学会中文

1. 学会中文 Succeed In Learning Chinese

2. “There is no man living that can not do more than he thinks he can. “ – Henry Ford • “I can’t!”, “It’s too hard!” or “It’s impossible!” often really means ‘I lack confidence’, ‘I’m afraid/feel out of my depth at the moment and overwhelmed’ or even just ‘I probably can, I just don’t really know how to set about it.’ • Chinese is very learnable language, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t succeed with it. It’s not as hard as most people think, (but enjoy the kudos anyway!!)

3. Challenges: • Time Management & Good Organisation • Practise • Sounds, including mastering ‘pinyin’ • Grammar • Script • Panic!

4. Time Management It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste. – Henry Ford

5. Time ManagementWhat is a good use of your time? • Turn up to and participate in classes. Skiving will not help you succeed! • Fix times to work on your Chinese. Make a date with Chinese and don’t stand it up! • Do all homework – even the boring or hard stuff. • Learn vocabulary. • Work on script. • Listen to recordings etc. • Time with your language exchange partner. • Work little and often – not too long in one sitting.

6. Using ‘Dead’ TimeGreat flashcard/listening opportunities! • Travelling: • Bus • Train • Even lifts! • Queuing or other waiting. • Eating alone, or with other learners of Chinese. • Doing household tasks. • Exercising.

8. Homemade vocab flashcards “Single words and entire phrase are best handled differently. When you write individual words on your flash card, you need only a ‘short’ runway,’ so treat the card in its ‘tall’ (vertical) form rather that its ‘fat’ (horizontal) form and enter words one under the other down the length of the card. Write the English words across the ‘forehead’ of the card, then flip, not sideways, but head-over-heels, and write the foreign word across the opposite forehead. Then turn the card back over to the English side and write your next word directly underneath, turn it over and write in the foreign word, and keep repeating until the card is filled. That head-over-heels lengthwise flip makes the card easier to manipulate in a crowded bus or elevator and less likely to fall out of your hand. When you graduate to writing entire phrases on your blank flash cards, it’s obviously better to treat the card in its fat form. Continue to flip head-over-heels.” - ‘How to Learn Any Language’, Barry Farber, p65

9. Extras – supplements to EAS/LC classes CAUTION – don’t neglect your main coursework! • Self Access Area (Language Centre) resources: • Films • Grammar books • EAS listening and practical class materials. • Materials you can buy from bookshops etc: • ‘Teach Yourself’ self-study courses and script aids. • Phrasebooks (preferably with audio and proper pinyin). • On-line learning resources.

10. Good Organisation • Get a folder and one or more notebooks – nice ones if it will help you to use them. • Keep your books and materials tidy and easy to find. • Have a good system for keeping your flashcards tidy and in good order: • Old shoebox. • Index file box. • Arrange for a study buddy and language exchange partner to work with. • Don’t neglect your academic work for socialising etc.

11. Practise Does practise make perfect?

12. Practise is directly proportional to progress. So USE what you have, however little that may seem.

13. Practise Opportunities • Do all assigned homework • Get a language exchange partner: • Meet with him/her regularly. • Work on both languages (be fair). • Listen carefully to what they say and how they say it. • Ask lots of questions. • Ask for correction. • Get more mileage out of everything you learn: • Substitution exercises. • Use new words/structures as quickly as you can. • Do any supplementary exercises you find in your book.

14. Substitution exercises

15. Mastering Sounds & Pinyin 拼音

16. Mastering Sounds & Pinyin • Again – turn up to classes and join in! • EAS students – listening (and practical) classes have a lot of work on sounds. • LLC students – make most of the initials and finals charts/sound worksheets used in class. • Use the chart in your book of pinyin that exists. • When listening to your recordings, pay close attention to sounds and how they are represented in pinyin. • Pronunciation sections of self-study courses can also help, (i.e. ‘Teach Yourself Beginners Chinese’ in SAA). • Always listen carefully and imitate faithfully.

17. Grammar 语法

18. LearningGrammar • Chinese is different, don’t expect it to be the same as English, or French, or German, or….. • Chinese is a rather ‘simplistic’ language, so think simple. Don’t over-analyse or try to make it too complex. • Don’t try to translate word for word. • If you’re stuck, ask for help and clarification: • Teachers • Look carefully through course notes and your book • Try supplementary grammar resources (SAA)

19. Learning Script 学会汉字

20. Learning Script • Some people think that Chinese is the hardest language in the world because of its script. This is NOT true! There are only a finite number of radicals and you will soon become as familiar with them as you are with a-b-c. • Learn to recognise the different radicals and, if you can, get some idea of what they originally meant. • Put your flashcards to good use. • Write characters several times, saying sound out loud. • Little and often!

21. Panic – What if I mess up? Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently. – Henry Ford

22. I’ve flunked the test…. what should I do? • Honestly analyse what led to the failure: • Have I been working enough? • Have I been prioritising, or doing too many extras? • Is my workspace distraction free and user-friendly? • Am I getting enough sleep/proper food? • Are my friends a good or poor influence on my study habits? • Is there something I really need help with? • Make plans to rectify what went wrong, and: • Start afresh and seek needed help.

23. Do: • Work little and often. • Prioritise your class learning over extras. • Use your flashcards. • Keep moving forward. • Organise your learning materials accessibly. • Practise at every opportunity. • Aim to be the best you can. • Seek help and encouragement when needed. • Share tips and resources/recommendations with others. • Be modest in both your expectations and in accepting help from others. • Stick with it.

24. Don’t • Get disheartened by others’ language abilities - you’re probably making an unfair comparison. • Say ‘I can’t’. You can, you’re just discouraged right now. Seek reassurance! • Work for too long at any one sitting. • Stay stuck on one point/chapter/tape. • Keep quiet out of fear of making mistakes or fear of who else is listening! • Spend too much time on trimmings to the neglect of the main dish – use extra resources wisely. • Settle for getting by, try to get it right. • Refuse well-intentioned help and correction. • Give up!