When you get older, you soon start to realize that learning to speak different languages can come in extremely useful. It could be that you have people from another country working with you and you need to learn the language in order to easily communicate with them. Or perhaps you have to travel on business or you would like to travel to a different country for a holiday?
Whatever the reason, learning the local language is definitely worthwhile and one particular language which you may want to focus on is Chinese.
Learning Chinese ? The Easiest Way
Most cities today are multicultural and so it often helps to be able to speak several different languages. Chinese may not be your first choice of language to learn, but it can still come in really useful. However, there are a number of ways in which you can learn the language and not all of them are easy.
Books can show you what you need to say and they can also attempt to tell you how to say them. However, it is impossible for you to get a good grasp of the language from a text book alone. You need to actually hear the words being said in order to understand them properly, and that is where audio books prove to be invaluable.
Why Choose Audio Books?
Audio books are ideal because they allow you to learn pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary quickly and easily. They use tried and tested methods and it is guaranteed that you will learn at a much faster rate than you would with an ordinary book.
Actually listening to the sounds of the words, as well as seeing them can make all of the difference. It is just like the method that was used to teach you your own language as you grew up. With audio books you can:
? Listen to them whenever you want. It could be first thing in the morning, in the car on your way to work or last thing at night before you go to sleep. Whenever you have time, you can listen to tape
? Pick the language up quicker than you usually would as you actually get to hear the words being spoken.
? You can learn at your own pace and still learn quickly. It is a lot easier to listen to a tape than it is to read a book and so even when you are going at your own pace, you are still likely to learn quicker than if you were reading a book.
Learning Chinese can be difficult if you do not use the right method. Audio books are fantastic and they really do help you to get a good grasp of the language. You will no longer have to worry about whether you are saying something right as you will know the way that the words are usually pronounced.
1. Chinese is one of Sino-Tibetan languages, or more exactly it is a group of different dialects, including Mandarin (Putonghua) is one. In all there are more native speakers in China than in any other language. To put things in perspective, there are about 915 million speakers of Mandarin (including without any of the other dialects such as Cantonese), compared to Spanish, the fourth language spoken in the world with approximately 400 million speakers.
2. You do not learn Chinese characters to learn to speak Chinese. Pinyin is a method of writing Chinese in Roman alphabet. Hanyu Pinyin sorts sound, and includes brands tone to give the correct pronunciation.
3. Chinese literature. Dialects are not mutually intelligible, but the written language is shared by all. Even if you do not need to learn to read Chinese characters to speak the language, in so doing, you open the door to a very diverse and rich literature. In fact, the record for the oldest was written in Chinese characters although very different in the modern form of characters (which number several thousand).
4. The Chinese economy is the fastest growing economy in the world, and in the same working environment speaking a little Chinese will give you a competitive advantage, if your company invests in China or are considering doing so.
5. Language and culture are linked something and learning the Chinese language will give an assessment of the cultural heritage of China.
6. China is accessible to foreign visitors in a way that was not in past and Travel in China and is becoming easier, but to make the most of this opportunity to travel, language at an elementary level is important. Mandarin is spoken throughout China.
7. China is becoming increasingly important in the world of May and the dominant economic power in the not so distant future.
8. Food. You can eat in restaurants in tourist hotels, but if you want to see more of China, it is better to try the food and experience culture in the local restaurants.
9. In 2008, the Olympics are held in Beijing. In 2008, many foreign visitors will descend on China on the eve of the Olympics. This is an opportunity, if you're lucky enough to be in, out of the lot being one of the few who has at least learned a few words of Mandarin.
10. Like any other language, it is possible to learn a few words and phrases in Mandarin, just to be polite without spending years in higher education. Mandomandarin would help.
Both Paddy & Mike Cheng are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Paddy has sinced written about articles on various topics from Panic Attacks, Audio Books and Sauna. Includes 16 hours of spoken language practice in thirty 30-minute lessons. Learn. Paddy's top article generates over 60500 views. to your Favourites.
Mike Cheng has sinced written about articles on various topics from Yoga Practice, Language and Distance Learning. Mike Cheng Author for mandomandarin an online Chinese tutor where you will and can. Mike Cheng's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.