Chinese Language - Learn to Speak and Overcome Barriers

If you are interested in learning Mandarin Chinese, learn to be a better language learner first. This may seem a little counterintuitive at first. Most people's first impulse is to go out and buy a book and CD and start memorizing vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. However, this is a major reason that so few speakers of English are successful in their attempts to learn Mandarin.

The greatest struggle in a Chinese language learning journey happens at the very beginning. People have a very difficult time when they start to learn Chinese pronunciation. This struggle is only made more difficult by copious memorization. In order to learn Chinese pronunciation, and the Mandarin Chinese language, learn to rethink the process of learning a language. The first and most important step in overcoming the struggle to learn Chinese pronunciation is to speak readily and often. By listening and reproducing the sounds that native speakers of Mandarin Chinese make, you can overcome the challenges of tones and pronunciation.

This is my most important piece of advice for learning the Chinese language -- learn to speak. If you learn conversational Chinese first, you will have a much easier time later on. The later stages of learning Chinese are really very simple. Chinese has a very simple grammar and structure. If you can pronounce the words and form simple sentences in order to carry on a conversation with a native speaker you have already surpassed 90% of those who decide to learn Mandarin. You will find that the rate at which you learn Mandarin accelerates substantially.

In order to overcome the initial challenges of learning Mandarin Chinese, you may find it helpful to organize a language exchange. There are a number of services available for free on the Internet that pair together learners of languages. If you are willing to teach a short lesson in English, there are hundreds of people willing to help you learn conversational Chinese.

If you want to learn Mandarin, learn to speak. The rest is really very well-known. Follow a language program through a series of lessons, memorize some relevant vocabulary, and eventually become acquainted with the essential grammar, and you will learn Chinese fast. The essential component, especially for learners of Mandarin Chinese is to overcome your fear and speak. If you can do that, you have already beaten 90% of Chinese language learners.

Justin White lives in Jhubei Taiwan, and frantically works at learning Chinese.

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