Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Sunday, September 23rd, 2007
I'm often asked:Q: "How long should it take to become fluent in Chinese?"
I think the best answer:
A: "As long as it takes."
This is one of those messy aspects of learning a new language that we can't put in definite terms. Each learner is different. How quickly and easily ...
Posted in General | 8 Comments »
Monday, September 17th, 2007
I was just on the phone with my dad (one of the world's great educators) and we were discussing how learning anything (Chinese, math, music, tennis, etc.) doesn't always go according to plan. As much as teachers try to write an organized syllabus and learners try their best to pass ...
Posted in General | 13 Comments »
Monday, June 4th, 2007
As I'm sure you don't need to be told, gestures can go a long way toward communicating when you don't know the word. I very easily bought a power adapter for my laptop on my second day in China, not because I knew how to say the words, but ...
Posted in General | 9 Comments »
Wednesday, May 16th, 2007
A few people have asked me to comment on the "Pinyin Wall" that learners supposedly reach where it is no longer possible to function using pinyin alone and one must use hanzi characters.
My short answer is: I believe the reports of such a wall to be greatly exaggerated.
In my first ...
Posted in General | 8 Comments »
Saturday, February 3rd, 2007
There's a difference between practicing saying stuff you already know, and actually targeting linguistic problems and tweaking your own Chinese to a higher level. The former can be accomplished in bars and at fruit stands. The latter requires what is commonly known in linguistic literature as an "informant" ...
Posted in General | 5 Comments »
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