Where to learn Chinese

[manofkent]

Hello every1, I'm new here, only joined a few days ago. lots of intresting stuff in these forums. its nice to get a rounded opinion on all diffrent issues. i particulaly enjoy the street/reality fighting forum.

Within the nxt Txo yrs Im looking to quit my job and go to china to travel and improve my kung fu. however i'm having real trouble finding a language tutor. I'm fairly confident i could learn on my own, but cant find anywhere on the net that will give any basics away for free, they all charge £250+. can anyone help me find a site, or anything where i can start to learn some chinese free of charge.

I would just pay it but im trying to save enough to live out there untill i find a job.

i would be really greatful if anyone could help me.

[Fu-Pau]

Dunno about where on the internet to find the basics in Chinese? Do you have any Chinese speaking friends who could tutor you?

but before you start on a language, work out where you are going to live/learn kung fu. That way you can then work out what the local dialect is and learn that one.

eg: if you are going to live/learn in Hong Kong - learn Cantonese.
if you are going to live/learn in Shanghai - learn Sanghainese or Mandarin
etc

[scotty1]

Bear in mind that if you learn a local dialect then travel to a different part of China then you won't be understood.

Same for Cantonese to a lesser extent.

If you don't know where you're going or you're going to be travelling around then learn Mandarin.

If you want to start for free get a pack from your local library.


Welcome to the forums, you'll see they're not that interesting after a while.
:)

[manofkent]

Thanks, i want to learn Mandarin. but i dont have a local library, i live in the middle of nowhere and dont know anyone that speaks the language. part from kung fu and work, the internet is my only source.

[Shaolinlueb]

http://store.yahoo.com/rosettastone/chinese.html

is one but expensive


i recommend
http://www.pimsleurapproach.com/learn-chinese-mandarin.asp

I have the cantonese tapes and my beginer cantonese is pretty good form thsoe tapes. i mean i can actually speak it to people and they understand.


Adam

[scotty1]

Mate where do you live? There must be a library in the nearest town or village surely.

You really need to hear the pronunciation.

[manofkent]

If u couldnt guess buy the name... i live in kent. the library is a hell of a treck. but a mate just told me of another library i could try. thanks anyway.

pretty poor atempt at the snow this morning hu? think the guy upstairs could of made it a bit more fun for us.

[ZhouJiaQuan]

Anyone have good resources online/books/cds/etc... for learning cantonese. I need to learn it, but dont know where to start.

much thanks

[scotty1]

Yeah I guessed you live in Kent, but I heard there's more than one town there. :)

Good luck anyway. And yeah, we didn't get any snow at all, so pretty much an anti-climax really. ****ing cold though.

[Liokault]

Try

Free BBC language site (http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/real_chinese/)

[manofkent]

Scotty...
there are lots of towns, but i work long hrs so cant go week days, and its open sat 8-12 so i would have to leave my gung fu class to go get stuff, and again to take it back.
got crappy bit of snow this morn, but its just brown mush now. wind chill of -13!!!!!

Liokault...
Thanks... that looks like it might be of some use. I'll look at it when i get home (cant down load the audio files on pc at work)

[Shaolinlueb]

Originally posted by ZhouJiaQuan
Anyone have good resources online/books/cds/etc... for learning cantonese. I need to learn it, but dont know where to start.

much thanks

dude i posted up some links that are pretty good.

[Losttrak]

Are you married yet? Get hitched to a Chinese girl and its like bringing China into your home. lol I try to learn a new word or sentence a week. Then I listen to her chat on the phone or with friends and try to pick out the words, then I ask what the sentence was. Then I look for those words.... and the cycle repeats.

[ZhouJiaQuan]

http://www.pimsleurapproach.com/learn-chinese-cantonese.asp?

SL,
You have the 1-8 tape? its worth the $20?

too bad the other tape is 275 bills... jeeze...

Xie Xie
(i forget how to say it in cantonese... too many curse words intermingled with regular words so im scared to say anything, cuase i forget which ones are curses ;)

[No_Know]

chinese characters (http://www.zhongwen.com/zi.htm) chinese language stuffs (http://www.zhongwen.com)

[WanderingMonk]

Just a suggestion, do visit the country before you quit your job and go the "full monte".

You probably can alway get a job as a English teacher in China but depending on where you are in the country, the financial compensation might not be sufficient.

You can also goto taiwan, where the living standard is generally up to developed country standard in major metropolis (but no central a/c).

Anyways,, visit the country first. make some contact and find somebody you can count on.

Like any society in the world, if you aren't looking out for yourself, someone might take advantage of you.

You don't want to be calling the embassy or counulate office in the middle of the night seeking help to get yourself airlift out.

