Is anybody taking mandarin chinese this year? I've been wondering whether I should take it again next year in a second level since memorizing the characters is still a pain for me. I also have a problem with trying to have a chinese accent as well. Help?
Nihao! Wo jiao Emily! I took Mandarin for a year and loved it, but I think for me to learn MORE I'd have to go and speak it somewhere. Not just a class. If you take another class, let me know how it goes because I *would* consider it as something I'd do sometime!
In order to speak Chinese more like a native, why not try watching some YouTube videos of mainland Chinese TV programs? It can't hurt, and could even be entertaining. As for memorizing Chinese characters, there are numerous websites out there with Chinese character definitions and flashcards, but there's one tool I've found particularly useful, and that's the free flashcard tool called "Mnemosyne". In fact, there's a Chinese card set up for download already on the website (under "Sharing Cards"), and it consists of the most commonly used Chinese characters; there will almost certainly be more Chinese flashcard sets in the future as more people submit them. This tool is very helpful in the sense that it determines how frequently certain cards appear in the future based on how easily you're able to remember the answer (i.e., the cards that you have difficulty with will appear more regularly, and vice versa). It's also highly customizable, so you can tailor its behavior to your studying habits. You can also use it to refresh your memory long after your classes have ended.
I took two years of it although I don't remember much....Flashcards, drawing characters everyday at least ten times a day was what helped me for homework. I was naturally able to pronounce it so I can't help sorry.
I spoke no Chinese, went to a Chinese high school for six months in Beijing, and came back fluent by American school system standards. If you truly want to memorize the characters you will have to really put in the time. You can do the flash cards and the other things that ^^^she said but just writing each character at least 50-75 times, you will get it down in both reading it and writing it. As for the accent, watch CCTV shows from the mainland. If possible, watch the Beijing news. The Beining Accent is highly desirable.
don't try the ones set in fictional-historic era lol. the modern ones don't have much archaic chinese lol optionally, listen to chinese pop or kpop with chinese lol
I am from Hong Kong but can speak Mandarin pretty good, I even lived in Beijing for 3 years (studying at an International School) and picked up their accent a bit. Try going on some Chinese video sharing sites such as Youku or Tudou and click on random videos and just listen in lol
