Chinese, the country's most popular spoken language, is difficult to master. Chinese contains dozens of characters rather than an alphabet. Furthermore, the language is tonal. Therefore, how you pronounce a word might radically change its meaning.
Now, why should you learn to speak Chinese? For starters, China is a dominant figure in the global economy and politics. Furthermore, the nation has a rich past, and its culture and cuisine have long affected its allies and the West.
Mastering Chinese, particularly the national language Mandarin, can help you prepare for employment in international business or world politics. Understanding the language makes traveling in China more manageable and more enjoyable.
Take Chinese lessons from Superprof and learn the language in no time under the guidance of our expert tutors.
How Much Time Does It Take To Learn Chinese?
How fast you learn Chinese is determined by your passion and the amount of time you devote to developing your abilities. According to several internet resources, proficiency in Chinese might take over 2,000 to 3,000 hours. After six months to a year of learning Chinese, the average learner should be able to talk articulately and travel with confidence.
Studying Chinese will most likely take longer than learning Spanish.
While Mandarin may appear challenging to learn, you may achieve basic or practical proficiency with time and effort. Mandarin should not be difficult if you have an excellent recall and ear.
The key to making learning Mandarin Chinese less complicated is that you must determine that it is really essential and that you will discipline yourself severely.
The Five Stages of Chinese Learning
Mandarin Chinese has been rated as a category five language by the Foreign Service Institute. It is one of the most challenging languages to acquire, including Cantonese, Arabic, Korean and Japanese.
They've also divided Chinese ability into five categories:
| Categories | Abilities |
|---|---|
| Basic Proficiency | You can compose simple phrases and ask and answer questions |
| Limited Working Proficiency | You can communicate at a basic level in both a work and social setting. This level contains a "small chat." |
| Professional Working Proficiency | You can conduct most job responsibilities in Chinese, including meeting participation and communication with clients, supervisors, and coworkers. At this level, your vocabulary is vast, but you may not catch all subtitles and casual subtleties |
| Full Professional Proficiency | This is the level you'll require if you work for a Chinese firm or with Chinese-speaking clients and investors regularly. At this level, you can hold both professional and casual talks |
| Native/Bilingual Competence | You succeeded! You're entirely proficient in Chinese! Congratulations! |
FSI predicts that the average individual will need to devote roughly 2,200 hours of active study to go through these five levels. This can be reasonably achieved in 88 weeks.
If you study for 10 hours every day, you should be able to learn Chinese in 72 days.
How Many Chinese Dialects Exist?
According to Day Translations, China has over 302 different languages, 276 of which are indigenous, as noted at the opening of this essay. Because of the country's linguistic variety, the United Nations has designated April 20 as "Chinese Language Day."
Linguists disagree on whether or not a few of these Chinese dialects should be recognized languages. China labels them as dialects due to political circumstances.
Mandarin is Taiwan's official language. Mandarin is among the seven most common dialects spoken. Mandarin, often known as Putonghua, is China's official language.
It is widely spoken across the country and is taught in all schools. As a result, almost every Chinese individual speaks or understands Mandarin. Some localities, however, are known to favor their native dialect and are stigmatized as speaking "poor" Mandarin.
According to ThoughtCo, the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was when Mandarin became acknowledged as the main language. It did not, however, become the official language until 1909.
Mandarin is recognized for employing tones to distinguish words, and it has four primary tones and five if the neutral tone is counted. You learn all the dialects at Superprof and your pronunciation is accurate too.
Is It Hard To Learn Mandarin?
Irrespective of the intrinsic difficulty of the dialects, Mandarin is one of the simplest to learn due to there being excessive information accessible online.
Google Translate supports Mandarin. Mandarin tutors are also available on Superprof.
Moreover, some Chinese dialects lack conventional" pinyin" ( or romanization methods) and even publications to help those who aren't Chinese speakers learn them.
It's challenging to get started in these dialects without first studying Mandarin.
There are two types of styles: conventional and simplified. In mainland China, they use simplified characters. In Taiwan, Cantonese, and other places where they have adopted Chinese characters, such as Japan, they use traditional characters.
Simplified is for you if you wish to read the bulk of current Chinese writings.
Traditional would be more sensible if you wish to visit Taiwan, read historical writings, or learn Japanese or Cantonese. It is simple to observe the differences between the two systems. The conventional variant is 漢語. The simplified version of Chinese is 汉语.
Do you notice how different they are? Several characters have been substantially simplified.
