Mandarin is one beautiful language that I am lucky enough to encounter with when I was young. I started learning Mandarin not in a formal way, nor systematically, thus the journey is longer, but I am glad that I find my own way. We don't speak the language at home. My dad is very good in writing, but due to education background that he had, the pronunciation might not up to the current international standard. But many people around his age is speaking that kind of Mandarin, where the word 'r' doesn't exist, instead they will pronounce it as "j" (I am talking about the sound that you make in Bahasa Indonesia kind of ABC pronunciation).
Initially, I started with tutor, many writing and reading, but not explanation on grammar or whatsoever. We just recognize the characters and its meaning, memorize it even, and then write them, lots of them, a page for a character. Then, I watched many reality shows on Taiwanese Channel when I was in my high school. Then, I started to teach the kiddos during my college time, then when I was working I didn't use it often but when I use it, I don't speak the right type of mandarin, I speak the acceptable one. Then, I got serious, I actually spent quite a bit of my saving to study in China. 4 months are short, but depending how we use it, that 4 months was incredible. Many new things learnt and positive confirmation/affirmation for myself. So yeah, that 4 months is enough, as I personally believe, learning language is an endless fun journey.
If you ask me "are you very good in Mandarin?", the answer is definite "NO!", but I am good enough to understand, comfortable enough to converse in it.
Then, if you ask me again, "can you always answer the questions that your students ask you?", again, it is another definite "NO!", but I am sure I always find the answer for the questions and that's what make teaching fun, you learn too!
If you say "You aren't so good teacher then". My argument is "I am not super, but good enough."
It is something to actually very good at one particular subject, but teaching, educating, sharing need a whole new set of skill, and I am glad to say that I am passionate enough to learn more about the effective way of doing it by actually DOING it! (you know what I mean :p)
So here we're...
Indonesia has not always been opened to this language, until the year of 2001. After some reformation that took place in our country, dark time, then we saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and the language comes to life! Many people are seeing the benefit of learning Mandarin and many people are teaching it now.
My high school is one that really introduced it in a proper way, Taiwan kind of Chinese, Traditional Chinese, more strokes in the characters. So Lucky me! Over the years, I find my own way in learning the language in MY-effective-way and apparently starting teaching it. I'm somehow rather good in the writing, and when I was in China, on the train to Shan Hai Guan, conversing with a lady, she convinced me that I doesn't sound like a foreigner, I am just like the native. That makes my heart swelled and with it confidence too, meaning that I am okay too in my speaking. Reading is okay. Sometimes, there are always new words/phrases that I encounter and might not recognize in every reading that I do, but that's fine, the point of reading is to understand, and somehow at the end of the article I always manage to make the sense of out of those alien phrases, always. That's I called "语感 - yu gan" - sense for the language. Not everyone has that, so I guess, I am the blessed one. Listening, no problem! Although my HSK 6 reveals that is my weakest point, most of the time I can understand.
So I would like to share my way of step by step learning this beautiful language. There is never been 1 right way. I am just sharing with you MY way.
There are tools that I will think be very useful in assisting you learning the language by yourself, at your onw pace:
1. Smartphone with internet connection!
2. PC with internet connection!
Along the way, Pleco (download this app to your smartphone), Youtube and Bihua will be your best friends in the learning journey, at least it has been mine. Please add the website to the list of your favorite sites. You will be surprised how much this 3 items will assist you!
Set them up, and I will introduce each and every one of them to you. Don't get discourage when you see how much Chinese characters, especially, in Bihua website. Will show you what to click and what to focus on. Don't get distracted with all the ads! They need that to motivate them to maintain good contents in their site, which benefit people like you and me.
Get the 3 things mentioned above in your fingertips and wait for the next post.
Sincerely,
Linda Tan
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