Adequate preparation time is essential for instructors. When planning how to teach the material in the curriculum, they must think about the needs of the students and how those needs can best be met. For example, when teaching adults, the material should reflect usage in real life situations. Instead of using repetition drills and echoing as a teaching method, have the students role play common situations, like ordering a meal in a restaurant or asking for directions. Instructors set the tone for the room, so exercises that are light and funny will help the students to feel less self conscious.

Visual aids are a very effective tool for teachers. That is why children’s preschool and middle school books come with bright illustrations. Try using flash cards around your classroom to identify items like chairs, desks, walls, cups, or paper. By frequently seeing the word, the student will memorize its meaning and spelling. You can also create visual aids with fun activities like making a picture dictionary. Have students cut pictures out of magazines. Use categories which complement your program of study, like food, furniture or colors. Encourage students to add to their dictionaries whenever possible.

Reading out loud to students is critical in order for them to gain language proficiency. This is how they will master pronunciation. English language teaching facilitators should read out loud in a clear voice and speak slowly. For particularly difficult words, over enunciate until it becomes clear to the students. Watching television with the closed captioning turned on is also as excellent exercise. Have the students listen closely to how the words are said. English can be tricky because there are so many silent letters. Hearing the words being said while seeing them spelled out will help students to make the link between the two.

Repetition is essential to learning to speak English fluently, but it doesn’t have to be mind numbingly boring. Teachers should try to find new and interesting ways to teach the syllabus because students will ultimately pay more attention during class and will take the time to study English at home. As instructors prepare their lessons, they should think about ways to include visual aids, pop culture and other tools that are of human interest. How about making sandwiches to teach students the English words for a variety of foods? Or, print lyrics off the internet and sing along to hit songs to learn some new words. These are all ways to get students to laugh and enjoy the experience of learning the most popular language in the world.

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Conquering second (or even third) language is one of the most rewarding experiences a person can go through. Study of another culture – and specifically, it’s language – opens your eyes to the world around you, making you appreciate the vast differences that make the earth’s many cultures so fascinating. That being said, you certainly can’t go wrong if you decide you’d like to learning Chinese. While long thought to be “impossible” to learn with it’s use of symbols rather than letters, the Chinese language is one of the fastest growing in terms of new languages being learned everyday.

But when looking for tutorials that can help teach something like this, where can a person turn?

In the past, you would almost have to attend classes, either in “night school” at the local community college or through day-time sessions at a college or university. However, the individuals that work throughout the day, who raise families and therefore don’t have much spare time, undoubtedly find night school both inconvenient and taxing.

Some people who want to learning Chinese consider hiring private instructors – if they can afford it. However, these sessions tend to start at $30 per hour and climb as high as $150 per hour which is depended on whom you contact.

Not surprisingly, although most people head to the internet these days, the problem inevitably becomes the overwhelming abundance of resources there. Which sites are legal? Which products property and not scams? When beginning your search of how to learning Chinese online, take into account these important steps:

1) Research. When you find a language tutorial you like, look and see how long they’ve been teaching their course in how to speak Chinese. Keep in mind though that the internet is still in its infancy, so you’re probably not going to find any 20-year online programs teaching Chinese. However, t’s probably safe to assume it’s a decent program if you can find somebody with a product that’s been around for a few years.

2) Read reviews. People flock to reviews with the wealth of products out there (in every industry). Therefore, try and get your hands on a review of the Chinese language tutorial that you like. A good review will not just say “buy this now”, it will paint an overall picture of the product. If you can find a good review and the site looks legitimate, odds are the product is too.

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