Chinese language faq

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Chinese language FAQ

Linguata

Question: I want to study abroad in China next year, but I don't speak Chinese.  How way would you recommend I study? 

Languages are best learnt using materials from different sources, a process which helps you assimilate and retain language more effectively.  As part of your  learning program, we would recommend our software Linguata. It  allows you to hear native Chinese speech and learn many common Chinese words and phrases fast and easily.

Question: How long will it take me to learn Chinese?

Chinese is generally classed as a language which is exceptionally difficult for native English speaker to learn, and the road to proficiency in the Chinese language is a long one.  Nevertheless, every Chinese learner needs to begin somewhere and no matter your eventual level of Chinese, you will need to know the common words and phrases that Linguata Chinese will teach you. Pronunciation aside, it is no more difficult to learn to speak basic words and phrases in Chinese that it is in any other language.

Question: What parts of learning the Chinese language are difficult for English speakers? 

The majority of Chinese learners find that the pronunciation of Chinese gives them particular problems, which is due to the fact it is a tonal language. Chinese has four tones, which means that the same word can have up to four separate meanings depending on the tone used.

Question: I want to learn Chinese, but I don't have any aptitude with languages.

Do not be put off. The Chinese language is hard to learn, but it is not impossible, and it is certainly possible for learn enough Chinese to help communicate and improve any trip to China. If you have ever learnt a european language, forget any misconceptions you may have learning Chinese as the Chinese grammar is very different. For example, verbs do not decline, there are no tenses, no genders and you don't need to concern yourself with cases.

Comprehension and pronunciation are where you will need to focus your energy when learning Chinese. The audio for Linguata Chinese is recorded by native speakers and there are tests to help improve your pronunciation and comprehension.

Question: I have heard about Pinyin. What is it?

Chinese words are written in characters. Pinyin is a way of representing Chinese characters using the Roman alphabet and four tone marks, whereby the sound is spelt with the Roman alphabet and the tones marks represent the tone.

Question: Do I have to learn to read Chinese characters to speak Chinese?

There is no need to read Chinese characters to be able to speak Chinese, as the characters can be represented using Pinyin (above). Linguata Chinese is designed to teach key Chinese phrases quickly and so uses Pinyin.