[David Jamieson]

you can buy language books that are accompanied with tapes so you can learn correct pronounciation.

start at beginners level, the kits are fairly cheap.
and definitely learn mandarin preferentially to cantonese.

cantonese is ok for a small area of china, but more than 80% of the pop speaks common speech a.k.a pu tong hua a.k.a mandarin.

Cantonese is hard to find dictionaries for because of dialectical differences and the robustness of colloquial speech.

besides, anyone who speaks cantonese on the mainland more than likely speaks mandarin as well.

good luck, practice a lot and look for opportunities to use the language so you can learn faster.

cheers

[blooming lotus]

I don't know that it's cheap...I teach english in china..while studying kungfu...we normally get free chinese lessons...but I know a few teachers who havebought these systems and paid like $2000 for them...if you have two years, and findit matters to be ABLE TO COMMUNCATE...MOST DEFINATELY WORTH THE investment ;)

[Fu-Pau]

Originally posted by ZhouJiaQuan
Anyone have good resources online/books/cds/etc... for learning cantonese. I need to learn it, but dont know where to start.

much thanks

I guess once you have mastered Cantonese you can translate your name back from Mandarin ;)

[David Jamieson]

yes, i suppose cheap is relative to ones ways and means and the "want" to do something. :)

bUt the book and tapes i have ran about 25 bucks cdn and cover the bulk of beginners chinese. Luckily I have some friends i can bounce stuff off of pronounciation wise and i can learn phrases and stuff from.

you really have to focus on opportunities to use it though. THis is very important in learning anything imo.

cheers

[Fu-Pau]

manofkent

I note from your profile that your kung fu style is choi li fut. If that is the style you intend to continue, then you should be looking for a school in HK or Canton province (you may not find too many CLF schools in the north)... therefore learn Cantonese.. in my opinion anyway

[blooming lotus]

and mandarin :D

eventually you may or may not decide to seek roots and history etc....alot of it is only found in chinese...well..maybe not alot...just the stuff you really wana know

[Fu-Pau]

Oh ok! AND Mandarin too... :)

[No_Know]

If you go to a Choi/y Li Fut/Fot (cantonese (sounds lik faught without the u~)) friendly area With cantonese, the National language is still Manderin and I might think that the people who live there can understand if not speak theirs plus the national language. Along your paths to getting to China you might find the more user friendly Manderin (four tones) helpful to get you to China. But pick up the Cantonese (perhaps, sixteen tones) as you go.

They read the name different but they understand the characters pretty much the same. Learn the characters. Listen on cable There might be an international channel that has Chinese news report or a repot in Chinese...)and while you are out (Chinese resteraunts (sitting near the cash register or the kitchen))...

Learn reading and writing. Use Manderin. Pick up Cantonese.

Rent/buy/get videos with english Speak and Chinese Subtitles and associate characters with the English meanings. After this method. Get video/audio recording VHS/BETA/DVD showing Chinese subtitles and having Manderin speak. The characters for the same meanings in general would be there and you can now associate a Manderin phrase to characters you suspect to mean such and such because of the English spoken during a scene to which you understood the relationship dynamics so you got what was going on-ish. Now or either subtitles Chinese (not the short (abbreviated) way (but pick this up as you go too)), and Cantonese speak.

A DVD is good for this as one may add subtitles in different languages and choose the Speak...find DVD With Chinese subtitles and Cantonese/Manderin (some might have both don't be too picky from here) speak.

[manofkent]

Thank you to every body for ur help. got lots of ideas to go away with. As luck would have it my girlfriend got a job this week in a shop owned by this lady from hong kong, her husband is a realative of cheng man ching (not sure of spelling). so im really looking forward to meeting him. she told me of this flat they have above their gung fu school, i may be able to rent it for the yr. dont know much about there gung fu yet so i'll find out in the week.

[Nick Forrer]

Man of kent

you study choy li fut right?

in kent right? (just call me sherlock holmes)

where exactly and with who do you train and do you know anyone in London who teaches it? I ask because a Wing chun friend of mine desperately wants to learn it after our teacher showed us some. Its got to the point where he even has dreams about it :eek:

Thanks in advance

nick

[manofkent]

Nick

Did u get my email? i did send it, let me know

[unkokusai]

Originally posted by Losttrak
Are you married yet? Get hitched to a Chinese girl and its like bringing China into your home. lol I try to learn a new word or sentence a week. Then I listen to her chat on the phone or with friends and try to pick out the words, then I ask what the sentence was. Then I look for those words.... and the cycle repeats.

Wow. If you were a Mormon you could learn a ****load of languages!