Comments on: How To Learn Chinese: Student Versus Teacher http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/ Online travel magazine dedicated to exploring travel in the 21st century. Offering travel news, compelling interviews, online travel tools, and more. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:14:28 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Daliang http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/comment-page-1/#comment-93807 Daliang Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:24:57 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/#comment-93807 It is the first time that I heard the term "communist Chinese". how pathetic it is to label language learning with yet another political stereotype. Language is a communication tool and is not subject to degrade just because it is used in a authoritative nation. If you truly know some Chinese characters, you should know that traditional characters and simplified ones are NOT two different systems. Only a small portion in the traditional characters were simplified, or rather, standardized. Regardless of the characters you are learning, you are learning---Chinese, not human rights, democracy, speech freedom, or other beautifully decorated terms which should be be forcefully tied with human communication and interaction. It is the first time that I heard the term “communist Chinese”. how pathetic it is to label language learning with yet another political stereotype. Language is a communication tool and is not subject to degrade just because it is used in a authoritative nation. If you truly know some Chinese characters, you should know that traditional characters and simplified ones are NOT two different systems. Only a small portion in the traditional characters were simplified, or rather, standardized. Regardless of the characters you are learning, you are learning—Chinese, not human rights, democracy, speech freedom, or other beautifully decorated terms which should be be forcefully tied with human communication and interaction.

(Report comment)

]]> By: Sherise http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/comment-page-1/#comment-83981 Sherise Sat, 07 Feb 2009 23:54:32 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/#comment-83981 Hello, my name is Sherise and I love travel. In the future I want to be able to have a career that allows me access to negotiations internationally, and it it quite evident what a powerhouse Asia is, so as a result I want to learn Chinese at some point if not at the very least, to have a slight networking edge even if the actual negotiations are in English. So, I was wondering how is Chinese? Can they all understand each other more or less, like different English speaking countries? Or are the differences more tricky, like how I am learning Brazilian Portuguese but I would have to strain to understand European Portuguese with different spellings and verb tenses and such? Or does it end up completely different? How does that work? Thank you, Sherise (18 year old exchange student) Hello, my name is Sherise and I love travel. In the future I want to be able to have a career that allows me access to negotiations internationally, and it it quite evident what a powerhouse Asia is, so as a result I want to learn Chinese at some point if not at the very least, to have a slight networking edge even if the actual negotiations are in English.

So, I was wondering how is Chinese? Can they all understand each other more or less, like different English speaking countries? Or are the differences more tricky, like how I am learning Brazilian Portuguese but I would have to strain to understand European Portuguese with different spellings and verb tenses and such?

Or does it end up completely different?

How does that work?

Thank you,
Sherise (18 year old exchange student)

(Report comment)

]]> By: Johnson http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/comment-page-1/#comment-33141 Johnson Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:06:10 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/#comment-33141 This has been interesting reading Emily's views. I'm now back in Taiwan on a short business trip and I feel the language issue has become a touchy topic in Taiwan with the current leadership. Now I catch up on my Chinese on the web from a mainland China site(http://chinesepod.com)and starting this week from a well produced Taiwan site ( http://worldlearnerchinese.com ). I've found that Chinese has become less different between to two sides. This maybe good. Maybe this is a sign of the two sides future relations. Johnson This has been interesting reading Emily’s views. I’m now back in Taiwan on a short business trip and I feel the language issue has become a touchy topic in Taiwan with the current leadership.

Now I catch up on my Chinese on the web from a mainland China site(http://chinesepod.com)and starting this week from a well produced Taiwan site ( http://worldlearnerchinese.com ). I’ve found that Chinese has become less different between to two sides. This maybe good. Maybe this is a sign of the two sides future relations.

Johnson

(Report comment)

]]> By: Daniel Harbecke http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/comment-page-1/#comment-25148 Daniel Harbecke Wed, 14 Nov 2007 03:09:17 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/#comment-25148 Brilliant topic. Chinese is emerging as one of the major voices of the future - it's wonderful to hear the viewpoints of people who refuse to listen when everyone insists "Chinese is impossible." Some of the concepts involved in learning Chinese are really just a matter of acclimation, of getting comfortable with the idea. Also, learning a language goes so much easier if you focus on the joys of sound, the symbols, the ideas that come from discovery through curiosity, instead of "Must-learn-Chinese, I-am-learning-Chinese." Just like travel - you gotta get into it to get anything out of it. There's a difference between falling in love with the idea of speaking Chinese, and falling in love with speaking Chinese. All things come in time. If you're on this trip, don't give up. Xie xie. (Forgive my lack of tones: my computer has an accent.) Brilliant topic. Chinese is emerging as one of the major voices of the future – it’s wonderful to hear the viewpoints of people who refuse to listen when everyone insists “Chinese is impossible.”

Some of the concepts involved in learning Chinese are really just a matter of acclimation, of getting comfortable with the idea. Also, learning a language goes so much easier if you focus on the joys of sound, the symbols, the ideas that come from discovery through curiosity, instead of “Must-learn-Chinese, I-am-learning-Chinese.”

Just like travel – you gotta get into it to get anything out of it. There’s a difference between falling in love with the idea of speaking Chinese, and falling in love with speaking Chinese.

All things come in time. If you’re on this trip, don’t give up.

Xie xie. (Forgive my lack of tones: my computer has an accent.)

