拼音
(您好。我是凯文·) Ni hao! Wo shi kai wen! Or, in English, "Hello! I am Kevin!".
The two symbols at the top of the page represent the characters for "pin yin" Chinese. They literally mean "spelled out sounds". I'm learning Simplified Mandarin Chinese (pin yin) for our planned trip to China in 2017. I've spent an average of about two hours per day this past week learning how to read, write and speak Mandarin.
So far, it's not too bad. I'm using a combination of various online videos and one paid Chinese course. Also, while I'm working, I'm listening to "T-Pop" (Taiwanese pop music). Already, I'm able to pick out words in the songs I'm hearing! The course that I am taking indicates that I may be able to understand at least 79% of written and spoken Mandarin once I'm through. Since I have almost two years to practice, this may be a very attainable goal for me. I'm also using a neat free mobile app called "ChineseSkill" that's a little like DuoLingo, if you're familiar with that app.
The one thing that's a little different with the Chinese language is that tones can change the meaning of a word drastically. In English, you can say the word "apple" using many different tones, and it still means "apple". In Chinese, you say the word for "ugly" with an even, flat tone. If you say the word with a rising tone, though, it means "stinky". So, you have to be careful with the tones when speaking and listening. There are only four tones, though:
So, anyway, it's a little bit of a challenge to learn to listen for (and speak!) those tones. It's not impossible, just different.
I'm enjoying the learning, though. It's something a little bit different from coding and I believe that working a different part of my brain by trying to learn a new spoken language, as opposed to learning a new programming language, can only help me in the long run.
The two symbols at the top of the page represent the characters for "pin yin" Chinese. They literally mean "spelled out sounds". I'm learning Simplified Mandarin Chinese (pin yin) for our planned trip to China in 2017. I've spent an average of about two hours per day this past week learning how to read, write and speak Mandarin.
So far, it's not too bad. I'm using a combination of various online videos and one paid Chinese course. Also, while I'm working, I'm listening to "T-Pop" (Taiwanese pop music). Already, I'm able to pick out words in the songs I'm hearing! The course that I am taking indicates that I may be able to understand at least 79% of written and spoken Mandarin once I'm through. Since I have almost two years to practice, this may be a very attainable goal for me. I'm also using a neat free mobile app called "ChineseSkill" that's a little like DuoLingo, if you're familiar with that app.
The one thing that's a little different with the Chinese language is that tones can change the meaning of a word drastically. In English, you can say the word "apple" using many different tones, and it still means "apple". In Chinese, you say the word for "ugly" with an even, flat tone. If you say the word with a rising tone, though, it means "stinky". So, you have to be careful with the tones when speaking and listening. There are only four tones, though:
- A flat, even tone (kind of a higher tone)
- A short rising tone (like saying "what?" in English)
- A "roller-coaster" tone (drops, then rises)
- An abrupt, dropping tone (like saying "No!" or "Ha!", starts strong, then drops)
So, anyway, it's a little bit of a challenge to learn to listen for (and speak!) those tones. It's not impossible, just different.
I'm enjoying the learning, though. It's something a little bit different from coding and I believe that working a different part of my brain by trying to learn a new spoken language, as opposed to learning a new programming language, can only help me in the long run.
2 comments:
Do they reverse names like the Japanese?
Hey, Scott! From what I've read, the family name comes first in Chinese names.
Post a Comment