Literary reasons for learning (Books, Literature & Reading) Language Learning Forum

Literary reasons for learning
Tags: Literature \| Mandarin \| French
Language Learning Forum : Books, Literature & Reading

9 messages over 2 pages: 1 2

linguanima
Bilingual Tetraglot
Senior Member
Australia
Joined 6709 days ago
114 posts - 123 votes

3 sounds
Speaks: English*, Mandarin*, Spanish, French
Studies: Italian, Latin, German

Message 9 of 9

19 January 2007 at 11:31pm | IP Logged

Ari wrote:

It is a bit sad, though, that you need to be really good at Chinese before getting all this. I don't expect to be able to read Classical Chinese until five years or so from now. That's a long time to wait.

Don't be discouraged! Classical Chinese IS a really hard language. Its subtleties aren't even comprehensible even to a lot of native speakers. In fact only specially trained Chinese sinologists can fully dig out its meanings. Every time after I read a classical poem I definitely need to read explanations to it written in Modern Chinese, then look back to ponder over it.

Speaking of Classical Chinese, I think learners and native speakers have equal chance, though native speakers are slightly privileged in terms of vocabulary. But vocabulary is superficial. Some native speakers understand what words mean but not their profoundity, and it's the profoundity that matters. So, if you really like this language, stick to it and understand it little by little till you get what you want.

Edited by linguanima on 19 January 2007 at 11:32pm

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