Comments on: Learning Chinese: Does Location Matter? http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/learning-chinese/learning-chinese-does-location-matter/ No-nonsense China Expat & Travel Community Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:53:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Chris McColl http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/learning-chinese/learning-chinese-does-location-matter/#comment-13345 Chris McColl Wed, 13 May 2009 10:51:52 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=1582#comment-13345 I believe it is not the location that is important but the methods you use. I live in Barcelona in Spain and know quite a few people who have achieved a reasonably high level of Chinese without living in China. Spending some time in a Chinese environment helps but this can be done at home using Chinese DVDs and the internet and by making Chinese friends locally. Check out my blogs for further information: [links removed - too spammy /RM] I believe it is not the location that is important but the methods you use. I live in Barcelona in Spain and know quite a few people who have achieved a reasonably high level of Chinese without living in China. Spending some time in a Chinese environment helps but this can be done at home using Chinese DVDs and the internet and by making Chinese friends locally. Check out my blogs for further information: [links removed - too spammy /RM]

]]> By: Jo http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/learning-chinese/learning-chinese-does-location-matter/#comment-13260 Jo Wed, 06 May 2009 07:21:10 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=1582#comment-13260 Wondering if you can help. I'm not getting any joy via google about private mandarin teachers in Lijiang. I'd like one-on-one tutoring for 2 weeks this August. Is anyone able to point me in the right direction? Thanks. Jo Wondering if you can help. I’m not getting any joy via google about private mandarin teachers in Lijiang. I’d like one-on-one tutoring for 2 weeks this August. Is anyone able to point me in the right direction? Thanks. Jo

]]> By: Alex http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/learning-chinese/learning-chinese-does-location-matter/#comment-13253 Alex Tue, 05 May 2009 00:41:14 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=1582#comment-13253 I would say that for people who want to do their HSK that spending some time in Beijing is important. I lived in BJ for a while then was working in Kunming, I did my HSK in Kunming and felt that if I hadn't lived in BJ before I would have found the HSK harder. A lot of the place names, language usage etc in the HSK is different to what you hear in Kunming. In reality Mandarin as we learn it in the text books is only widely spoken as a street language in the north, so its probably a good idea for people starting to learn Chinese to start in the north,,then get to a nice place like Kunming ASAP. I would say that for people who want to do their HSK that spending some time in Beijing is important. I lived in BJ for a while then was working in Kunming, I did my HSK in Kunming and felt that if I hadn’t lived in BJ before I would have found the HSK harder. A lot of the place names, language usage etc in the HSK is different to what you hear in Kunming.

In reality Mandarin as we learn it in the text books is only widely spoken as a street language in the north, so its probably a good idea for people starting to learn Chinese to start in the north,,then get to a nice place like Kunming ASAP.

]]> By: john http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/learning-chinese/learning-chinese-does-location-matter/#comment-13211 john Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:38:58 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=1582#comment-13211 @matt other sexist terminology : long haired dictionary, talking blanket, mumbling pillow @matt other sexist terminology : long haired dictionary, talking blanket, mumbling pillow

]]> By: Matt http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/learning-chinese/learning-chinese-does-location-matter/#comment-13209 Matt Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:35:34 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=1582#comment-13209 The 'horizontal dictionary?' I like it! The ‘horizontal dictionary?’ I like it!

]]> By: john http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/learning-chinese/learning-chinese-does-location-matter/#comment-13208 john Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:33:39 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=1582#comment-13208 @martin @warped0ne the horizontal dictionary is the best kind....key is you have to find one that doesnt know a stitch of English or is more embarrassed/lazy than you about speaking a foreign tongue. after studying for two years and living in BJ for almost 3 I met my wife and can say that my Chinese improved 5X in 5 months because she refused to use any english. After moving to SH , and getting used to the putonghua here it always takes me an hour or two for my ears to adjust when i go to Beijing and have to listen to people like they have a mouth full of marbles @martin @warped0ne

the horizontal dictionary is the best kind….key is you have to find one that doesnt know a stitch of English or is more embarrassed/lazy than you about speaking a foreign tongue.

after studying for two years and living in BJ for almost 3 I met my wife and can say that my Chinese improved 5X in 5 months because she refused to use any english.

After moving to SH , and getting used to the putonghua here it always takes me an hour or two for my ears to adjust when i go to Beijing and have to listen to people like they have a mouth full of marbles

]]> By: Xiefeilaga http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/learning-chinese/learning-chinese-does-location-matter/#comment-13185 Xiefeilaga Mon, 27 Apr 2009 02:49:49 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=1582#comment-13185 I laid my Chinese foundation in Kunming over a few years, then spent some time in Beijing, where I was able to finely hone it. For the most part, I agree with your post, except that you put too much emphasis on the classroom and studying at home. My learning method was a lot closer to Tam's, though I didn't man a fruit stand. Classroom learning and home studies are important, but more important is your interaction in the environment. That is the only way to break out of the stiff language constructs and boring propriety of classroom Chinese. I learned a lot of Chinese playing pool and philosophizing with locals over bottles of Lancangjiang and Jinjiu. I find that though Beijing is home to the most "didao" accent, the sheer amount of foreigners there makes it easy for people to get caught up in the foreign scene and not really take part in the local community. Kunming had very few foreigners when I arrived, and basically no locals who spoke English, so I didn't have many crutches to fall back on. Having said that, if you show up to Beijing with functional Chinese and make an effort to get into the local scene, you'll find that the people there speak a much richer language full of chengyu's, xiehouyu's and very interesting slang. If you want to speak "cool Chinese", you should definitely spend some time there. I laid my Chinese foundation in Kunming over a few years, then spent some time in Beijing, where I was able to finely hone it. For the most part, I agree with your post, except that you put too much emphasis on the classroom and studying at home. My learning method was a lot closer to Tam’s, though I didn’t man a fruit stand. Classroom learning and home studies are important, but more important is your interaction in the environment. That is the only way to break out of the stiff language constructs and boring propriety of classroom Chinese. I learned a lot of Chinese playing pool and philosophizing with locals over bottles of Lancangjiang and Jinjiu.
I find that though Beijing is home to the most “didao” accent, the sheer amount of foreigners there makes it easy for people to get caught up in the foreign scene and not really take part in the local community. Kunming had very few foreigners when I arrived, and basically no locals who spoke English, so I didn’t have many crutches to fall back on.
Having said that, if you show up to Beijing with functional Chinese and make an effort to get into the local scene, you’ll find that the people there speak a much richer language full of chengyu’s, xiehouyu’s and very interesting slang. If you want to speak “cool Chinese”, you should definitely spend some time there.

