Introduction to Chinese characters

新疆民歌xin1jiang1min2ge1

西藏音乐 xi2zang4yin1yue4

琵琶pi2pa2--春江花月夜 chun1jiang1hua1yue4ye4

葫芦丝hu2lu3si1 -- 竹林深处 zhu2lin2shen1chu4

古筝gu3zheng1 --渔舟唱晚 yu2zhou1chang4wan3

二胡 er4hu2 --梁祝 liang2zhu4

北京欢迎你 Welcome to Beijing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BAxYlunELM

The beauty of Chinese characters 汉字的魅力

日rì    月yuè 

                                                           人 rén

口 kou3

s

手shou3  足zu2

舌 she2    牙 ya2

                                           

耳 er3  目 mu4

金jin1    木 mu4

水 shui3   火huo3

山shan1               石 shi2

田 tian2     土tu3

鱼yu2  鸟niao3

虫chong2   贝bei4

羊yang2  犬quan3

龟gui1  鹿lu4

竹zhu2  禾he2

毛mao2   皮pi2

云yun2    电dian4

星xing1   光guang1

风feng1   雨yu3

衣yi1   食shi2

住zhu4  行xing2

米mi3   谷gu2

父fu4      母mu3

儿 er2   女nv3

出chu1  入ru4

立li4   走zou3

坐zuo4   卧wo4

开 kai1    关guan1

东dong1    西xi1

南nan2   北bei3

前qian2   后hou4     左zuo3   右you4

刀dao1            戈ge1

弓gong1    矢shi1

牛niu2        马ma3

车che1        舟zhou1

羽yu3      角jiao3

齿chi3       革ge2

瓜gua1

果guo3

麦mai4     豆dou4

主祷词 zhu3 dao3 ci2 (Lord's prayer)

     zhǔ  dǎo  cí   

主   祷   词

wǒmen zài  tiānshàng  de fù

我们    在    天    上    的  父，
yuàn  rén  dōu  zūn  nǐde míng  wèi  shèng

愿     人     都    尊  你的  名      为    圣，
yuàn  nǐde guó  jiàng lín

愿     你的  国    降    临，
yuàn  nǐde zhǐyì  xíng zài  dìshàng

愿     你的 旨意  行   在   地上，
rútóng xíng zài tiānshàng

如同   行    在   天  上。
wǒmen rìyòng  de yǐnshí

我们   日用     的  饮食，
jīnrì  cìgěi  wǒmen

今日 赐给   我们。
miǎn wǒmen de zhài

免     我们   的   债，
rútóng wǒmen miǎnle  rénde zhài

如同   我们      免   了 人的 债，
bújiào wǒmen yùjiàn shìtàn

不叫   我们    遇见    试探，
jiù wǒmen tuólí xiōng'è

救  我们   脱离  凶恶。
yīnwèi guódù , quánbǐng  róngyào

因为     国度、 权柄、 荣耀，
quán shì nǐde

全     是 你的，
zhí dào yóngyuǎn

直  到   永     远。
ā    men

阿  门。

Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On Earth as in Heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
And deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
Now and forever. Amen.

Chinese Writing Scritp ABC

12 basic strokes in Chinese writing

                                               


Basic stroke order



Sample character

10 Tips For Learning a Foreign Language

10 Tips For Learning A Foreign Language

By Maya Johnson on April 14, 2013

I've always enjoyed Italian opera and their cuisine as well as culture Dante Alighieri to Umberto Eco which caused me to create this article on 10 tips for learning a foreign language.  This is why I decided to sit down and learn a new language. I made many mistakes, but I also got some very useful tips on learning a new language that I would like to share with you. These tips can be applied to most western languages. So here they are.

1      Spend a good deal of time on pronunciation

This is where most people get it wrong, and even though they become proficient in a foreign language they still sound weird to the natives. You will look like a fool and it will be a bit weird, but learning to pronounce the words correctly and hit the right intonation. Audio books are a great help, but you will need to spend a few hours a day repeating the same words over and over, so be prepared.

