A Beginner’s Guide To Learning Chinese

For many years now, the world has been insisting that everyone
should speak English. But across the world, countries have provided
their young with initiatives to learn other languages also. Yet in
recent months, Americans have now come to realize that there is now
a need for people to able to speak languages that are more
specialized. Certainly the fact is that one language which many
schools are now considering including within their curriculum’s, not
just in the USA, but around the world is Chinese.
Presently, 1.3 billion people speak Chinese around the world, and of
this, 885 million speak Mandarin (the official language of China),
which also happens to be the most dominant dialect. Currently in the
USA, only 24,000 students (Grades 7 through to 12) are actually
studying this language, but their numbers are steadily growing.
However, the biggest problem that many educators in the US are
facing when it comes to expanding their Chinese programs, is finding
people who are actually qualified to teach it. There are only a few
Universities in the USA which offer programs to allow people to train
and gain their teacher’s certification in teaching the Chinese
language. One University (George Mason) included a program which
would allow people to gain their teacher’s certificate for teaching
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A Beginner’s Guide To Learning Chinese
Mandarin, and a total of 2 people enrolled on the course. This is
where exchange courses come in useful, and are very critical to
helping ensure that this language, along with Arabic, can be taught in
US schools.
However for those that are interested in learning the Chinese
language, you will find it can be very difficult. So you need to be
prepared to spend a good deal of your spare time, as you will find it
will take some time to learn. However, through this book, we hope to
provide you with some useful information that will help you to learn
Chinese.
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A Beginner’s Guide To Learning Chinese
Chapter 1 –
Some Simple Facts Regarding
the Chinese Language
Today, the most standard form of Chinese that is spoken is known as
Standard Mandarin, which is based on a dialect spoken in Beijing. It
is also the official language now used by the people of China, as well
as those in Taiwan, and one of 4 official languages spoken by those
people from Singapore.
Also, you will find that this language has now become one of the six
official languages used by the United Nations.
Another standard language that is spoken by Hong Kong and Macau,
which are also part of China, is Standard Cantonese.
But in this book, we will be looking closely at how to learn Standard
Mandarin.
Most of the dialects now spoken by the Chinese people will often
consist of words spoken by their ancestors, back when China was
made up of various different ethnic groups.

It was only after these groups had come together under the Chinese
empire, did they start to unite the languages that they spoke.
However, as the Chinese use a standard formal written language, no
matter what dialect they speak, often people will regard these dialects
as being equal. But in fact, they are like any other country, their own
individuals; they just use a standardized form of writing.
It was during the latter part of the 19th Century that Beijing Mandarin
became the more standard form of Chinese language to be use. But
it was at this time many Chinese did speak variations of Mandarin,
though they were very limited.
However, things changed when the education system in China was
based on Standard Mandarin, and was to be used as the language
for carrying out instructions. Today, nearly every person in mainland
China speaks Mandarin.
It is important to note that the various different dialects of spoken
Chinese use tones. Some areas of China (in the North) will only use
as many as 3 tones, while in Southern China, they can use between
6 or 10 tones as they speak.
Today, more and more people are looking to learn Mandarin in the
Western hemisphere of the world. Up until about 10 years ago, it was
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A Beginner’s Guide To Learning Chinese
proving to be extremely difficult to find someone who could teach
others this language.
Today, there are quite a number of schools across the US, and
across the rest of the world, where this language is now being taught.
Back in 1991 there were only 2,000 people taking China’s official
Chinese language proficiency test, and this figure had risen to
117,660 by 2005. In fact, the Ministry of Education in China believe
that there are over 30 million people around the world who are
learning Mandarin...