Importance of Chinese Language
Why it’s Important to Learn Chinese
The importance of Chinese stands out as the most spoken language in the world with over an estimated billion people in China and various other parts of the world speaking it. One can easily assume this makes Chinese one of the most important languages on the planet. China as a country is growing by leaps and bounds as a world power and shows to sign of slowing down.
Recent studies have shown that Chinese has become a popular choice for a second language among college students. Surpassing the previous favourite that includes Spanish, French, and German languages. This increasing popularity isn’t surprising since the growing appeal of Chinese culture in the west and worldwide.
Like many other languages around the world, Chinese has many dialects, the most common Chinese dialect is Mandarin Chinese. Even though English happens to be popular throughout China, most Chinese people tend not to understand English very well, so learning some Chinese is important knowledge to have. The Mandarin Dialect is very universal throughout China overall, although a number of dialects could possibly be more common in other locations.
Since the invention of the Chinese Pinyin tonal system has made learning Chinese a lot easier then it was previously. The importance of Chinese Pinyin is a crucial method when it comes to writing Chinese in a romanized alphabet. Hanyu pinyin spells the sound and includes tone marks to help give you the proper pronunciation. Knowledge of the written language opens up the culture of one of the world’s oldest civilizations.
Before China’s reform in the 1970s, China was an isolated country that didn’t accept any tourism. After 1970, China has become one of the leading tourist destinations. The Great Wall of China might be one of the most travelled to places on Earth but other wonders of China include the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Terracotta Army in the Qin Empire Emperor’s Mausoleum, the Yangtze River, and the Potala Palace. Even if you’re just a casual traveller, learning some Chinese to understand street signs, order food, or just communicating with people you meet on street, a most pleasant and enjoyable experience.
Chinese is becoming one of the most important languages when it comes to operating an international business. The Chinese market is the biggest growing market even in this economic downturn. Expertise in Chinese has grown increasingly important to the overall global economy and many business owners are looking to break into this international market. Any business in the twenty-first century will be trying to do business in China and in doing so will be required Chinese speakers to negotiate agreements and develop these trade deals. Economist predicts by 2020, China will without a doubt surpass the United States as the biggest international superpower.
The importance of Chinese is beneficial regardless if you do it for fun or for your career or even just for personal travel. When trying to uncover the importance of Chinese. One cannot discover a more fascinating and challenging language to learn.
All languages evolve with time and Chinese is no exception. To indisputably understand the importance of Chinese language you have to learn the actual language yourself to help you receive the full benefit of this amazing language later. In fact, the latest research has shown that learning a second language helps fight against Alzheimer’s disease and slows down the ageing effects of the brain. Talk about the Importance of language in action!
Why Learn Chinese – Ten Reasons to Learn Chinese
You probably already have your own reasons to learn Chinese but in case you don’t have one already or still looking for more reasons to get motivated to learn Chinese. This article should help you answer the question “why learn Chinese?”
Reasons to Learn Chinese 1: Mandarin Chinese is the Most Spoken Language in the World
One of the biggest reasons to learn Chinese should because Mandarin Chinese is spoken by roughly a quarter of the world’s population which is estimated to be around two billion Chinese-speakers. Not all of them live in mainland China, but in parts of Taiwan, Singapore, and throughout southeast Asia.
Reasons to Learn Chinese 2: Chinese Influence on International Cultures
Second, traditional Chinese culture, from Confucianism and Chan Buddhism to martial arts and Chinese cuisine, has an enormous influence on East and Southeast Asian nations. Chinese culture has also greatly inspired the western world through Marco Polo, G. W. Leibniz, Max Weber, Franz Kafka, Andre Malraux, Bertolt Brecht, Ezra Pound, and Luis Borges, among others.
Reasons to Learn Chinese 3: Traveling to China is Increasingly Foreigner Friendly
In the past, China wasn’t very accessible from outside visitors wanted to travel there. But travel to China recently as become a lot easier back and forth from.
Reasons to Learn Chinese 4: With Chinese Pinyin Learning Chinese is Easier
You don’t have to learn Chinese characters to learn how to speak Mandarin Chinese. Pinyin is a method of writing Chinese in the romanized alphabet. Hanyu pinyin spells the sound and includes tone marks to help give you the proper pronunciation.
Reasons to Learn Chinese 5: Fastest Growing Economy in the World
China is currently the fastest growing economy in the world and is already the biggest global market to break into. Any business in the twenty-first century will be trying to do business in China and in doing so will require Chinese speakers to negotiate agreements and trade deals.
Reasons to Learn Chinese 6: Reading Chinese Literature
Chinese literature. The dialects are not mutually intelligible but the written language is shared between them all. Although you do not need to learn to read Chinese characters to speak the language, by doing so you open the door to an enormously diverse and rich literature. In fact, the earliest record of writing was in Chinese characters although very different in form from modern characters (of which there are many thousand).
Reasons to Learn Chinese 7: Growing Presence of Chinese Speakers all around the world
Communities of Chinese Speakers have been popping up outside Chinese in parts of the United States and Europe.
Reasons to Learn Chinese 8: Learn Chinese as a Hobby/Love of Learning Languages
Maybe you are just one of those people that just enjoy learning languages for the fun of it! Once you’ve mastered the urge to learn more becomes pretty strong. Contrary to popular opinion, not much confusion happens between languages.
Reasons to Learn Chinese 9: Rich Cultural History of Chinese on the World
Learning Chinese is immediately linked to learning Chinese culture. Learning becomes a more extraordinary and enjoyable experience. Chinese has a unique ideographic writing system, which provides visual comprehensibility. The grammatical structure of Chinese is not only logical, but also pragmatic, related to the particular way of Chinese thinking. Knowledge of the written language opens up the culture of one of the world’s oldest civilizations.
Reasons to Learn Chinese 10: There are Scholarship Opportunities for Chinese Studies
Because of the higher demand for people speaking Chinese, many of the world’s governments and agencies have been offering scholarships and other opportunities for individuals who are interested in Chinese studies and learning Chinese.
Mandarin Chinese is truly an amazing language to learn. I hope you find this article helpful in narrowing and strengthening your reasons to learn Chinese.
Chinese Beginners Guide
This guide was written for Chinese Beginners that don’t know where to start learning Mandarin Chinese. Mandarin Chinese is currently ranked first as the most spoken language in the world with nearly an estimated billion speakers in China, Taiwan, and other parts of the world. The most spoken Chinese dialect is the Mandarin dialect, which is understood by a vast majority of Chinese Speakers.
The most important thing you need to have before you start learning Chinese. You need to have a reason to Learn Chinese. To keep you properly motivated towards your goal of becoming fluent with Chinese. Motivation to learn will be your biggest challenge to determine if you’ll be successful or not. So focus on a reason to keep you interest and motivation for the long haul .
Familiarizes Yourself with the Chinese Alphabet And Chinese Numbers
Learning to read the Chinese Alphabet should be the first stop for Chinese beginners. It’s important to understand that there isn’t exactly a Chinese alphabet. Chinese uses Chinese characters to represent ideas. Further information about both the Chinese Alphabet and Chinese Numbers linked below
Chinese Vocabulary and Phrases
The logical next step after learning the Chinese Alphabet for Chinese beginners would be to start developing your Chinese vocabulary with Chinese words and phrases. I put together two posts of Chinese vocabulary and one post of Chinese phrases for Chinese beginners to start building their knowledge of Chinese Words and Phrases.
Chinese Grammar
The Chinese grammar rules you must follow and understand to properly speak the Chinese language. Learning to understand Mandarin Chinese sentence structure isn’t simple to grasp. To narrow it down you can say it follows a Subject-Verb-Object pattern. Chinese nouns have formal and informal ways of speaking and writing nouns and pronouns. Context plays a major role in figuring out what tense Chinese Verbs refer to. Two or more verbs can stack in Chinese Grammar, as Verbal complements(after the main verb) or as coverbs(before the main verb). More information about Chinese grammar can be found below.
