Whats the easiest way for a white guy to learn Chinese?

[Redlyne_mr2]

I want to learn cantonese, I can make out a few things when listnening to conversations and say a sentence here and there...oh yah and count to 10 haha. Anyways I have huge problems with the pronounciation. Are there books available to learn the language of should I take a class? My school in Ontario doesnt offer any cantonese classes so Im not sure where to turn

[max_boost]

Go live in China or anywhere Cantonese is the preferred dialect.

Order the Chinese channel on your local cable network with english sub titles.

Better yet, how about Chinese school? You can chill with a bunch of 5 year olds! haha j/k

Anyway, did you get the ultimatum from girlRACER or her family?:tongue:

[Altezza]

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.p...threadid=33562

JK JK...

My sister-in-law took adult Cantonese classes at a local college. You might want to see if that may be available in your area.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by max_boost
Go live in China or anywhere Cantonese is the preferred dialect.

Order the Chinese channel on your local cable network with english sub titles.

Better yet, how about Chinese school? You can chill with a bunch of 5 year olds! haha j/k

Anyway, did you get the ultimatum from girlRACER or her family?:tongue:

haha no, no ultimatum yet I just feel like an uneducated idiot when Im around her relatives especially her grandma because I have no idea what she is saying and i cant even say thank you when she sends me home with chicken buns. ive been watching a lot of young and dangerous hahah but I think most of that movie is all swearing and they speak to fast. Going to China is also out of the picture until Im done school..maybe Ill see if I can find any educational dvds at the asian mall here in toronto

Originally posted by Altezza
http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.p...threadid=33562

JK JK...

My sister-in-law took adult Cantonese classes at a local college. You might want to see if that may be available in your area.

hehe I was excited at first when I saw that thread then I realised it was all bunk

[FiveFreshFish]

Learn the tones and you've got half of it beat. The vocabulary isn't as complex as English.

[YCB]

first learn all the swears, and cusses then go from there...

[HK2NR]

haha go rent gen x cops or gen y cops
you'll laugh your ass off at some bad cantonese acting plus there's bad english in it too

[missblondie]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
I want to learn cantonese, I can make out a few things when listnening to conversations and say a sentence here and there...oh yah and count to 10 haha. Anyways I have huge problems with the pronounciation. Are there books available to learn the language of should I take a class? My school in Ontario doesnt offer any cantonese classes so Im not sure where to turn

i am in the exact situation... i can count, understand money(great for my shopping addiction), and just say the polite small talk but that is about it... oh, and i can ask where the bathroom is, cuz that is an important one.

i looked into language courses at the u, but the only thing i could find was mandarin. i am in calgary, so if anyone knows somewhere please tell me.

good post though Ryan

[girlRACER]

When I learned Mandarin...I had to first learn all the pronounciation of the pinyin vowels. During that time we would learn 2 words each class and every class after that would add 1 one more word until after a couple of weeks we could actually construct sentences. That class was 5 days a week for an hour...so we were constantly using the language.

Repetition is the easiest way to learn along with someone who is patient enough to teach you....hehe...but you know what my attention span is like

[Weapon_R]

Easiest way to learn any language is to hang out with a lot of people who speak that language. No amount of books is going to accurately teach you another language, and it'll never be as quick or accurate as that of the average common group.

[Ben]

Ryan, lets do a group class on learning, cause hell, I've wanted to for so long!

[max_boost]

Alright guys, I'll volunteer to teach you Chinese. Just come hang out with me more often, at the Casino! haha

Where else are you going to find more Asian/Chinese people etc.? haha

[Ben]

haha, so true!

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by Ben
Ryan, lets do a group class on learning, cause hell, I've wanted to for so long!

Yah man for sure Ill go to pacific mall this weekend and see if I can find any tutorials , ill let you know

[lam-boy]

Originally posted by max_boost
Alright guys, I'll volunteer to teach you Chinese. Just come hang out with me more often, at the Casino! haha

Where else are you going to find more Asian/Chinese people etc.? haha

haha learn nothing but

"aiya!"
"Diew!"
"hum ga chan!!!!!'

just a buncha swears haha

[thich]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
Easiest way to learn any language is to hang out with a lot of people who speak that language. No amount of books is going to accurately teach you another language, and it'll never be as quick or accurate as that of the average common group.

hands down probably the easiest way.
cuz then you recognize the tonal inflections and so on which will probably be your biggest problem to deal with. English is such a horrible language.

I didn't use my Vietnamese for a good chunk of my life up until I was nearing the final years of High school. Then I hung out with a lot more ppl who spoke Viet a lot of the time and I picked up the language again REAL quick... there's sorta a group mentality to fit in... so it forces you to catch on and remember.

[That.Guy.S30]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2

Yah man for sure Ill go to pacific mall this weekend and see if I can find any tutorials , ill let you know

is pacific mall the one right beisde canaidian tire? (old school franklin mall) i dont think they teach chinese school there.. they do have chinese school at the cultural center in chinatown!

[max_boost]

Originally posted by Ben
haha, so true!

Except for Chinatown but down there, no one cares. At the casino, everyone's buddy buddy haha

Hey thich, can you speak viet really fast? I remember back in Forest Lawn H/S days these nammers can speak in 'turbo mode'
All I really got out of it was kjfajkdkjdsjkl "DO MA" LALALLALAL "DO MA" LOL

I thinky ou know what I am talking about:tongue:

[thich]

yup, pacific mall, Markham Ont.
Largest Asian store in North America iirc. (400 shops)

The one here in Calgary is called Pacific Place.
Possibly owned by the same Taiwanese company... who knows.

Max, I can speak slow or fast lol and several different dialects too.
My godmum told me to speak Viet slower though b/c I speak it like I speak english... so apparently you are supposed to regulate the speed that you speak Viet

[That.Guy.S30]

^^^ ahah sorry guys.. name sounded familiar