« K1 Visa Attorney | Main | Acne Vulgaris Treatment - Clearing The Way To Better Looking Skin »
The benefits of learning Chinese
By Yourtrends | August 6, 2008
Before
the dawn of globalization, most people thought it would be fun to learn
another language, but never took it seriously. In high school, for
instance, teenagers learned Spanish, French, German or even Latin, only
to lose it quickly after graduation.
Recently,
however, Chinese has become the language of choice and it is not only
being taught in high school and college, but online as well.
Its
rise in popularity shouldn’t be too surprising, however. More than 1
billion people speak the Chinese language. Being able to learn Chinese
is not only fun, but it’s also becoming an essential skill for business
people and world travelers alike.
Taking
Chinese language lessons and mastering the language opens doors to
nearly one-fifth of the world’s population. Standard Mandarin is spoken
in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and many other
regions of the world. Mastering the Chinese language is essential for
business people who want to expand into the Asian market, particularly
the rapidly growing market for Western products and services in China.
Not
only has China become a giant in the global economy, but the 2008
Olympic Games in Beijing promises to put China on the international
stage as it plays host to the world’s oldest sporting competition. The
entire country will be on display for the world to see and the games
offer savvy business people and travelers an ideal opportunity to learn
to the Chinese language.
While
Chinese has a reputation as being difficult to learn, the adoption of
Simplified Chinese characters and the development Hanya Pinyin have
made it easier for Westerners to learn the Chinese language.
For
example, the adoption of the Simplified Chinese character system in
1954 reduced most of the complex symbols to just a few strokes. Many
were reduced to what amounts to common shorthand. Since the characters
are simplified and many share commonalities, it is not only easier to
learn how to learn Chinese, but it is easier to write the Chinese
language as well.
While
the Chinese dictionary contains 40,000 characters, only 3,000 are
needed to read a newspaper and well-educated Chinese know about 6,000
to 7,000 characters. If that sounds like a lot to remember, the average
English speaking person uses about 8,000 words regularly. In many
respects, learning the Chinese language is easier than learning English.
One
of the best ways to learn Chinese is online. That’s because learning to
speak Chinese Mandarin is easier when a student works with a native
speaker. Listening to the native speaker allows the student to learn
the correct pronunciation quickly.
This
is the first step in learning the Chinese language. By teaching you how
to use pinyin, you will quickly learn to read and pronounce key
characters. The native speaker can help you with pronunciation. Unlike
English, characters almost always have just a single sound. The rules
of the language are much more rigid than English too, so you don’t have
to learn countless exceptions to each rule.
While
there are many websites that teach Chinese, one of the most popular and
most effective is Mando Mandarin (http://www.mandomandarin.com). Its
live language lessons feature private tutors from China, so you can be
sure that the Chinese language lessons will give you a mastery of the
language in no time. In fact, they will show you how to learn Chinese
in five minutes or less during a free trial lesson, so you can see how
easy it is to learn the language.
Once
you are introduced to the wonders of learning a new language, you’ll
want to put your newfound skills to good use. Whether you’re bound for
the Summer Olympics, a teleconference with the home office in Hong Kong
or your neighborhood Chinese restaurant , learning how to the Chinese
language is one of life’s greatest (and most useful) joys.
About the author
Tags: 2008 olympic games, asian market, character system, china hong kong, chinese language, global economy, international stage, language lessons, mandarin, olympic games, pinyin, regions of the world, savvy business, shorthand, simplified chinese character, simplified chinese characters, singapore malaysia, westerners, world travelers, worlds population
Related Posts
- Acupuncture Chinese Moxibustion - The Chinese Way To Health
- Age Of Conan Gold Guide Causes A Gold Rush
- Distance Learning Online - Flexible Learning For Individual Learners
- Traditional Chinese Medicine - A New Perspective of Healing
- Humor In Chinese - Western Business Relations
Topics: Education |
Comments are closed.