It's the tonal stuff: not only is it really hard for me to hear the differences, but to have to pronounce it all? I don't exactly have the best speaking skills in the universe. And apparently the tones change when words are combined and...holy crap. Although I really want to learn Chinese, I do have this same concern. However, when I talked to Dr. Han about it, he told me that it wasn't really as big a deal as it's often made to seem. Apparently having "good tone"--that is, differentiating clearly and always hitting it right--is a "cultured" thing that is not as important among lower-class/rural Chinese. He claims it's a snobby thing to fuss about (like caring about which designer made the clothing you buy).
Of course, this is Dr. Han saying it, so take that with a grain of salt. But it is a little reassuring for me.
♥ Japanese&German ♥mifuuiAugust 26 2009, 14:47:38 UTC
WHY are Japanese and Mandarin Chinese on the same CD? That...doesn't make any sense! @A@;; *her linguistic brain goes BOOM*
And using romaji is blasphemy. Well, if all you want to do is to study a couple of tourist phrases to get around, sure, you're allowed to study in romaji BUT if you're intending to learn the language you better learn hiragana+katakana+kanji. Language software makers should know that! DX
The tonal stuff in all Chinese languages is IMPOSSIBLE. I CAN'T DO IT. Sure, I can hear the difference when they let you listen to the four different "ma"'s in Mandarin but then try hear these different tones in words or sentences is impossible for me because I'm only used to two. owo;
And don't worry about grammar! If you keep reading+listen to the language -A LOT- things will eventually stick! d(*^-') Viel Glück!
Re: ♥ Japanese&German ♥sukuhovAugust 26 2009, 19:23:17 UTC
Arrrrrgh I know, right?! They even said that Japanese is in no way related to Mandarin (or any language, really) SO WHY DID THEY PUT THEM IN THE SAME BOX??! Baah.
And seriously, I agree. :| The sooner you learn the writing systems, the better. It's not exactly rocket science: the students that did well in my Japanese classes knew the hiragana and kanji really well, while the ones who struggled relied too much on the romaji. (Well, mostly in first year, but. *dies*)
I can't even hear the differences in the tones. :D; *fails* Though if it was Cantonese I think I'd try harder since I think Cantonese sounds a lot prettier than Mandarin. :3
Well, I can read Japanese okay, but if you told me to write something in Japanese I'd fail a lot at it. :D; Maybe the programs will help better, pffft.
My posts are always a good read? Really? Ooookay then. I think they sound stupid and I whine too much. And I always talk too much, that's not new.
Well uh, just because I HAVE the programs doesn't mean I'll use them. >__>;; There's the whole problem where the program lacks anything that says START HERE so I dunno what to do. *fails* I dunno, I woke up actually NOT feeling über tired today so maybe I'll be awake enough to make use of one of them.
While I'm uncertain about Japanese, many Mandarin programs start out with Pinyin (Romanized Chinese), and then ease the user into the writing system after they've gotten the hang of tones. (As you mentioned, tones are very important in Mandarin and they don't want you to be overwhelmed.) Perhaps it's similar to that?
On the subject of tones-- yes, they're complex and it's a lot to memorize, but once you get an understanding of the symbols, it becomes easier.
... putting Japanese and Chinese in the same box makes me weep, though. DX
While I'll admit my search through the program wasn't completely thorough, I tried to look through all the sections and I only saw kanji or hanzi in the flashcard section. And the booklet even says the Japanese and Chinese are transliterated in the program. I mean, at least I GET the kanji/hanzi in the flashcards so I could copy them down and practice with those, but I find it pretty stupid. I can't speak for Chinese since hanzi's more complicated, but for Japanese hiragana is really not that hard, and if you really want to learn the language you should learn it right away. Same with Russian, if you ever wanted to learn that. (I'm guessing with Chinese, since you have the tones to worry about, you would want to wait until you got those figured out before introducing hanzi, but still
( ... )
Comments 7
Although I really want to learn Chinese, I do have this same concern. However, when I talked to Dr. Han about it, he told me that it wasn't really as big a deal as it's often made to seem. Apparently having "good tone"--that is, differentiating clearly and always hitting it right--is a "cultured" thing that is not as important among lower-class/rural Chinese. He claims it's a snobby thing to fuss about (like caring about which designer made the clothing you buy).
Of course, this is Dr. Han saying it, so take that with a grain of salt. But it is a little reassuring for me.
Reply
Reply
And using romaji is blasphemy. Well, if all you want to do is to study a couple of tourist phrases to get around, sure, you're allowed to study in romaji BUT if you're intending to learn the language you better learn hiragana+katakana+kanji. Language software makers should know that! DX
The tonal stuff in all Chinese languages is IMPOSSIBLE. I CAN'T DO IT.
Sure, I can hear the difference when they let you listen to the four different "ma"'s in Mandarin but then try hear these different tones in words or sentences is impossible for me because I'm only used to two. owo;
And don't worry about grammar! If you keep reading+listen to the language -A LOT- things will eventually stick! d(*^-') Viel Glück!
Reply
And seriously, I agree. :| The sooner you learn the writing systems, the better. It's not exactly rocket science: the students that did well in my Japanese classes knew the hiragana and kanji really well, while the ones who struggled relied too much on the romaji. (Well, mostly in first year, but. *dies*)
I can't even hear the differences in the tones. :D; *fails* Though if it was Cantonese I think I'd try harder since I think Cantonese sounds a lot prettier than Mandarin. :3
Well, I can read Japanese okay, but if you told me to write something in Japanese I'd fail a lot at it. :D; Maybe the programs will help better, pffft.
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
Well uh, just because I HAVE the programs doesn't mean I'll use them. >__>;; There's the whole problem where the program lacks anything that says START HERE so I dunno what to do. *fails* I dunno, I woke up actually NOT feeling über tired today so maybe I'll be awake enough to make use of one of them.
Reply
On the subject of tones-- yes, they're complex and it's a lot to memorize, but once you get an understanding of the symbols, it becomes easier.
... putting Japanese and Chinese in the same box makes me weep, though. DX
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment