Anyone Speak Mandarin Chinese?

[rincewind]

I'm just wondering if anyone here speaks, and is willing to help me with, Mandarin Chinese. I know a little, but my main problem is with the tonal system. I'd be grateful of any help whatsoever, even if it is as basic as pointing me in the direction of a particular book or website I'd still be eternally grateful :)

[Burtsplurt]

I know a bit. I'm just about to finish the second year of a part-time (it's only a couple of hours a week) course at the local uni.

I don't worry too much about the tones, but that's because we pick it up from the teacher. We just learn to say the word correctly through mimicry, rather than learning the tones in each word. I think it would take too long to do that.

Probably the best way to learn is by listening and then speaking, rather than trying to get it right following instructions from a book or website.

When you're pronouncing them, do the following:

- high, level pitch
/ start high and go higher
V start high, fall, and then rise again
\ start high and then fall

I find listening to them harder. I can't really discriminate the tones very well, so I generally go on the context in which the word is used. And when anyone speaks at anything approaching normal speed, I'm completely baffled!

[rincewind]

Thanks very much for your help. :)

I guess the best thing for me to do is to focus on it when i go to uni, as i'll have the option to study a language as well as my degree subject. :)

[Mo-Nercy]

Wo bu zhi dao.

'kay. I speak fluent-ish Cantonese. At home, it's about 3/4 Cantonese, 1/4 English to my parents. When I go back to Zhongshan, my relatives can very much tell I'd speak English all the time to everyone if I could.

As for Mandarin...yeesh. Having never lived in China, the only Mandarin I've been exposed to come from my friends. I can understand it sometimes, if I know the context in which they're speaking (and speaking veeeeerrrry slowly xD). I also learn through music but in the end, I know next to nothing.

I'm alright with pronounciation but I don't have much of a vocab.

[rincewind]

That sounds awesome! Is there any chance you could give me any help with pronunciation? Or even Cantonese, thinking about it. I know it's not Mandarin, but I'm just as eager to learn it. It was only because more people speak Mandarin that i chose it over Cantonese anyways. :P