Learn to Speak Mandarin Chinese
Ready to learn Mandarin Chinese? Or does it just seem overwhelming? The words don’t sound like words you’re used to, the characters are beautiful but baffling, and you’re sure you’ll never be able to master this. But if you know a little bit about the language before you start, it really won’t seem that scary.
Learning to produce syllables in Mandarin Chinese is only half the battle – the other half is pronouncing the syllables in the right tone. For example, the word “ma” can mean “horse,” or it can mean “mother,” depending on the tone you use when pronouncing the word. Every time you learn a new word in Chinese, remember to learn the tone of voice in which the word is pronounced. Choosing a method of instruction that includes an audio component is vitally important when you learn Mandarin Chinese, because you need to be able to hear and imitate the tones in which the words are said.
What are the various tones used in Mandarin Chinese? The first is a high, even tone, neither rising nor falling in pitch. The second is a rising tone, the third is a falling tone, and the fourth tone rises at the beginning and then falls at the end. Don’t take our word for it, though – when you decide to learn Mandarin Chinese, choose a method that will let you hear and replicate those tones for yourself.
But Mandarin isn’t all about tones – its twenty-one consonants and sixteen vowels are the building blocks of individual words. Many of these sounds will seem unfamiliar to English-speakers, but you learn Mandarin Chinese, focus on the ways the Chinese is different from English rather than the ways they are the same. Concentrate on perfecting a Chinese accent and you’ll be astonished at your degree of success!
If you’re ready to learn Mandarin Chinese, you may wonder whether you’ll need to learn to read it first. The answer is no – small children learn to speak long before they learn to read, don’t they? But nevertheless, you probably would find it helpful to be able to take notes in the language you’re studying.
Many students trying to learn Mandarin Chinese begin by reading a Romanized version of the language – in other words, they write Chinese sounds using the same alphabet as European languages. This form of writing is called Pinyin, and because it is much simpler than Chinese characters, it is actually used in China as a stepping stone to teach small children and illiterate adults to read. English-speakers who are endeavoring to learn Mandarin Chinese typically have a much easier time if they begin their studies using Pinyin.
Now you know a lot more about Chinese than you did a few minutes ago, and it’s time to tackle this new and beautiful language. Choose a comprehensive audio-based learning system; practice your accent; and build your reading vocabulary with Pinyin before attempting traditional Chinese characters. It’s not so hard to learn Mandarin Chinese!
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