]]> By: Kellen http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/learning-chinese/learning-chinese-does-location-matter/#comment-13158 Kellen Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:47:10 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=1582#comment-13158 re taxis, after only a few months in china with no previous study i'd get "hey your chinese is really good!" because i was a rockstar at saying my address and the name of the downtown district. for 30 seconds i was mirror-universe 大山. re taxis, after only a few months in china with no previous study i’d get “hey your chinese is really good!” because i was a rockstar at saying my address and the name of the downtown district. for 30 seconds i was mirror-universe 大山.

]]> By: Matt http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/learning-chinese/learning-chinese-does-location-matter/#comment-13154 Matt Sat, 25 Apr 2009 03:16:51 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=1582#comment-13154 Interesting point about taxis, light487. One of the main issues that impedes Chinese development for foreigners is complacency. The experience of being in taxis illustrates this point very clearly. Because most taxi drivers ask the same questions to a foreigner (e.g., "你在中国多长时间了?"), we have ample time to rehearse our answers. This can lead the laowai to assume, mistakenly, that he has attained a certain degree of fluency that doesn't actually exist. A friend of mine, for instance, can give cabbies precise directions to his apartment but is unable to construct simple sentences concerning virtually any other topic. Interesting point about taxis, light487. One of the main issues that impedes Chinese development for foreigners is complacency. The experience of being in taxis illustrates this point very clearly.

Because most taxi drivers ask the same questions to a foreigner (e.g., “你在中国多长时间了?”), we have ample time to rehearse our answers. This can lead the laowai to assume, mistakenly, that he has attained a certain degree of fluency that doesn’t actually exist.

A friend of mine, for instance, can give cabbies precise directions to his apartment but is unable to construct simple sentences concerning virtually any other topic.

]]> By: light487 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/learning-chinese/learning-chinese-does-location-matter/#comment-13152 light487 Sat, 25 Apr 2009 03:08:27 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=1582#comment-13152 Definitely need to echo the point about "forcing yourself into situations where you HAVE to use Chinese". There are many places in all of the cities I went to (well.. ok.. maybe not Wuhan so much.. :) hehe) where I could go and get by with limited Chinese and a little bit of broken English. However, it was the places I went where people couldn't speak English (beyond "hello") that I got the most from my adventure. I actively sort out these kind of places and situations throughout my stay in China, and after only a single month I learned more than I learned in a whole year of self-study. Self-study is definitely required though, to drill tones and increase vocab etc but it's not until you get out there "in the field" and actually HAVE to use it to survive on a day-to-day basis that things really kick in and understanding occurs. You also learn little tricks to make pronunciation easier, local or colloquial usages and words and so on. One of my most used phrases in China would have to be 差不多 chàbuduō and it's something I had never come across in my self-study. Go ride a bus instead of taking a taxi (although taxi language can be just as challenging at times.. haha!); go shopping in the back alleys where the locals shop; take "language" vacations and "language tourism" seriously; put yourself into situations where your only choice is to use Chinese until you are so frazzled that finding someone who speaks English for a few minutes is like finding an oasis in the desert.. :) Quench your thirst but don't delay.. your journey is a long one! :) Definitely need to echo the point about “forcing yourself into situations where you HAVE to use Chinese”. There are many places in all of the cities I went to (well.. ok.. maybe not Wuhan so much.. :) hehe) where I could go and get by with limited Chinese and a little bit of broken English. However, it was the places I went where people couldn’t speak English (beyond “hello”) that I got the most from my adventure. I actively sort out these kind of places and situations throughout my stay in China, and after only a single month I learned more than I learned in a whole year of self-study.

Self-study is definitely required though, to drill tones and increase vocab etc but it’s not until you get out there “in the field” and actually HAVE to use it to survive on a day-to-day basis that things really kick in and understanding occurs. You also learn little tricks to make pronunciation easier, local or colloquial usages and words and so on. One of my most used phrases in China would have to be 差不多 chàbuduō and it’s something I had never come across in my self-study.

Go ride a bus instead of taking a taxi (although taxi language can be just as challenging at times.. haha!); go shopping in the back alleys where the locals shop; take “language” vacations and “language tourism” seriously; put yourself into situations where your only choice is to use Chinese until you are so frazzled that finding someone who speaks English for a few minutes is like finding an oasis in the desert.. :) Quench your thirst but don’t delay.. your journey is a long one! :)

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