2      Open the dictionary and learn the most important words

Most textbooks are pretty useless at teaching you conversation skills – I mean who cares about Mario’s trip to the library or Antonia’s adventure at the doctor’s office. Find the things that you would actually like to ask someone about, or the simple little things you come across every day. You can write down some of the most common phrases as well, and practice them every day.

3      Focus on basic grammar

Your grasp of the basic grammar rules will mean the difference between sounding normal and sounding like an alien. Learning when and how to use the appropriate tenses will save you a lot of trouble, and combined with the most important words and phrases will help you string together coherent sentences and express yourself. 

4      Start off slow, don’t do too much in one day

You can cover half the grammar textbook in one day, but you won’t retain any of the information – it’s like reading a hundred jokes one day and then not being able remember a single one when your friends ask you to tell them a joke the next day. Devote 2-4 hours a day on a few pages, a few words and phrases and then take a break to let it all sink in.

5      At the beginning of each session revise the previous lesson

Don’t be too eager to jump to new lessons, take some 10-20 minutes at the beginning of every session to recap the previous session. At the end of every session incorporate the new material with all the things you have learned previously and try to use it in few sentences about a particular subject.

6      Speak to a friend in a foreign language about things relevant to real life

It doesn’t matter if your friend doesn’t speak the language. When I was learning Italian I would have short conversations with a friend – he would ask me something in English and I would try to answer in Italian. You need to practice putting your thoughts to words and utilizing proper sentence structure. Devote at least half an hour a day to this little exercise.

7      Movies and YouTube clips are a great way to learn conversation skills

You don’t get too much slang or different accents in official language courses. Once you start watching movies, TV shows and YouTube clips in a foreign language you can pick up a lot of the fine nuisances. Just be patient, a lot of western languages, especially the romance languages like Italian, tend to be spoken at quite a remarkable speed as the syllables flow easily of the tongue and the people generally have a stronger temperament.

8      Use social networks to find people from that country

The best thing is to have a friend, or several friends who are fluent in the language you want to learn – this way you will be constantly exposed to it. The next best thing is finding a friend from that country online and have a chat with them from time to time. This can be a fun way to learn a few things about the culture as well. 

9      Start reading a book in that language/translate something into that language

This technique is a bit more advanced, so make sure you have all the basics covered before moving on to this step. It is a great way to get some deeper insight into the language you are learning and will require a lot of patience and focus, but it will put your knowledge and skills to the test. Reading a book will mean frequent breaks and dictionary searches, and translating will be very taxing – you won’t be able to do more than 2-3 pages in a sitting when you first begin.

10   Take a trip to the country to hear the language spoken in its natural environment

The ultimate learning tool is submerging yourself in the culture, language and being forced to use the language every second of the day to communicate with people and get things done. I would advise at least 6 months of home study before going on a trip abroad to get the best results, attempting this if you don’t speak a single word of the language can be frustrating and contra productive.

Retrieved from: http://www.howtolearn.com/2013/04/10-tips-learning-foreign-language/

Benefits of Language Learning by ACTFL

BENEFITS OF LANGUAGE LEARNING

(reprinted with permission from the  Center for Applied Linguistics.)

LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE AT AN EARLY AGE...

• Has a positive effect on intellectual growth.
• Enriches and enhances a child's mental development.
• Leaves students with more flexibility in thinking, greater sensitivity to language, and a better ear for listening.
• Improves a child's understanding of his/her native language.
• Gives a child the ability to communicate with people s/he would otherwise not have the chance to know.
• Opens the door to other cultures and helps a child understand and appreciate people from other countries.
• Gives a student a head start in language requirements for college.
• Increases job opportunities in many careers where knowing another language is a real asset.

- See more at: http://www.actfl.org/advocacy/discover-languages/for-parents/benefits#sthash.qCztcuVg.dpuf

Retrieved from :http://www.actfl.org/advocacy/discover-languages/for-parents/benefits

The benefits of learning a foreign language

Below are seven cognitive advantages to learning a foreign language. Many of these attributes are only apparent in people who speak multiple languages regularly – if you haven’t spoken a foreign tongue since yourA levels, your brain might not be reaping these bilingual benefits. However, people who begin language study in their adult lives can still achieve the same levels of fluency as a young learner, and still reap the same mental benefits, too.

