You want to embark on the study of the Chinese language?
In this article, we will develop 4 tips to help you optimize your study.

1. Chinese tones

The Chinese language is a musical language in which hundreds of syllables are distinguished by a system of intonations.
This article will not teach you how to pronounce the 4 tones in Mandarin but will show you that one essential element in this language is to master the tones. There are songs melodies that we never forget. Therefore, we must consider the learning of each Chinese characters as a melody to remember.

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These tiny "songs tunes" are easier to integrate if there are at least 2 characters. Always strive to learn a new Chinese character associated with the other associated characters (as a "word" is mostly composed of two characters).

Think to exaggerate! To distinguish more clearly the differences in Chinese tones, it sometimes helps to amplify the intonation (it did not mean to speak louder!). Feel free to repeat this exercise as many times as needed and more! Once the music system is assimilated, learning new character becomes increasingly easy and quick.
You can listen to a few Chinese Mandarin videos here
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2. Survive without Pinyin

Pinyin (literally "spell sounds") is the official phonetic system. So, that being said, an example will certainly be much more clear to you. For example, if I write: "法" you have no way to guess how to say this character if not otherwise specified. Pinyin allows to give an idea of the sound to pronounce for this character, in this case "FA" (third tone).

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This is very helpful for any new learner but it can also be harmful! Indeed, it is very easy to become dependent on the pinyin to the point that one will not need any character to "read" the Chinese. If your only goal is to learn to speak Chinese, pinyin is sufficient (and that famous Assimil method is very effective). But if your goal is to learn to read Chinese, read in pinyin the first time and then delete it! For information also, except on billboards and with very few exceptions, the pinyin is very little used in everyday life in China.

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3. Record yourself

The best way to check the accuracy of Mandarin tones is by recording yourself and comparing your recording with the audio support that you use. Sometimes you will be surprised because often there is a clear difference between what you said and what you thought you said.
The experience is really useful and enables faster progress.

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4. Speak to Chinese native speakers

This advice seems so simple and obvious ... And yet, few learners follow it because two questions come to mind: "Where to find Chinese people?" And "How could I disucss exactly?".

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If you feel like an event organizer, you can meet some friends interested in Chinese language. Then, define a place that would serve you as a meeting point. Finally, create a Chinese event once to week.
You can create a new language exchange event here on the PolyglotClub.com website.
There is a great difference of level between students who only follow Chinese classes and those who regularly attend language exchange events.

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If you were to apply only one of these 4 tips, that one would be preferable because it completely covers the other 3.
Use the PolyglotClub.com website to Find a Chinese friend or attend language exchange meetings near your place.

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Bonus tip...

Karaoke evenings is a good way to improve quickly in the assimilation of new characters and therefore vocabulary. Learn Chinese songs by heart is an original and fun idea. Tell us what you think...

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