Chinese - Learning the Language Effectively

Have you ever found yourself in the startling predicament of learning a language and suddenly realizing that what you have learned is a serious departure from what is in practice or what a native speaker speaks?

Many who are new to learning Chinese face this particular problem everyday. Further, they realize that Chinese is a family of languages that encompasses many dialects, many of which are unintelligible to each other. As you embark on learning one of the world's oldest languages you need not worry too much. Chinese has achieved a level of standardization today that will enable you to learn the language effectively. Nevertheless, it is imperative that you learn contemporary and standard Chinese, known as Mandarin.

Mandarin is a northern dialect of Chinese that has been adopted throughout China as the standard form of Chinese. It is spoken by more Chinese than the dialects of Wu and Cantonese today. The best way to learn Chinese is to become familiar with the fundamental elements of the language: the four tones, pinyin, characters and sentence structure. If you are new to learning Chinese it is important to master above all else your pronunciation.

On your way to learning Chinese, do take a departure from learning form a text or class and explore the use of the language with people on the street or someone in your city. Languages come alive in real life settings and you will find new vocabulary faster this way.

Here are some great tips on making the most of learning Chinese and empowering your learning process:

1. Learn new vocabulary in online forums for Chinese.

2. Read Chinese magazines and books to learn Chinese in use today.

Chinese newspapers are great for practicing reading comprehension: China Times, The Beijing Daily and China News.cn are a few.

3. Practice Chinese vocabulary often and out loud!

The four tones are a departure from many languages and a great way to master the phonetics of Chinese is to stretch your vocal range by singing notes.

4. Find out which Chinese characters out of the 1000's are in use today.

Chinese consists of thousands of characters. However, they are not all in use today. It would be wise to find out which ones are in use today and to weed out ones that may be taught to you in a class or course. Try to find a course that is modern to avoid this misstep.

Chinese, one of the oldest and most spoken languages today, need not be a challenge for the beginner. Remember to put your effort where it counts: learning modern Chinese and practicing out loud as often as you can. Become an avid reader of Chinese magazines and participate in online forums. These are great ways to ensure that what you are learning is worth your time and effort and you will be on your way to mastering Chinese in less time.

Marcus Lloyd is an American expat in Shanghai learning Chinese. For a suggested course in contemporary modern Chinese check out "learnchinesetodaysite.info" or more of "Best Way to Learn Mandarin"