40 replies to this topic

[Sedi]

Why not try this:

http://www.iflylanguage.com

You can record your Chinese pronunciation there, and the site can evaluate it and tell you if you've made any mistake in shengmu, yunmu or shengdiao. that's cool!

[Sparhawk]

I use Yellow Bridge a lot.

[atmaholy]

Of all the different forms of language, which one is the most common that should be learned in priority? There are a lot and i don't know where to start from. The ressources you posted are marvelous, i have started taking the different lessons and writing it down so i can study at work ^^.

[bodawei]

Clavis Sinica offers a bunch of free Chinese language learning resources on its website, including a Chinese character test, flashcards tool, Chinese text annotator, online dictionary, and a large set of accessible audiotexts with MP3 files so you can listen along as you read. You can find them all at: http://www.clavisini.../resources.html .

[Rong Qin Wang]

Zunjing de China History Forum members,

Since I am already fluent in three languages; Vietnamese, German and English, is it still possible for me to learn Chinese as a first language? I know this sentence seems very weird and contradicting, but I really cannot think of any other ways of wording it.

When a very young boy learns his first language, he usually has to use visual images to describe the words. However, the process would be quite different when learning a second, third or fourth language since people would more often than not just look for equivalence or translation of a specific word. For example, in order for me to truly grasp the meaning of the German word “klein,” it would be really helpful for me to know that “small” is the English translation of it. With this in mind, is it feasible for me to study Chinese without any influences from the three languages I am currently well-versed in?

I really hope that some members can at least get an idea of the message I am trying to get across despite my horrible usages of syntax and diction.

Xie Xie,
RQW

[Annie]

There's no doubt learning any foreign language requires effort, time and commitment. This holds true even more, especially when there's a big difference between the native tongue and learning a new language. On the other side, knowing the methods of learning a new language can make all the difference on how effective and successful you can achieve. I find a nice site called www.Chineseclass123.com for us to share chinese study materials for free ! Here are a lot of vivid videos ,chinese sayings , stories .... colorful and interesting !

Good luck!

[HappyHistorian]

This is a pretty good site to learn basic Chinese: http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/

[HappyHistorian]

BBC Languages Chinese http://www.bbc.co.uk...guages/chinese/ is a good site to learn Chinese.

[Moloko]

I just found this great site and wanted to share it with you guys:
http://www.oddcast.c...tts_example.php

The site converts text to speech. It can convert Chinese characters to Mandarin, Cantonese and Taiwanese. Different effects (speed, duration etc.) can be added to the speech to help you understand it better.

[simplyolaf]

I recommend http://www.visualmandarin.com
You will find in this website exercises to practice your tones, pinyin and you can even test your chinese pronunciation.

[Jaz]

working with the Mandarin school i am learning with, i put together a Mandarin libray. The mandarin books i have are a bit different to most normal Mandarin books. I never learned the Chinese characters so finding mandarin books for me to learn mandarin was difficult. After a year of studying i managed to get a collection of books with both pinyin and characters. The level is low to intermediate.

Hope you find it usefull

My library

[Miley]

I searched some on the internet,
1.http://www.raychinese.org
2.http://www.wordoor.com
3.http://www.chineseathome.com
4.http://www.chinese-tools.com
5.http://www.italki.com/

[hfek828]

I can recommend this site:
http://www.surfchinese.com

I have been taking lessons on Skype with them for 6 months and find it great for learning Chinese. Check it out.

[Yeleixingfeng]

I wonder. How does non-Chinese speakers get starting on Chinese? It is a completely new concept for them, getting rid of alphabets. Do they memorise the strokes, or they do it through logic? When is grammar introduced?