(Report comment)

]]> By: Nitin http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/comment-page-1/#comment-24192 Nitin Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:27:19 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/#comment-24192 This is a very interesting article and it hepls a lot of people to learn chinese and have a posotive approach towards learnin the language, however after reading this article i should be looking forward to go to china, its a wonderfull article really appericate the effort of christine and emily. I believe ot will be a help for many fellow travellers to look into a learning prespective, truely amazing writing with the simplified manner of learning chinese. Keep up the good work good luck. This is a very interesting article and it hepls a lot of people to learn chinese and have a posotive approach towards learnin the language, however after reading this article i should be looking forward to go to china, its a wonderfull article really appericate the effort of christine and emily.
I believe ot will be a help for many fellow travellers to look into a learning prespective, truely amazing writing with the simplified manner of learning chinese.
Keep up the good work

good luck.

(Report comment)

]]> By: Tim Patterson http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/comment-page-1/#comment-22964 Tim Patterson Sat, 10 Nov 2007 01:41:06 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/#comment-22964 Interesting comments - thank you very much. The idea of simplifying language as an offshoot of political ideology struck me as Orwellian, but you make a good point that, in the case of China, it was a populist reform. Of course, Mao and the CCP were directly responsible for the deaths of 10s of millions ... so perhaps their motives, principled though they may have been, were less than altruistic. Interesting comments – thank you very much. The idea of simplifying language as an offshoot of political ideology struck me as Orwellian, but you make a good point that, in the case of China, it was a populist reform.

Of course, Mao and the CCP were directly responsible for the deaths of 10s of millions … so perhaps their motives, principled though they may have been, were less than altruistic.

(Report comment)

]]> By: Robert http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/comment-page-1/#comment-22926 Robert Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:38:09 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/#comment-22926 Naturegirl has hit on a very good point... post-1949 China used simplified characters to educate the masses. I'm far from pro-Communist, but when you examine the stranglehold the elite had on China partly based on the fact they could read & write then simplification makes a whole lot of sense. It doesn't have to take political overtones if you don't want it to. As a Westerner, I'd never make a statement that traditional forms are the only way to appreciate the Chinese language. After 4 years of simplified characters, my fifth-year teacher was from Taiwan & made us read unsimplified. It was a good exercise, but nothing reinforced my opinion more that simpler is better. Naturegirl has hit on a very good point… post-1949 China used simplified characters to educate the masses. I’m far from pro-Communist, but when you examine the stranglehold the elite had on China partly based on the fact they could read & write then simplification makes a whole lot of sense. It doesn’t have to take political overtones if you don’t want it to.

As a Westerner, I’d never make a statement that traditional forms are the only way to appreciate the Chinese language. After 4 years of simplified characters, my fifth-year teacher was from Taiwan & made us read unsimplified. It was a good exercise, but nothing reinforced my opinion more that simpler is better.

(Report comment)

]]> By: naturegirl http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/comment-page-1/#comment-22235 naturegirl Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:49:20 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/#comment-22235 Very interesting article and blog. It's the first time I read such a comparison simplified Chinese = communist Chinese. It's very true and it made me think about it. However, we need to remember that the Chinese language has evolved over the centuries and has gone through several simplifications. Otherwise we would write hieroglyph-like characters today ;-) And although I can read traditional characters,I am relieved that I didn't have to learn to write them, because they are much more complicated to memorize. This is also the reason why only a few scholars could read in ancient China while many ordinary people where iliterate. Very interesting article and blog. It’s the first time I read such a comparison simplified Chinese = communist Chinese. It’s very true and it made me think about it.

However, we need to remember that the Chinese language has evolved over the centuries and has gone through several simplifications. Otherwise we would write hieroglyph-like characters today ;-) And although I can read traditional characters,I am relieved that I didn’t have to learn to write them, because they are much more complicated to memorize. This is also the reason why only a few scholars could read in ancient China while many ordinary people where iliterate.

(Report comment)

]]> By: Tim Patterson http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/comment-page-1/#comment-22063 Tim Patterson Wed, 07 Nov 2007 19:45:23 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/#comment-22063 Excellent article. We in the West need to make more of an effort to understand China - after all, we're surrounded by stuff that's made there! I found the part about classical v. simplified Mandarin very interesting. What do you see as the political implications of simplifying language? -Tim Excellent article.

We in the West need to make more of an effort to understand China – after all, we’re surrounded by stuff that’s made there!

I found the part about classical v. simplified Mandarin very interesting.

What do you see as the political implications of simplifying language?

-Tim

(Report comment)

]]> By: Kirsty http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/comment-page-1/#comment-22034 Kirsty Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:59:47 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/11/07/how-to-learn-chinese-student-versus-teacher/#comment-22034 This has been a really interesting read for me since I'll be heading to Beijing in March to have a crack at learning some Mandarin for a few months. Not sure how well I'll do in the five months I have but I'm really fascinated by China and I hope I can learn enough to gain some insight into the culture and meet some Chinese friends. Can't wait for the challenge ahead! This has been a really interesting read for me since I’ll be heading to Beijing in March to have a crack at learning some Mandarin for a few months. Not sure how well I’ll do in the five months I have but I’m really fascinated by China and I hope I can learn enough to gain some insight into the culture and meet some Chinese friends. Can’t wait for the challenge ahead!

(Report comment)

]]>