happycc Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 My 7yrs old daughter announced that she wants to learn Chinese. Where do I even begin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommamia Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 We have been looking into Mandarin lessons for our dc. After speaking with a homeschool mom who tutor's Mandarin, we have decided to purchase Rosetta Stone. That was her recommendation. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Better Chinese. But you need a tutor or class, IMO. I don't think there's any way to get the tones without that one on one practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 If you are not a Chinese speaker, it is difficult to pick up the language out of context. The tones of Chinese are extremely tough for the western ear to hear and replicate. I would highly recommend getting a Chinese teacher / tutor for that undertaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redleaf Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Do you know a little bit chinese? I can give you a website that it is only chinese' pronounciation there. You can download the textbook 《中文》 from V.1 to V.12, as well as the exercise books accompanied. The textbooks are used in a lot of chinese school for children who want to learn chinese oversea. http://www.hwjyw.com/textbook/dzjc/huawen.htm If you have any question, please ask me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 If you are not a Chinese speaker, it is difficult to pick up the language out of context. The tones of Chinese are extremely tough for the western ear to hear and replicate. I would highly recommend getting a Chinese teacher / tutor for that undertaking. I've learned two European languages plus Chinese. I might try another European language without a tutor, but I wouldn't attempt a tonal language like Chinese on my own. If you get the tones wrong you are not just speaking with a bad accent, you are actually saying different words. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I would start with the "Follow Jade" DVDs. They are on Amazon, but also check if you library has them. There is also Little Pim, but it might be a bit too young/repetitive for your 7 year old. Our library has it available online. You could also try "Play and Learn Chinese with Mei Mei" DVDs. I wouldn't invest in tutors/classes until she has tried it a bit and see if she is still interested. Then I would look for a fun class at a local recreation department if available. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 ha ha ha my 8 yr old too--he is sooo enthralled to hear the girls at the restraunt talk....he watched NI HAO KAILAN a few years ago and picked up a few words (colors-numbers-hi)..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happycc Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 I do not speak Mandarin but I speak minute amount of Cantonese-like baby language Cantonese and a blend of Chinglish (Cantonese with some English words thrown in there while trying to communicate with my mom). SAD I know. My daughter who wants to speak Chinese isnt my bio so she is a blond hair green eyed child wanting to speak a language that her Chinese stepmom can't even master. I can't even read the language much less write it. I do remember attending Chinese school though guess it wasn't enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Do you know a little bit chinese? I can give you a website that it is only chinese' pronounciation there. You can download the textbook 《中文》 from V.1 to V.12, as well as the exercise books accompanied. The textbooks are used in a lot of chinese school for children who want to learn chinese oversea. http://www.hwjyw.com/textbook/dzjc/huawen.htmIf you have any question, please ask me. Well, that's a resource I had not seen! Happycc, did you want to teach Cantonese then? I've never seen materials for that, only Mandarin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Texican Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Activechinese.com. I tried the free trial myself. I don't have time to learn this right now, but it's great fun & I will use that site later. Also, this song is almost stuck in my head. Check out this video on YouTube: Also YouTube has other suggestions after that one, including hakuna matata in Chinese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 I do not speak Mandarin but I speak minute amount of Cantonese-like baby language Cantonese and a blend of Chinglish (Cantonese with some English words thrown in there while trying to communicate with my mom). SAD I know. My daughter who wants to speak Chinese isnt my bio so she is a blond hair green eyed child wanting to speak a language that her Chinese stepmom can't even master. I can't even read the language much less write it. I do remember attending Chinese school though guess it wasn't enough. Since you do understand Cantonese, could you buy a Cantonese dictionary and look up words that you don't know? Your mom could help you to make sure that the tones are correct. I looked up almost every word in the dictionary when translating picture books from English to Cantonese. It's really difficult to look for materials in Cantonese but you do have the background and it would be easier to get started immediately. Or, since you do live in Hayward, there are many classes in the Bay Area that teach Mandarin to kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happycc Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 Not worthy of much. I cannot read or write it ---so a dictionary would not work. I have no idea whether to teach Cantonese or Mandarin. I am thinking towards the Mandarin direction since that is where everything is going. More resources, more people speaking it even in SF and Oakland Chinatown. I think maybe I should try and learn it first...hmmm. Maybe I should do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 (edited) Not worthy of much. I cannot read or write it ---so a dictionary would not work. I have no idea whether to teach Cantonese or Mandarin. I am thinking towards the Mandarin direction since that is where everything is going. More resources, more people speaking it even in SF and Oakland Chinatown. I think maybe I should try and learn it first...hmmm. Maybe I should do that. You can do it. I barely spoke a word of Cantonese but I have a dictionary with Pinyin. I actually think there are more people speaking Cantonese than Mandarin in S.F., but it's much easier to find a class in Mandarin. Also, another thing to keep in mind is that if you want to have your child to speak both, it's best to go from Cantonese to Mandarin rather than the other way; Mandarin has only 4 tones, while Cantonese has about 7-8. Have you tried your library to see if they have books that teach Mandarin to kids? Edited October 14, 2011 by crazyforlatin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 DS is doing Rosetta Stone Mandarin. However, he had a private Mandarin tutor for over a year before we started RS. With all the tones, RS would not have recognized his speech without the great foundation he had acquired from the private tutor. Also, the writing with RS Mandarin is very difficult. I have watched DS become very frustrated (and then finally persevere) through the writing portions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happycc Posted October 17, 2011 Author Share Posted October 17, 2011 http://www.afk.com/catalog/Detail.tpl?command=search&db=AFKstore.db&eqSKUdata=ASC201W&cart=13188353282179050 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bug's Mom Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Just seeing this... I, too, suggest Better Chinese. When dd was 7 she told me "I NEED to learn Chinese". After much searching, I found this and it's been great. For the first 6-8 months, it was just me (no Chinese background) and her, the book and the CD. We then found, through the family that owns our favorite Chinese restaurant, Saturday Chinese classes. They say her pronunciation and tones are great, so, in my experience, a CD can do it. Of course, her dad is a musician with great ears...so she may have that advantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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