Whenever we take up learning something new, we’re reminded of what it’s like to be a beginner at something once again. It is both a humbling and rewarding experience, to be at the beginning of the journey. Humbling because many of us are well-established in certain areas of our life already. Rewarding because it presents an opportunity to gain knowledge, expand our mind, and gain exposure to a variety of different perspectives we would otherwise never experience or encounter. However, all of that said, trying to learn something for yourself without any guidance or outside help can be extremely difficult, impossible seeming, even.
Having a little bit of guidance at the beginning of an educational journey can make or break the educational experience as a whole. When we feel like we’re floundering and in over our heads, we tend to give up much more easily. When we have an idea of what direction we’re headed, though, and a bit of external support, our potential for learning is essentially unlimited.
It is this value that’s inspired the development of this specific beginners guide to learning Chinese.
Traditional Language Study Methods
Firstly, there are plenty of traditional ways to learn a language. These include flashcards, writing the same words and phrases repeatedly, and even the simple act of studying for memorization and information recall. These various methods of learning and studying language have set a foundation for all of the modern tools that individuals rely on for language education.
Flashcards, for instance, make use of a relatively simple but extremely effective design. The main learning strategy that’s incorporated in the use of flashcards is memory conversion. This is the act of taking information that’s stored in short-term memory banks and converting them into long-term memories readily available for instant recall.
The memory-conversion process is integral to learning just about anything, but is extremely crucial in developing language-skills. Especially in learning a second language that you don’t already speak natively.
If you want to learn Chinese, or any language, though, it can be most effective to combine both traditional and new-aged learning strategies in your study routine.
Using Language App and other Methods
There are a plethora of new-aged learning tactics and strategies that people rely on to successfully learn languages. One of the most common new-aged strategies that enables the learning and mastery of a second language is the utilization of language-learning apps. There is a library of apps designed to facilitate the language-learning journey. These applications borrow tactics and methodology from more traditional studying-techniques, but also aim to mimic organic language learning.
This type of sophisticated programming is only available because of the rapid advancements that we’ve seen in the industries of technology and information over the past few years. Even so, language-learning applications have become extremely popular because of their design, their convenience, and their efficiency.
Reading Short Stories and Even Poetry
Learning a new language is hard work and it takes both time and energy. One part of learning a new language is perfecting your reading skills. This is because you’ll want to be able to properly understand, interpret, and respond to written communications that come to you in your second language. Furthermore, you’ll certainly need to be able to read the language you’re learning if you ever want to immerse yourself in the art and culture that is grounded in that specific language; be it Chinese, Spanish, or some other language.
In order to work on, and even perfect your reading and interpretation skills, you can start engaging short-stories and even poetry in the language you’re learning. This will help you gain an understanding of how native artists use their language. Not only that, but it can help you expand your vocabulary, and even give you some insight into the underlying culture at hand.
Work on Conversational Language With a Partner
Besides reading and interpretation, conversation is arguably the largest component of any language. As such, having someone to practice the language you’re trying to learn with can give you important insights and tips into the pronunciation of tricky words, the typical sentence structure utilized when speaking, and even common turns of phrase. All of these various elements that come into play in spoken language can be extremely hard for a beginning non-native speaker to pick up and totally understand immediately.
By practicing the spoken language more often and more regularly you will develop better conversation skills in the language you’re trying to learn, and will therefore find it easier to socialize and develop relationships using that language specifically.
A few Final Thoughts on Learning Chinese
Learning any language can be a fun challenge. Chinese, though, specifically has a very impactful role in modern society and is only projected to grow in international importance over the next few decades. If you’re thinking about learning a new language, there’s no better time to start than now.