Consider an Online Chinese Language Course
If you are really serious about learning Chinese and want to maximize your time then you should consider using a Chinese language course to further aid you in your quest to learn Chinese.
Consider Using a Language Learning Program
If you are really serious about learning French and want to maximize your time then you should consider using a French language course to further aid you in your quest to learn French. There are several great programs out there that deliver a great language learning experience. The advantages of a language learning program is the organization and having a next step already lined up. Most break down the lessons into 30-minute intervals that can fit into any type of schedule. Flexible to retry a lesson to make sure you understand what you are learning and give you confidence in succeeding.
Learn Chinese Pinyin Characters – Learn Chinese Pinyin Tones
Because Chinese doesn’t have a real alphabet in the standard sense. Chinese Pinyin is a system used to teach Chinese Characters into romanized Latin script that means “spelled sound”. Each Syllable is made up of Sheng and a yun. Sheng is the consonant that begins the syllable• Yun follows the Sheng and is usually a vowel sound. It’ll take a while to learn Chinese Characters since there are more than four hundred exist in the Chinese language. And that doesn’t count the various tonal variations. The overall total of possible combinations leaves Mandarin Chinese with total of 1600(400 base combinations characters with 4 tones each) unique syllables.
The standard Chinese dialect of Mandarin Chinese has four tonal marks that radically change the meaning of the word and crucial when you learn Chinese Pinyin. Theses are indicated by marks over the vowels or by using numbers along with the Chinese Pinyin.
Pronouncing Chinese Tones
Level – This tone is pronounced high and level. Almost monotone.
Rising – This tone has a increase in pitch.
Departing – This tone sounds like it’s “dipping”. Falls and Rises again.
Entering – This tone starts out high then drops in tone.
When trying to learn Chinese Pinyin. You must pay attention to Tonal marks because they can change the word from one meaning to a whole completely different meaning. Example of how changing the tonal marks changes the meaning of the Chinese Character.
I put together a directory for you to start to learn Chinese Pinyin characters. Sorted by tone alphabetically. I also split “c”, “s”, and “z” each into separate pages to cut down on the size of the images and make it more organized.
Learn Chinese Pinyin is extremely important when it comes to learning to write and read Chinese Characters. So make sure to practice pronouncing and writing Chinese Pinyin whenever you can. As many times as you can.
Chinese Number System – How to Write Chinese Numbers
Understanding how to write Chinese numbers should take very little time and effort to learn. Chinese numbers are written from Left to Right like English numbers. Although the Chinese symbol for zero appears above, it’s only used when it comes to money. You write the base Chinese Number then what I call a “multiplier” if the number is above ten. Here are a couple of examples to demonstrate what I mean.
It’s actually pretty straight forward when it comes to learning how to use the Chinese number system. Pronouncing Chinese straightforward easier. Because they follow the exact same pattern in the above example. To illustrate what I mean, here are Chinese numbers 1 to 100.
You really just need to memorizes how to pronounce the base Chinese Numbers then you can easily pronounce any Chinese number. I personally choose to remember that Chinese numbers follow a “number-position” type pattern. Example of what I mean..
Understanding how to write Chinese numbers is really that easy to learn. Should only take you an hour or two to fully memorizes the Chinese number system.
Chinese Grammar Rules
The fun part of learning any language.. learning Chinese grammar rules! The rules you must follow to properly speak the Chinese language. But don’t worry about how hard learning Chinese Grammar might feel at first. Learning Chinese grammar rules is one of the most effective ways to speed up your ability to speak the Chinese language. Keep in mind this is just a basic introduction into understanding how Chinese grammar works.Chinese Grammar Rules: Sentence Structure• A lot of learning how to speak Mandarin is encoded in learning Chinese sentence structure. Some state Mandarin Chinese grammar is simple but it’s really not.
Chinese Grammar Rules: Nouns and Pronouns• Context is the only way to tell if a Chinese Noun is singular or plural.
