Learning Mandarin – Difficulties and Opportunities

Mandarin language studies are problematic. Mostly because Mandarin is varies greatly from other languages that people in the west have aimed to get to grips with before trying to learn Chinese, not because learning Mandarin is much more troublesome. mandarin chinese language is strange in any ways. The writing system is obviously completely different. You need to no alphabet once the one that Germanic and Latin derivates have. Instead an image defines every word; or rather a string of what is addressed strokes. For example, three stokes that together make a square means mouth, one combination of strokes that associated with depicts a woman holding a kid means mother as a result on. But the differences don’t end generally there. The grammar is largely made up of the items is called fibers. For example; adding a syllable pronounced ma after a sentence turns it into a question, adding guo after a sentence means that which it happens in items on the market. Combining these basic examples; you go shanghai guo master of arts? Communicates the question: possibly you gone to Shanghai? The differences are however much more explicit that the. Even the sounds of spoken Chinese are completely different from western counterparts.

Chinese spoken test is not only defined by syllables as western words are. Hugely for mother in English is just 6 different sounds noted by each character; M, O, T, H, E and R. In Chinese there is 2 syllables, not four characters, ma and ma. The twist is that “mama” can be pronounced in twenty-five different ways. Each of 2 syllables, ma and ma, can be pronounced with 5 different tones, developing a total matrix of 5 times 5 possibilities, and just one means mother. The tones are called tones but might not tones such as A minor or G, they are pitch modulation. The very tone is a somewhat steady high throw. The second is a rising pitch. Method to tone goes down and then inside. The fourth is a clear decline in pitch from high to low. The fifth is called the neutral tone and does not actually possess a modulation form.

All that sounds bloody difficult, make use of is, at least at first. So how do you best go about visiting grips with this? Because of course it is possible. In fact I know one lovely French girl called Julie, her Chinese is much better than her English. Additionally know a very talented German videographer that has lived in China for just three years; he often searches for that English word to describe something and upward saying it Truly. Basically, I would argue, that Chinese isn’t so much bloody difficult as it is bloody different.