Thir Jiang Li
Junior Member
1/2 Norwegian, 1/4 Singapore-Chinese and 1/4 Singapore-Filipino
Posts: 190
|
Post by Thir Jiang Li on Jan 4, 2006 11:34:28 GMT -5
I started taking evening lessons in mandarin a few months ago! My parents and best friend (who is full-norwegian) are also learning it! I've always been interested in learning it, seeing that I'm part Chinese...anyway, my family is from the guangdong/HK area where they actually speak cantonese, but since mandarin is the buisness language I thought I'd learn that first and then proceed to cantonese. I'm not very good yet though...! But I suppose it only takes practice...probem is that school is taking up a lot of time and energy, and there is no chinese people here whom I can practise speaking with...
|
|
miss feli
Full Member
here kitty, kitty!
Posts: 315
|
Post by miss feli on Jan 4, 2006 16:44:47 GMT -5
I'm taking Japanese & Korean... Japanese is best way to go because it's the easiest of the three East Asian languages. It's basically like English and is a LOT easier to learn the alphabet of than Korean. The grammar & sentence structures kick you in the arse though.
I want to learn Tagolog(?) but I guess it's a half Korean half military white thing about not being able to speak correctly even in our home language... (because my friend has the same problem. )
|
|
Excalibur76
Full Member
1/2 British 1/2 Korean
Posts: 519
|
Post by Excalibur76 on Jan 4, 2006 18:17:01 GMT -5
I'm taking Japanese & Korean... Japanese is best way to go because it's the easiest of the three East Asian languages. It's basically like English and is a LOT easier to learn the alphabet of than Korean.Really? for me the Korean alphabet was so damn easy to learn, it's so simple (I find it hard to believe that Japanese is easier! I guess I never tried though). Speaking wise though, I agree Japanese is the easiest of the 3.
|
|
|
Post by halfy on Jan 4, 2006 19:01:32 GMT -5
Jefe, you know a lot. Do you know anything about hakka? I presume that it's completely different to hokkien.
|
|
|
Post by Sensei on Jan 4, 2006 22:36:25 GMT -5
Jefe, you know a lot. Do you know anything about hakka? I presume that it's completely different to hokkien. Hakka (Kejia) is one of the seven Chinese dialects, spoken mostly in northeast Guangdong, and other areas of southern China. If I'm not mistaken, Hokkian is the northern sub-dialect of Min dialect, named after Fujian province (aka Fukien or Hokkian). I believe it differs from Taiwanese though, since that is considered a southern Min dialect.
|
|
|
Post by z. on Jan 4, 2006 22:48:07 GMT -5
i tried learning jap a while back had a tutor and everything.
pronounciation of jap words are so much easier coz the sounds are so definite and what i call edgy.
not like chinese, where it sounds like ur swirling water in ur mouth and about to drool. with all the "shh" sounds and alike.
|
|
|
Post by erika on Jan 4, 2006 22:57:06 GMT -5
Chinese seems way too hard Cool sig pic sensei!
|
|
|
Post by dave on Jan 4, 2006 23:02:44 GMT -5
^I find the tonal dialects so hard to get my head around! Yeah thank god Japanese aint like that.
I'd really love to bring my Japanese skills up to the level to be able to read a Japanese newspaper at least but man I just don't have time to learn the Kanji and I've forgotten so much already.
I also speak with a 'Gaijin' accent as well and get the micky taken out of but I guess that's expected living in England.
|
|
|
Post by erika on Jan 4, 2006 23:47:15 GMT -5
^I find the tonal dialects so hard to get my head around! Yeah thank god Japanese aint like that. I'd really love to bring my Japanese skills up to the level to be able to read a Japanese newspaper at least but man I just don't have time to learn the Kanji and I've forgotten so much already. I also speak with a 'Gaijin' accent as well and get the micky taken out of but I guess that's expected living in England. Oh I want to read the japanese newspaper too... I'm practicing by reading manga... ha ha!
|
|
miss feli
Full Member
here kitty, kitty!
Posts: 315
|
Post by miss feli on Jan 4, 2006 23:54:24 GMT -5
I'm taking Japanese & Korean... Japanese is best way to go because it's the easiest of the three East Asian languages. It's basically like English and is a LOT easier to learn the alphabet of than Korean.Really? for me the Korean alphabet was so damn easy to learn, it's so simple (I find it hard to believe that Japanese is easier! I guess I never tried though). Speaking wise though, I agree Japanese is the easiest of the 3. Lol... yeah. I guess it was because I learned Japanese first. It was most like the English alphabet and I don't have to worry about where I'm placing the letters.. I always wanna put nanun as 'NAN-UN' instead of 'NA-NUN', you get what I mean?
|
|
|
Post by z. on Jan 4, 2006 23:55:57 GMT -5
i wish i could understand manga, i can read the hiragana and katakana characters (slowly), but i have no idea what they mean.
translated manga can be so expencive, up to $20+ at Borders i think.
i'll probably never be able to read kanji
|
|
|
Post by dave on Jan 5, 2006 0:04:17 GMT -5
what's a popular manga series? I have no idea, I've never really got into it. Would have really helped with my Japanese too, I used to do private lessons etc but the only thing i backed that up with was speaking Japanese to my mum but I never read anything so that's probably why my writing is poor
|
|
|
Post by erika on Jan 5, 2006 0:04:46 GMT -5
i wish i could understand manga, i can read the hiragana and katakana characters (slowly), but i have no idea what they mean. translated manga can be so expencive, up to $20+ at Borders i think. i'll probably never be able to read kanji Oh dont give up! I honestly feel dizzy when i see a japanese newspaper.
|
|
miss feli
Full Member
here kitty, kitty!
Posts: 315
|
Post by miss feli on Jan 5, 2006 0:15:00 GMT -5
what's a popular manga series? I have no idea, I've never really got into it. Would have really helped with my Japanese too, I used to do private lessons etc but the only thing i backed that up with was speaking Japanese to my mum but I never read anything so that's probably why my writing is poor Oh snap. Wrong quote. Haha. A popular one right now is BLEACH (they're waay into the series). i wish i could understand manga, i can read the hiragana and katakana characters (slowly), but i have no idea what they mean. translated manga can be so expencive, up to $20+ at Borders i think. i'll probably never be able to read kanji I'd suggest instead of reading manga, trying kids books. I can get you a good deal on Japanese kids books because we have an Uwajimaya around here and they sell Japanese manga straight from Japan for around 5$.
|
|
|
Post by z. on Jan 5, 2006 0:39:22 GMT -5
Oh dont give up! I honestly feel dizzy when i see a japanese newspaper. hahha, i just watch anime now. with english subtitles. but i plan on picking up jap again... Oh snap. Wrong quote. Haha. A popular one right now is BLEACH (they're waay into the series). I'd suggest instead of reading manga, trying kids books. I can get you a good deal on Japanese kids books because we have an Uwajimaya around here and they sell Japanese manga straight from Japan for around 5$. u live in the US though. I know in s'pore they sell translated manga for about $7 at Kinokuniya. Man i love that store. Australia's got one in Sydney, but i live in Melbourne and Bleach is good. Just finished watching Full Metal Alchemist, very very good. one of my favourites!
|
|