• Chinese has single pronunciations for common pronouns such as “he”, “she”, or “it”.
• Context of the sentence is very important when figuring out the “gender” in which the pronoun or noun is referring to.
• Chinese nouns have formal and informal ways of speaking and writing them.
Chinese Grammar Rules: Verbs• Chinese Verbs have no tense. Verbs only have one form regardless of the time it’s performed.
• To indicate the time of the action such as “yesterday”, “today” and “tomorrow”. The words are added either before or after the subject.
• Conjugating and irregular have no part in Chinese.
• Two or more verbs can stack in Chinese Grammar, as Verbal complements(after the main verb) or as coverbs(before the main verb)
Chinese Grammar Rules: Adjectives• An adverb and an adjective in combination are ordinarily treated as a phrase and written as two units. Some adverb + adjective constructions, however, undergo a change in meaning so that they express a single concept rather than two independent concepts; such transformed adverb + adjective constructions are considered single words and written as single units.
Learning Chinese grammar rules can be considered the cornerstone of the language and will take some time to learn but creates a sturdy foundation to help you completely learn Chinese in no time. Take the time to let these points soak in, then build on them as you continue your Chinese studies. Good luck, and have fun learning Chinese.
Pardon my Chinese! Learn Chinese Swear Words and Profanity
I was a little hesitant to write this article because some people might be offended and such.. but actually it was one of the most requested things I receive in my email. It comes as no surprise really, since I’m sure most most of us would admit that we always seek out the profanity when learning a new language.
Learning Chinese swear words for a variety of reasons. Most people tend to swear when they are stressed or angry. If you have a relative that knows a second language then get upset and start talking in their other language? People also tend to swear when they are hurt in some way. Studies have shown that swearing does have pain reducing element.
Remember there is a time and place for using theses Chinese Swear Words. So only use these Chinese Swear words when it’s appropriate.
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Learn Chinese Vocabualry Words for Continents, Weather, and More!
Your Chinese vocabulary should begin with words you could use in your daily life and should be familiar with already. Below are some useful Chinese vocabulary and expressions for Continents, Weather, Anatomy, Home/Rooms, Vehicles, and Countries from around the world.
Depending on where you live. You are taught a little differently when it comes to continents, if you’re an American like me, you were taught 7 continents. In parts of Europe, some are taught 5-6 continents instead. Either merging Europe and Asia as Eurasia and combining North and South America as one continent.
Chinese Vocabulary Words for ContinentsChinese Vocabulary Words for Weather
Learning Chinese Vocabulary is very crucial because its structure is based on our daily interactions with other people. The more Chinese Vocabulary you learn the closer you come to completely understand the Chinese language.
Chinese Vocabulary Words for AnatomyChinese Vocabulary Words for Countries
Chinese Vocabulary Words for Homes/RoomsChinese Vocabulary Words for Vechicles
]]>Chinese Vocabulary Words for Greetings, Family, and More!
Chinese vocabulary lists to help start you on your way to learning Chinese vocabulary. Chinese vocabulary words for Chinese greetings, Chinese days of the week, Chinese words for family members, Chinese words for meal times, Chinese times of the day, and Chinese words for Colors.
Goes English Word – Chinese Characters – Chinese Pinyin
Basic Chinese Vocabulary WordsChinese Vocabulary Words for Family Members
Chinese Vocabulary Words for Days of the WeekChinese Vocabulary Words for Times of the Day
Chinese Vocabulary Words for Meal Times/FoodChinese Vocabulary Words for Colors
]]>Chinese Vocabulary Lists for Months, Animals, and More!
Chinese vocabulary lists to further your Chinese vocabulary. Chinese vocabulary lists for Chinese months of the year, Chinese Numbers, Chinese words for emotions and feelings, Chinese words for Professions, Chinese words for animals, and Chinese words for seasons of the year.
Goes English Word – Chinese Characters – Chinese Pinyin
Chinese Vocabulary Lists for Months of the YearChinese Vocabulary Lists for Chinese Numbers
