All languages are the same. Ultimately, to learn Chinese well, you need to remember the sounds and be able to reproduce them accurately. The more sounds you remember, the more you can understand and speak Chinese. Therefore, beginners in Chinese should focus on these two aspects:
- Listening to and understanding Chinese sounds.
- Practicing how to say the expressions you want to use with correct pronunciation.
Next comes reading. Reading is secondary because the two aspects mentioned above are the most important for learning Chinese. This isn’t just true for Chinese but for any language. The results depend greatly on what you emphasize and practice when learning Chinese.
When listening to Chinese, try closing your eyes and focusing on the sounds. Closing your eyes eliminates visual information, allowing you to focus solely on auditory input. By blocking visual distractions, you can concentrate better on the sounds compared to when your eyes are open. Typically, when listening with your eyes open, your senses allocate more energy to visual information, reducing the extent to which you perceive sounds.
This method is also effective for children learning Chinese. When children focus on sounds, they can learn more efficiently. Adults rely much more on text than children do. Adults often struggle to recognize Chinese sounds and prefer to learn using phonetic symbols. However, children have a higher ability to perceive sounds compared to adults. If you teach children Chinese in a text-centric way tailored for adults, they won’t learn effectively. You need to focus more on sounds.
For children, teaching Chinese through conversations is more effective than focusing on textbooks. Engaging in conversational Chinese and exposing them to sounds help children accumulate more Chinese sounds, enabling them to learn better.
Natural Chinese learning methods
In the video above, the child didn’t learn Chinese through textbooks. They learned through conversations with the teacher.
In many coutries, it’s rare to teach Chinese the way shown in the video. Many Chinese teachers do not recognize the importance of sounds. As a result, they focus on text, making students read without giving enough time to accumulate auditory input before moving forward. Classes often revolve around vocabulary because students struggle with both reading and speaking, so daily lessons focus on vocabulary instead.
To summarize:
The key to learning Chinese effectively is sound. Just like any language, to learn Chinese well:
Expose students to meaningful sounds and help them understand.
Ensure students can accurately reproduce the sounds of the expressions they want to use.
Sounds must be fully imprinted.
