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Post by ~MangO_O~ on Oct 21, 2005 21:40:18 GMT -5
Well I was just wondering if anyone here started to learn another Asian language besides theirs (if they speak it.) And I'd also would like to know how difficult was it?
I'd like to learn Mandarin since it's probably the next business language.
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Post by jenming on Oct 22, 2005 3:02:32 GMT -5
I studied a few years of japanese in high school. knowing some chinese was actually quite helpful, as there are a number of japanese words that sound like their chinese equivalents, and learning characters (kanji) was definitely made easier by having studied them in chinese.
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Post by helles on Oct 22, 2005 5:25:30 GMT -5
I took Korean during 3rd year of Uni, big mistake. The Korean department was soooo disorganised and catty, we didnt learn anything. I was lucky to scrape a pass in the 2 modules of Korean I took.
I actually enjoyed the first few weeks, before the cracks began to show; I still have my text books, so I might try and take it up again if I can find evening classes or sth here.
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Post by Joolie on Oct 22, 2005 16:26:41 GMT -5
I took French for about 10 yrs, and took it all the way to University level yr 2 basically. I can understand, read, and write but still can't speak fluently.
I speak Cantonese at home sometimes, and pretty fluent in that. But since I've been around my hubby's family a lot, I've started to learn/pick up Tagalog. I understand, but can only say a few basic sentences/phrases, although they do come in handy.
I pick up languages quickly only when I constantly hear it used around me. My mom is actually a translator, but she's somewhat-retired now. She speaks fluent English, French, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and a dialect of Chinese called Chiu Chow. I understand Vietnamese and Chiu Chow and can translate into English pretty well, but I can't speak.
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Post by spats on Oct 23, 2005 4:36:57 GMT -5
I'm currently studying mandarin at school. Good fun it is, soo similar to Japanese in certain aspects (well the Japanese characters are derived from the Chinese afterall)
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Post by jefe on Oct 23, 2005 6:46:58 GMT -5
Besides English, I was only exposed to the rural Guandong Taishan dialect until age 6. At that age my family sent me to weekend Cantonese school.
At age 7 1/2 I started learning French in primary school, and studied it for 10 years until the first year in university.
At age 15/12, started learning Mandarin, and continued until I finished university.
Since then I have studied or was exposed to Spanish, Japanese, Tagalog, Malay, Thai, Taiwanese/Hokkien and a smattering in many others.
Comments:
1. Many Chinese characters are written differently in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and Japanese Kanji. This means there there are at least 3 different ways of writing hundreds of Kanji among the system (not including the alternate character forms). It takes great attention not to mix them up.
2 About 25-30% of Japanese vocabulary is directly related to Chinese and about 8-10% to English. Knowing both Chinese and English will make learning Japanese vocabulary easier. However, the words based on Chinese are often more similar to the EAst Coast dialects (i.e., Hokkien) than Mandarin. Knowledge of dialects may be more helpful than Mandarin.
3. By far, orthography in Thai is the hardest -- a bitch in my opinion.
4. Malay and Tagalog are both Austro-Polynesian and share about 25-30% of their vocabulary and share some similarities in grammar. They both have borrowed from English and Romance languages (Portuguese in the case of Malay, Spanish in the case of the Phils.) as well as words of Chinese or Arabic origin. They probably compare to the differences in Romance Languages, Germanic languages or chinese dialects. In fact, you could say that all of the main dialects of the Phils. and in Indonesia were once probably dialects of Malay. Malay or Bahasa Indonesia has the least complicated grammar.
5. Mandarin is a major world language in its own right and can be or even should be studied / learned, even mastered by everyone. I would also put English and French in the "must learn" category, but I guess you have done that already in Montreal. Spanish and Arabic might almost qualify. German and Japanese, while important economically, simply do not have the number of speakers or international cross-border political/cultural importance of the others.
But this should not be the only basis for your learning. You should learn the language of any people you plan on communicating with or any people whose culture, history, politics, ,etc. you are interested in.
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Post by Micha on Oct 23, 2005 7:32:02 GMT -5
I attempted Mandarin and failed miserably. I can speak and understand fluent Hokkien (however, it's completely USELESS - unless I want to speak to my Grandma and listen to her bitching) and I read/write/understand but can't speak French fluently...damn.
Yeah, does anyone speak Mandarin/ write it. Is it hard to pick up once again?
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Post by jefe on Oct 23, 2005 7:55:15 GMT -5
I have a very poor grasp of Hokkien and wish it were better. I don't think it is useless at all and helps you considerably in Taiwan and acrss SE Asia as well as in learning Japanese. Can you sing / understand Hokkien / Taiwanese pop songs? It would help to be able to read Chinese characters in Hokkien pronunciation.
Regarding learning anything important -- my advice: Never give up. Make it your lifelong goal.
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Post by jenming on Oct 23, 2005 12:32:35 GMT -5
yah! learning by karaoke might be a big advantage for you if your hokkien is good. I definitely learned some mandarin that way when I was little.
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Post by moo on Oct 24, 2005 7:34:12 GMT -5
im trying to learn indonesian for some wierd reason. its a fun language !
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Post by Micha on Oct 27, 2005 17:42:19 GMT -5
Merci, thankyou for the advice Hmmm Indonesian - isn't that just like Malay but a little twisted? Aw I love that language... it just sounds...like home
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Post by ~MangO_O~ on Oct 27, 2005 20:55:17 GMT -5
Heh, All I know is that hearing people talk really helps. I Really wanna learn so many languages like: German, Mandarin, Korean, Thai, Japanese. I think my problem is I seriously lack long term devotion, like my Vietnamese Is REALLY shabby, I can barely speak with locals In Vietnam (although I get what they say) Like practicing and stuff, I lack that xD I have French too, It's really boring so many exeptions.....
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Post by Vietmunde on Oct 28, 2005 5:23:10 GMT -5
im trying to learn indonesian for some wierd reason. its a fun language ! I second that! It's grammar is also pretty easy too, only problem is that there's so many dialects of Bahasa is what I've heard. Me personally, always be interested in Hindi and Punjabi languages.
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MrDimplez
Full Member
"Cook woman!!"
Posts: 282
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Post by MrDimplez on Oct 28, 2005 5:59:55 GMT -5
Didn't get to learn an Asian Language in school.... Went to catholic schools and had to learn Italian since prep but from year nine took French for a year...
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Post by nazinjizaka2 on Oct 28, 2005 6:00:12 GMT -5
I have plans to study mandarin and Japanese, if i ever get round to it - been meaning to to start for the last five years.
There weren't enough Chinese around for me to pick up Cantonese or hokien as a kid. I know bits and pieces in Spanish, French and Portuguese but am nowhere near fluent in any of them.
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