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Post by Vegemite on Oct 27, 2006 10:47:08 GMT 7
Yippee - both those shortcuts work. Thankyou. Now I just have to learn how to use the thing...it's not as easy as I thought and with the help et al in Chinese I'm still having probs. But, hey, one step at a time
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Post by icebear on Oct 31, 2006 22:30:46 GMT 7
I've been here about 2 months and haven't really learned much. Free Chinese classes began 3 weeks ago - once a week, about an hour long. Completely random on quality and usefulness, as it is a different teacher each week. I'd also been meeting with a Chinese language exchange for about 2 weeks before this - this was pretty much useless without any actual course work to go over. It basically was a few suggested phrases, a lot of explanation about Chinese culture, and a ton, a ton of English for her. Apparently a fairly standard arrangement from what I've heard about my friends' exchanges. So I decided to buckle and go for a private tutor - 3 times a week, an hour per lesson. About 6 lessons in and I feel I'm finally learning something. I'm fairly timid about speaking, and need to get over this, but can finally pick out some basic words in eavesdropped conversations, etc. Not bothering with characters for now - just pinyin and speaking/listening. To augment all of this I've been using the Chinese Pod website - my parents surprised me on the birthday with a subscription. Before I'd listen and sort of zone out - the transcripts give me something to work with. I can't learn anything unless its written down for me to see and memorize. The members' section also includes a vocab builder - with 13,000 words in characters/pinyin/English. A click of the button adds all of the words from whichever lesson you're one to your 'word bank', which can then be reviewed in a Flash page as flashcards or in a timed matching game, choosing 15 random ones at a time. That's helping a lot, I try to go through it a few times each evening. The lessons also include Flash worksheets which are short (5 minutes) but work well to reinforce the lesson. Overall the site is helpful in augmenting other studies, but I'm only 7 lessons in so its hard to say if its really worth the money. As a gift, sure. Thinking about the boot camp option - does anyone have a link on the next one?
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teleplayer
Barfly
Ni3 you3 hen3 duo1 qian2. Gei3 wo3 yi4dian(r)3 ba.
Posts: 541
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Post by teleplayer on Oct 31, 2006 23:56:36 GMT 7
Icebear, Check Nolefan's personal info. His bootcamp is the one everyone had a great time attending last year. I don't know if the new schedule is posted yet. www.sinocamps.com/Check back in thread for downloads that several of us have posted. The US Foreign Svc stuff is only Pinyin with audio. It's a free download. It's dated with some "Cold War" stuff, but getting a hotel, setting up a meeting, hailing a cab...it get's you going. Just be mindful of the earlier info about current idioms like "Comrade" and Miss used as stand alone words.
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nolefan
Barfly
Quod me nutrit, me destruit!
Posts: 686
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Post by nolefan on Nov 2, 2006 21:30:03 GMT 7
The next bootcamp is happening from January 21st to Feb 4th. More info at sinocamps.com
I was gonna post about it in the main board but I'm still negotiating certain things that will make the announcement even bigger.
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Post by Lotus Eater on Nov 11, 2006 13:25:59 GMT 7
New small milestones discovered: - I couldn't remember the word I wanted - but I could write the character for it - so communication was still effected!
- Hearing new words and being able to work out what they mean from the combination - easy example - huo shan - fire mountain - volcano.
- Being able to understand overheard conversations in the bus - people often talk about similar things so I am beginning to understand short daily conversations not directed at me!
- Having one of my Chinese friends tell me that at times I sound like a native Chinese speaker! That was a yippee - although she did follow it up by saying that at other times I still sound very, very foreign and weird!
Baby steps.
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Post by Lotus Eater on Nov 22, 2006 11:42:42 GMT 7
I have realised (well actually I always knew) that I need deadlines to motivate myself. I used to work best under extreme pressure. I could finish an entire university course of reading in the 2 weeks before exam time! I would do (research and write) papers in the 2 nights before they were due. So now that my 'bootcamp' tutor has zapped off to Germany and my university faculty supplied tutor and I are very flexible with each other - we cancel relatively often, when she does come we talk, plan our social lives more than we work etc., - my study has decreased incredibly. My teaching classes start winding down after next week and I will have more time, so I have negotiated with one of the teachers who teaches a friend of mine in the Chinese teaching section (run by the FAO) of the university to start lessons again with me. We begin this afternoon - 2 hours twice a week until my classes finish then 3 days per week. After my mate leaves for his home country, I have negotiated with the university that I will take over his formal classes with her - 3-4 days per week for 3 hours until the end of semester. For free!!! This will be in addition to the classes I have with my original teacher friend. I need the pushing of having to have stuff prepared, of having to explain 'why' if I haven't! And of course as soon as I arranged this, my 'free' teacher from the faculty called me and suggested we have a class tonight! So 4 hours of classes today! Plus homework from each!
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