Mandarin is the biggest language with most speakers in the world. My questions: Is mandarin easy? If not, what are the difficulties? If yes, what make it easy? Thx!
Mandarin (Chinese Language)
hi evanc. as a native speaker of chinese myself, i can tell u that the grammars in chinese are like the easiest ones among all the languages, which i get a lotta evidence from my western friends who are learning it. say there are no change of the verbs in different tenses nor are the genders for nouns or adj.s etc.
but the problem of learning chinese for those westerners who want to learning it is the writing system. instead of spelling the words using the letters from alphbet, we kinda "sketch" or "draw" the words in terms of chinese characters if u might know. so our language is not as phonetical as western languages from the written form, yet more graphical. and the structures of these characters are like a nightmare to any new learners and sometimes even to native speakers.
so if u r really interested in learning it, the speaking part is gonna be easy with the phonetic system using the roman letters. however, the reading or writting part.... oh gosh. wish u luck though
but the problem of learning chinese for those westerners who want to learning it is the writing system. instead of spelling the words using the letters from alphbet, we kinda "sketch" or "draw" the words in terms of chinese characters if u might know. so our language is not as phonetical as western languages from the written form, yet more graphical. and the structures of these characters are like a nightmare to any new learners and sometimes even to native speakers.
so if u r really interested in learning it, the speaking part is gonna be easy with the phonetic system using the roman letters. however, the reading or writting part.... oh gosh. wish u luck though
I would say the writting system and tone are difficult for western learners.
But when you master the writting system and tones, Chinese would be among the easiest languages in the world.
But when you master the writting system and tones, Chinese would be among the easiest languages in the world.
Hi!Everyone,
I am a Taiwanese studend who is studying in SHU(Shih Hsin University) . I live in north Taiwan. I think Chinese is more difficult than English in some ways.Like the word,much more Chinese words are componented by saveral singel words.That these words can become one or even more meanings.Anyway,each Chinese word has some different meanings or sounds. Does it difficult to you? I think if you want to learning Chinese well,you have to know some Chinese language's history and story first.Moreover,make a Chinese(maybe Taiwan) friend is a good way to learn it more quickly.^^
I am a Taiwanese studend who is studying in SHU(Shih Hsin University) . I live in north Taiwan. I think Chinese is more difficult than English in some ways.Like the word,much more Chinese words are componented by saveral singel words.That these words can become one or even more meanings.Anyway,each Chinese word has some different meanings or sounds. Does it difficult to you? I think if you want to learning Chinese well,you have to know some Chinese language's history and story first.Moreover,make a Chinese(maybe Taiwan) friend is a good way to learn it more quickly.^^
>>I would say the writting system and tone are difficult for western learners.
But when you master the writting system and tones, Chinese would be among the easiest languages in the world.<<
You say this as if it were an easy task! It's a rare occasion when I can tell the difference between third and fourth tone, let alone reproduce it.
Oh, not to mention typing Chinese. I don't know about you guys, but I'm used to typing 80-something words a minute.
But when you master the writting system and tones, Chinese would be among the easiest languages in the world.<<
You say this as if it were an easy task! It's a rare occasion when I can tell the difference between third and fourth tone, let alone reproduce it.
Oh, not to mention typing Chinese. I don't know about you guys, but I'm used to typing 80-something words a minute.
話，又叫語，語言，或者言語，係人溝通嘅一種方法。話無論係講或者寫出來，都可以睇成係透過符號同文法構成嘅。
大多部情況下，言語都係細個嗰陣時學得到。語言多數係靠聲言同動作來傳達意思。雖然語言數目成千上萬，但係都一樣有某一啲特質。雖則呢啲特質有好多例外情況。
語言同方言嘅分野並無一條界綫。佢地嘅分別，就好似語言學家Max Weinreich所講，只不過語言係有軍隊嘅方言。政治同軍事力量係決定因素。
大多部情況下，言語都係細個嗰陣時學得到。語言多數係靠聲言同動作來傳達意思。雖然語言數目成千上萬，但係都一樣有某一啲特質。雖則呢啲特質有好多例外情況。
語言同方言嘅分野並無一條界綫。佢地嘅分別，就好似語言學家Max Weinreich所講，只不過語言係有軍隊嘅方言。政治同軍事力量係決定因素。
<<話，又叫語，語言，或者言語，係人溝通嘅一種方法。話無論係講或者寫出來，都可以睇成係透過符號同文法構成嘅。
大多部情況下，言語都係細個嗰陣時學得到。語言多數係靠聲言同動作來傳達意思。雖然語言數目成千上萬，但係都一樣有某一啲特質。雖則呢啲特質有好多例外情況。
語言同方言嘅分野並無一條界綫。佢地嘅分別，就好似語言學家Max Weinreich所講，只不過語言係有軍隊嘅方言。政治同軍事力量係決定因素。 >>
上面这位老大用的是哪里的方言呀？
大多部情況下，言語都係細個嗰陣時學得到。語言多數係靠聲言同動作來傳達意思。雖然語言數目成千上萬，但係都一樣有某一啲特質。雖則呢啲特質有好多例外情況。
語言同方言嘅分野並無一條界綫。佢地嘅分別，就好似語言學家Max Weinreich所講，只不過語言係有軍隊嘅方言。政治同軍事力量係決定因素。 >>
上面这位老大用的是哪里的方言呀？
The tones are horrible, I can tell you that! No matter how much I practice, I can't get them right. -_-;;
thanx, L'italofilo.
香港的学校就是教这样的中文吗？有几个人能看得懂。
Steve，
"Tone" is the last obstacle to overcome. After you conquer the tones of Chinese, learning Chinese will be a piece of cake.
香港的学校就是教这样的中文吗？有几个人能看得懂。
Steve，
"Tone" is the last obstacle to overcome. After you conquer the tones of Chinese, learning Chinese will be a piece of cake.
Steve:
In fact you needn't follow it strictly,in most cases others will still understand you. Of course it is a great thing if you master it completely some day.
In many dialects in China,the tones are not very rigid,as in my dialect,and it seems that the language sounds softer and sweeter.
China is so vast and the population is so diversified,most dialects evolves in the course of hundreds or thousands of years.And the so-called mandarin is native to only a portion of the whole population and it is even difficult for many native Chinese to speak it correctly and pronounce it standard.
In fact you needn't follow it strictly,in most cases others will still understand you. Of course it is a great thing if you master it completely some day.
In many dialects in China,the tones are not very rigid,as in my dialect,and it seems that the language sounds softer and sweeter.
China is so vast and the population is so diversified,most dialects evolves in the course of hundreds or thousands of years.And the so-called mandarin is native to only a portion of the whole population and it is even difficult for many native Chinese to speak it correctly and pronounce it standard.
I can read cantonese too, actually written cantonese is getting more popular in non-offical settings (as the "official" mandarin written form is imposed in all official settings since the 1997 takeover) since its invention in hong kong a few years back. More and more cantonese speakers who number 77 million can read written cantonese.