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Q: Does anyone speak Chinese?
OK so I'm fairly new to this site, and after reading a few questions and answers it seems that almost no one speaks or bothers to learn Chinese. I see posts from all types of people, even those married with a Chinese person with kids, and they are replying to questions saying things about language problems and stuff.
Im just curious and would like a show of hands really: who has a chinese partner and speaks chinese with them, like only chinese or almost only chinese?
For those of you that dont, why not? And please dont say youve no time, or its hard. I worked at a school and the boss was english. he worked at a kindergarten during the day and at his own school at night but even he tried his best to learn chinese and speak it with his wife. plus chinese is not that hard.
My wife is Chinese and she rather speak english to me at home. I can speak Chinese and do speak Chinese when we see her family.
At the risk of upsetting you, I really don't.
xunliang:
im not judging man. im really just interested what the reason behind it is.
We speak both at home
I am the only one in our group of mixed friends that can speak it
I like to be able to get by without a baby sitter when we are in China
In Aus we speak Chinese in public if we want a private conversation.
I'm lucky that I have a good memory and get buy pretty well
just as many people stare at me in Aus when I speak Chinese as when I walk down a road in China.
I'm okay, but not as good as I should be for the time I've been here. My wife is Chinese, but speaks pretty good English. Sometimes, when she is trying to express something which has no equivelent in English, she will switch to Chinese, but at home, she prefers to speak English because it encourages our son to learn it as well.
My wife speaks to me in Chinese, and I speak to her in English, most of the time. But I came to China for no other reason than to learn Chinese, and I'm still not happy with my Chinese skills.
But who really cares if some other cracker can or cannot learn Chinese. Everyone on this site has different reasons for living in China. Most foreigners I've met have never planned to stay any longer than one or two years; certainly not enough time to master the language and obtain literacy. Live and let live.
By the by, what's this whole partner nonsense? I know a married American couple who managed to learn the language quite well without dating a local. What an odd way to ask your question.
Well I use and try to practice my Chinese all the time.
But when I come onto this site and talk with expats I kind of want to zone out of China for a while you know? I shouldn't have to speak Chinese here or attempt to.
ts an expat blog buddy, people here are more comfortable to talk, converse and express in a universal language like English, it helps to take out frustration from Chinese Mockery! Some of do Speak Chinese fluently, but even though its only a tool we use to get along in here in China... i bet you are Chinese having a hard time with English and its culture, but hey, am sure if you meet another Chinese guy in another country, you would definitely speak Chinese not the national language of the country your are in!
xunliang:
that reply makes no sense at all. Im actually english but im sure you dont believe that. i didnt say "hey why dont u speak chinese to english speaking foreigners?" i said if youre wife is chinese why not learn chinese
Wow some people misread what i asked. I didnt say why not use chinese on this site....buddy, and i certainly didnt say u have to learn chinese through your partner.
my question is: regardless of why you came to china, if you're partner is chinese and youve been in china quite a while, why dont u learn it.
kchur:
I hate to be a grammar nazi but I just can't stand people who write posts like this, copping a language God attitude, without the slightest ability to write in their own first language:
Wow. Some people misread what I asked. I didn't say, "Why not use Chinese on this site?", dear friend, and I certainly didn't say you have to learn Chinese through your partner.
My question is: Regardless of why you came to china, if your partner is Chinese and you've been in China quite a while, why don't you learn it?
There you go, honey. ENGLISH IS NOT THAT HARD!
xunliang:
hillarious. im just lazy when typing is all. i dont really think i have to prove im english. plus i wrote "buddy" in reply to the guy that called me that :S are u going to correct his english? why is everyone that doesnt speak chinese getting so volatile? i simply asked why u come to china, spend so long here and dont even bother learning the language. if you read the posts by people who can speak chinese u'll see they're not like: "god why should i learn chinese to come on a english website" and crap like that. plus, no one with attitude like yours has actually given me a straight answer. regardless of whether u think im chinese or english, why havnt u learned chinese? and whats with the honey?? do u call all guys honey?
Actually, learning a language is harder for adults and is time consuming to become proficient, even if immersed in that language. YOU may not find it difficult but many do. Everybody learns different things different ways, with some things coming easier to them then others. Throwing out a blanket statement such as, "Chinese is not that hard," is judgmental and small-minded of you.
xunliang:
yeah i guess its fair to say its harder for some than others. i just dont think its equally fair to blanket it and say my wife speaks english so whats the point
xunliang:
wow, its pointless continuing this conversation cos im obviously both wrong and chinese. plus ive made enough 5 maos from this post already. thanks guys
GuilinRaf:
1- Four years in Guilin, the only schools that taught Chinese were Universities and ONE training school where you basically had to study all day. There was no language school for people who work full time in Guilin and this is typical of China outside of most big cities.
2- Just like Speaking English does not make you an English teacher, same happens with Chinese. There are many who have good intentions but no knowledge how to teach a language.
3- Even in places like Beijing where there are training schools, not all are good. Some are terrible. And they demand money up front. I went three times a week to a particular school for four months and I did not lean a thing. The book was impossible to understand, so I asked for another one three times. I spent more time reading my dictionary trying to figure out the exercise instructions and grammar and than actually studying the book. Even when i got the exercises right, I did not understand WHY they were right. My teacher was no help as she could not understand, let alone answer my questions. School director? Never there. The other teachers? either too busy or they too did not understand my questions.
4- Lack of patience from family or friends. Not everyone wants to hear us struggle for half an hour to say what for them is a simple phrase, so sometimes they will ask us to speak it in English.
5- Your kindergarten boss. Some people have the gift of languages. Others must struggle.
7- Some people in China think it is funny, when the foreigner DOES speak putong hua, they think it is funny to then speak to him in their home dialect.
8- "Plus, Chinese is not that hard". Maybe you are one of those geniuses who can pick up a language with little or no difficulty. Or, maybe you were lucky that you were able to dedicate full time study at a good school and learn the language without having to work full time. Or maybe you are a troll.
Making people face their lack of skill in Chinese is a sore point for some I guess. :)
For me, I have just a basic understanding of Chinese. I can understand much more than I can speak, which I suppose is normal. My Chinese wife is about as not a very good Chinese teacher and I am not a very good English teacher.
For me, the reason I don't speak Chinese at home is multi-faceted. After a long day at work, I don't want to strain just to have a basic conversation. And my wife doesn't want to strain to try and teach me after she has had a long day at work as well.
Then, there are the kids. Are deal at home is my wife talks to them in Mandarin, Grandma and the maid speak in Cantonese and daddy speaks to them in English. The combination now has my sons able to understand 3 languages. But of course, they are much smarter than dear old dad.
The main reason I don't know Chinese better is that just don't have that great of a memory for languages. I can spend hours learning 10 new words and 15 minutes later, I will be lucky if I can remember 1 or 2.
Practice is the best for learning a language, but I don't have the opportunity to really speak it that much. At work, getting across ideas and complicated concepts is critical, so I don't want to screw something up with my limited Chinese. This is why I have a translator at my hip whenever I am dealing with staff. Misunderstandings caused by me are not tolerable.
Outside of work, I rarely go out with the exception of networking events. And at the networking events I go to, English is the language of choice. So not much need for it there.
Other than that, I can normally speak enough to get what and where I want. I would like to learn more and I do pick up new words every now and then, but it would be better to become fluent.
