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Posts: 1911

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Q: Have you tried something non-conventional to help you...

learn Chinese? What was it you tried and how'd it work out for you?
I know, it gets asked often. But it's worth bringing back up just in case someone has thought of or tried something new or different, sucessful or not. 

I have started labeling everything in my house that I use regularly with the pinyin and chinese character(Drunk (my VERY poor attempt at drawing them) and saying it out loud when I use it. (I write it on post-it notes so they are reuseable. I'm not THAT psycho. Even when I go grocery shopping, I label everything. It's working ok. I'm picking up some. But it's frustrating for me. I have a difficult time picking up a language at my age than I did when I was a youngin'.

Which brings me to the second method. Toyboy sees how stressed I get when I practice/study Chinese. After he woke up with post-it notes stuck to various parts of his body,  he offered his... assistance to help reduce my stress while... WHILE I'm listening to the pinsleur lessons. He's so unselfish. All to help me! (I did decline... for now. I'm not thinking Pinsleur would help with the mood.)

Which got me to wondering, has anyone used any unconventional methods? Even if they didn't work for you, the idea might work for someone else.

12 years 2 weeks ago in  Teaching & Learning - Chengdu

 
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Posts: 2253

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Well...I don't know if it helps me learn Chinese, but it certainly helps with motivation. Sometimes I like watching music videos for the cute guys. I think "If I knew more Chinese, I could talk to a guy that cute." As far as I know, the cutest ones don't know Chinese.

More seriously, when I used to try to learn Japanese, I would copy characters over and over again. If you do that for a while, it sort of helps your brain remember characters in the future, even if you don't copy them anymore. It also improves your handwriting. cheeky

HugAPanda:

I hope you get your asian guy soon. :)

12 years 2 weeks ago
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12 years 2 weeks ago
 
Posts: 660

Shifu

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I haven't. I hired a tutor once, but usually just use textbooks and practice by writing in a notebook. When I first got here, I used to just look at the menu when waiting for food, It seems weird, but just staring at the characters eventually makes you start to see the similarities and different part (and passes the time when you are sitting there doing nothing else but being hungry).

That being said. I heard of a non-conventional method a guy who used to live here had. He would just go to the foot massage place and chat with the girls during his massage. Turned out to be an hour of conversation practice for 35yuan. I think he still studied on his own to learn grammar and stuff, but it worked for him..... though I never heard if he would partake in the "extra-cirricular" activities.....

Shining_brow:

I do that at restaurants... both the menu thing, and the conversation thing. I tend to go at the 'unconventional' times, so it's quiet. Waiters and managers often are willing to have some sort of chat (and a good laugh :p)

12 years 2 weeks ago
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12 years 2 weeks ago
 
Posts: 5539

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date girls that only speak chinese. it has increased my vocab, in a few days.

HugAPanda:

I'd consider it if there were more chinese girls living near me :P And no, you can't watch!

12 years 2 weeks ago
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DaBen:

Don't have to watch, just jump in the middle wearing a blindfold.

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12 years 2 weeks ago
 
Posts: 2604

Shifu

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Go watch chinese movies with English subtitles. Also television shows with English subtitles. The dialogue for the most part will be the same so you can pick it up that way. 

You should only try to listen to music if you have the English version with it. Or go to Karaoke and have the performer on the screen singing while you just watch and listen and follow the words along carefully. 

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