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entire alphabet, but this will be time very well invested. You require that visual association at first
while you read, and this certainly slows you down, but you get used to it and eventually know what the
sound is instantly. Then you can discard the visual association, like you would training wheels on a
bike.
Memrise.com can be a useful resource here, as it has mnemonics prepared for various alphabets.
Tonal Languages
When it comes to languages like Thai, Mandarin, Cantonese, or Vietnamese, many people quickly say
they could never speak these because their tones make them too hard. Many claim they are tone deaf
and could never manage to process them. I find this strange, because even if the person claiming this
is musically tone deaf, that person can still fully interpret the prosody and intonation of speech in his
or her native language.
We have tones in English and other European languages; we just apply them to indicate subtle
differences in the meanings of words and sentences rather than using them to change the core meaning
of a word (although this is also possible). We can all tell the difference between Oh? when said as a
question to show a curiosity for more details (the tone goes from low to high) and Oh . . .
disappointingly said to show feeling let down by the information heard (the tone is shorter and lowers
briefly). The sounds of both of these serve to convey how the word should be understood.
It definitely takes practice for those of us not used to incorporating tones so specifically into our
learning process or applying them to languages to convey differences in meaning. Time with a native
speaker, and going through it slowly while repeating what that person says a few times, can help you
adapt to these. Anyone dedicated to it can learn tones relatively quickly, and then they become second
nature.
Despite the fact that tones distinguish meanings of words, people still understand me regularly
even when I fail to use the right ones thanks to the context of the sentence, and the fact that they adjust
to me as a learner. The more I say, despite using incorrect tones on several words, the more context I
provide and the listener can adjust to see what I mean.
When I arrived in Taiwan, I spoke only Mandarin outside the house, and despite needing several
weeks before feeling more confident with my tones, I ordered food, asked directions, and was
understood by those not used to speaking with foreigners. They understood what I meant from the
context, and what tone I meant, similar to the way that you d understand me if I asked you for the
wee to the leebry on the street wrong pronunciation indeed, but very likely to mean the way to the
library, especially with plenty of context.
Like with everything else in language learning, attitude is the key. Rather than lament over how
impossible tones are, you just throw yourself at the problem and solve it. I gave tones my full
dedication during the first weeks of learning Mandarin, instead of spreading myself thin trying to
learn too many things at once. This helped me get ahold on them more quickly for the rest of my
learning process.
You saw in chapter 3, with my mùbio example, how I learn vocabulary in tonal languages, by
incorporating a visual aspect of falling or going straight or bouncing or flying up, depending on the
appropriate tone. Others have used colors to help them make tone associations. I also tried singing out
sentences and recording videos to track my progress. Though this took a lot of work, it was nowhere
near as difficult as so many made it out to be.
It s not about mastering tones in your first week or two but just making sure you are doing them
well enough to be understood. Then, as you practice, you can continue to improve your skills.
Consistent time with native speakers will show you how tones aren t as bad as you think.
Chinese
Chinese is one of the most notorious languages around, and many claim that it s the hardest in the
world. This is usually based on nothing more than seeing Chinese script, in which you have to learn a
completely new complex character for every single word.
Don t take these scare tactics to heart! First, keep in mind that Chinese is a broad term,
encompassing many varieties as well as the writing system, but you may want to narrow down your
work to Mandarin, Cantonese, or some other specific variety if your focus is more spoken.
I decided to temporarily put aside learning how to read Chinese so I could focus on speaking
Mandarin. Reaching the conversational level in that language in a few months became much more
realistic. Then, when I was a more confident speaker, I got back into the language from the
perspective of improving my reading skills. It was much easier than when I d tried before, because I
had a better sense of how the language worked and a firmer understanding of the meaning of the words
when sounded out.
Learning new vocabulary when you already have some basics is actually much more logical than it
is in many European languages. For instance, jin zhèn qì means shock absorber in Mandarin. With
a small amount of knowledge, this word, which may initially seem intimidating, can be quite easy to
decipher. Jin, for instance, means to reduce. (Ji nféi means to lose weight [reduce fat] and ji n
jià means sale [reduce price].) Qì, a very common everyday word, means tool or device. Even if
you don t recognize that zhèn means to shake, you can still deduce that it s a tool for reducing
something, which is a lot of help!
In general, new words are very easy to understand when you look at their components in this way.
When you are ready to read Chinese, it may seem as if there are too many characters to process,
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