You become smarter

Speaking a foreign language improves the functionality of your brain by challenging it to recognise, negotiate meaning, and communicate in different language systems. This skill boosts your ability to negotiate meaning in other problem-solving tasks as well.

Students who study foreign languages tend to score better on standardised tests than their monolingual peers, particularly in the categories of maths, reading, and vocabulary.

You build multitasking skills

Multilingual people, especially children, are skilled at switching between two systems of speech, writing, and structure. According to a study from the Pennsylvania State University, this “juggling” skill makes them good multitaskers, because they can easily switch between different structures. In one study, participants used a driving simulator while doing separate, distracting tasks at the same time. The research found that people who spoke more than one language made fewer errors in their driving.

You stave off Alzheimer’s and dementia

Several studies have been conducted on this topic, and the results are consistent. For monolingual adults, the mean age for the first signs of dementia is 71.4. For adults who speak two or more languages, the mean age for those first signs is 75.5. Studies considered factors such as education level, income level, gender, and physical health, but the results were consistent.

Your memory improves

Educators often liken the brain to a muscle, because it functions better with exercise. Learning a language involves memorising rules and vocabulary, which helps strengthen that mental “muscle.” This exercise improves overall memory, which means that multiple language speakers are better at remembering lists or sequences. Studies show that bilinguals are better at retaining shopping lists, names, and directions.

You become more perceptive

A study from Spain’s University of Pompeu Fabra revealed that multilingual people are better at observing their surroundings. They are more adept at focusing on relevant information and editing out the irrelevant. They’re also better at spotting misleading information. Is it any surprise that Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot are skilled polyglots?

Your decision-making skills improve

According to a study from the University of Chicago, bilinguals tend to make more rational decisions. Any language contains nuance and subtle implications in its vocabulary, and these biases can subconsciously influence your judgment. Bilinguals are more confident with their choices after thinking it over in the second language and seeing whether their initial conclusions still stand up.

You improve your English

Learning a foreign language draws your focus to the mechanics of language: grammar, conjugations, and sentence structure. This makes you more aware of language, and the ways it can be structured and manipulated. These skills can make you a more effective communicator and a sharper editor and writer. Language speakers also develop a better ear for listening, since they’re skilled at distinguishing meaning from discreet sounds.

Anne Merritt is an EFL lecturer currently based in South Korea. She writes at http://annemerritt.com/

Retrieved from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/10126883/Why-learn-a-foreign-language-Benefits-of-bilingualism.html

Basic Chinese characters for Chinese I without Pinyin

190 Chinese Characters Chinese I 

Note: 

1.      You are required to recognize at least 150 of them.

2.      The bold blue characters are the ones you are required to be able to write.

一    二   三   四   五   六   七   八  九   十   零  （11）

你   我   他    她   它    们   这儿    那   什么    多少    几  哪   

谁   怎么样 (19)

上   中   下   午  今天   年    月   日  点  明    昨    星期   分

钟  现在  时候 

爸  妈   儿子  女   男    老师   学生   同   朋友   医生   先  小

姐    气   车 

飞机    狗   猫    水果   菜    米饭    钱     衣服  (52)

中国  美   文  英   法   汉语  (8)

人   口   手  木 火  土  山  门 (8)

名字   书本   (4)   

东 西 南 北    左 右   前 后  里 外 (10)

不   没   也 很  太  都  (6)

是  有  叫  看见   听   说话   读  写  来  回 去  吃  喝 

睡觉  打电话  做 买  开 坐  住  学习  工作  下雨   (31)

谢   不客气   再见   请   对不起   没关系 (13)

爱    喜欢   想    认识    会    能  要 (8)

大   小   好   冷  热   高兴 (7)

个   本   岁  辆   块 (5)

和     在     的   了  吗    呢    吧  喂   （8）