Even with a well-standardized, well-established language such as Cantonese, relatively few individuals who do not have a good understanding of Mandarin already try to study it.
Unless you are in an area where most of the population speaks a language besides Mandarin, it is the most straightforward language to study.
And, even if you are somehow in that situation, it's possibly still just as simple to learn it, thanks to the abundance of resources, etc. Also, since they are Mandarin speakers as well, they will probably expect you to converse in it as well.
Luckily, Chinese dialects happen to be comparable. Learning Mandarin helps you study other Chinese dialects, much as learning Spanish makes it simpler to learn Portuguese. So, first and foremost, study Mandarin, and then go from there. (Plus, it's more practical.)
Considerations Before Training Your Kid To Speak Mandarin
- The ultimate key to learning a language is observation and listening/speaking abilities. The natural order is (see, listen, talk, read, write)
- While older children and adults can learn to speak and read Chinese at the same time, most people, especially small children, require a strong listening/speaking foundation
- Reading may undoubtedly increase speaking abilities (for example, vocabulary), but verbal skills may be a barrier to reading advancement
- Understanding and fluency are more essential than memorizing a set amount of Chinese characters
The Process Of Learning Mandarin
There are five distinct tones:
- A high, even tone
- Significantly higher tone
- Falling and rising tone
- The tone that decreases in pitch going from high to low
- Natural tone
The way you pronounce every tone in Chinese may affect the meanings of words. For example, the "m" in the first tone signifies "mom," whereas "mă" in the third Chinese tone implies "horse."
Learning Mandarin Chinese tones, undoubtedly, is crucial, and here are some of the approaches you can consider:
Native Speakers Should Be Seen And Listened To
Listen to prominent YouTube channels such as Learn Chinese Now, Chinese Pod, and Yoyo Chinese to improve your pronunciation.
Alternatively, use Language Learning with Netflix, a Google Chrome add-on, to watch your favorite episodes. It emphasizes words and phrases and allows you to view shows at a comfortable pace.
Another alternative is to view Chinese or English films and series with subtitles and audio. Begin with Chinese films like Hero and To Live Eat Drink Man Woman.
Interact With Native Speakers
Insist that they adjust your pronunciation. Try imitating how they speak tones as well. If you don't have a companion, Record yourself speaking, then listen back to verify your pronunciation. Comparison of isolation drills are also effective ways to improve pronunciation.
Simple yet successful strategies include continually listening to detect a particular tone. Then, compare the two tones to determine the difference.
Play SOME CHINESE MUSIC
Choose any song and start studying the words and music.
According to Jun Yang, music can help new Chinese speakers understand the language's distinct tones.
Yang also suggests the usage of classic poetry and nursery rhymes in your classes.
Learn Pinyin
Pinyin is the phonetic way of learning to speak Chinese. Pinyin spells words using Latin alphabets, making it a potential basis for understanding Mandarin more easily.
Travel Or Study In Another Country
Immersion is the quickest approach to learning to speak Chinese.
Describe Your Surroundings In Detail In Chinese
The concept is straightforward and applicable anywhere: explain your settings in as much depth as your level of Chinese permits. Try to utilize challenging content and terms that are difficult to pronounce.
This fits brilliantly if you can say it aloud, but speaking quietly or in your thoughts is still good if you're not alone. You'll feel stupid doing this even if you're alone since it's ridiculous. But you quickly get over that and discover that it's pretty beneficial.
Of course, you don't have to explain your surroundings - that's simply a handy prompt. Discuss everything – your plans, your days, your emotions.
Besides the linguistic benefits, you might find it enjoyable to do.
Concentrate On Your Grammar
Mandarin sentence structures include a verb, subject, and object. On the other hand, Mandarin doesn't distinguish between plural and singular nouns or genders.
Enroll In A Chinese class
Superprof offers online courses that teach you the language from scratch, not only Chinese but any language or subject from music to cooking. Several Mandarin classes are being offered. Please use them and enroll in a Chinese class to ace the language.
Want To Know How To Find Chinese Teachers On Superprof
According to researchers, studying Chinese strengthens your mind more than almost any language. Characters and tones in Chinese need more brain regions to work, consuming more mental energy.
Writing in Chinese also helps you develop your motor skills and visual perception. Several American schools are also introducing Chinese writing and speaking courses where you can learn.
Chinese teachers are available at Superprof. Enroll in a class and learn from the best. Pick the course best suited for you, whether you are a beginner or intermediate. We have tutors ready to take you from any level and make you reach the expert standard.
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