Some Tips For Learning Mandarin

by erin on December 22, 2010

Many people travel the world and never seem to learn any other languages, so why not learn Mandarin? If you have ever wanted to go to Northern or Southwestern China and fit in so you can understand others, you can learn Mandarin and do just that. This language is spoken in many areas, and there are different kinds of Mandarin schools.

Mandarin is a specific dialect of Chinese that is spoken in many areas of the Northern and Southwestern areas of China. The Northern dialect is what is commonly known as Mandarin language. Standard Mandarin however is the official Chinese language in the district of Beijing. So if you plan on visiting any of these areas, knowing this language could be beneficial.

Since there are so many dialects, it may be best to choose the area you will visit. The People’s Republic of China speaks this language, as does Taiwan, and even Singapore. If asking someone what type of Chinese they speak, normally one will not say it is Mandarin, but will call it by the area they learned it in such as Sichuan. To learn this language, you may expect months and months or even years of practice, but this is not always the case.

When people begin to learn a new language, they tend to find ways of associating foreign words with those in their primary language. This can be one of the easiest ways to learn. The most popular way of learning is by sound and speech practice.

Sound and speech practice lessons are commonly found on CDs or DVDs and are available through many companies. To simply learn to speak the language may only take a month with daily lessons, while writing and reading another language can take much longer to become fluent. Fluency comes with practice, and each person learns at their own pace.

You may take much more or less time than others to learn a new language. To hear and speak another language could take as little as a month, with you speaking whole sentences with proper grammar in days. This will be based on how you take your lessons and how quickly you are able to learn the words.

Many people want to sound natural speaking a new language, and this can take a bit longer to do than simply learning the language. For example, persons who learn to speak English as a second language will still have their own accent and may not sound as though they are native speakers. This is to be expected unless you practice on a regular basis.

To get the hang of Mandarin, you must decide how you will best learn. If reading from a book and listening to a pronunciation CD is easiest for you, this would be ideal for the fastest learning situation. To keep up with the businesses that offer this locally, you can speak to your local librarian. You can find out about home programs or even local businesses that offer language lessons or even courses to help you learn.

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