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Chinese Odyssey 2024 | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| zhanglong Senior Member United States Joined 4927 days ago 322 posts - 427 votes  Studies: Mandarin, Cantonese | Message 153 of 169 03 September 2012 at 6:03pm | IP Logged | ||
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Today, I studied from a new website:
http://www.gurulu.com/ So far, it seems interesting, but I'll keep working it to see how useful for me it is. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| zhanglong Senior Member United States Joined 4927 days ago 322 posts - 427 votes Studies: Mandarin, Cantonese | Message 154 of 169 04 September 2012 at 10:39pm | IP Logged | ||
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Today, I got a new assignment from my employer.
I have to speak, by telephone, to a native speaker, so that my Chinese can be evaluated. I'm thinking of how best to prepare... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| zhanglong Senior Member United States Joined 4927 days ago 322 posts - 427 votes Studies: Mandarin, Cantonese | Message 155 of 169 04 September 2012 at 11:06pm | IP Logged | ||
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Mandarin
Below is my Mandarin Challenge for September 2012: Listening 3 (General Professional Proficiency) Able to understand the essentials of all speech in a standard dialect including technical discussions within a special field. (Has effective understanding of face-to-face speech, delivered with normal clarity and speed in a standard dialect on general topics and areas of special interest; understands hypothesizing and supported opinions. Has broad enough vocabulary that rarely has to ask for paraphrasing or explanation. Can follow accurately the essentials of conversations between educated native speakers, reasonably clear telephone calls, radio broadcasts, news stories similar to wire service reports, oral reports, some oral technical reports and public addresses on non-technical subjects; can understand without difficulty all forms of standard speech concerning a special professional field. Does not understand native speakers if they speak very quickly or use some slang or dialect. Can often detect emotional overtones. Can understand implications. (Has been coded L-3 in some nonautomated applications.)) Speaking 3 (General Professional Proficiency) Able to speak the language with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations in practical, social and professional topics. (Nevertheless, the individual's limitations generally restrict the professional contexts of language use to matters of shared knowledge and/or international convention. Discourse is cohesive. The individual uses the language acceptably, but with some noticeable imperfections; yet, errors virtually never interfere with understanding and rarely disturb the native speaker. The individual can effectively combine structure and vocabulary to convey his/her meaning accurately. The individual speaks readily and fills pauses suitably. In face-to-face conversation with natives speaking the standard dialect at a normal rate of speech, comprehension is quite complete. Although cultural references, proverbs and the implications of nuances and idiom may not be fully understood, the individual can easily repair the conversation. Pronunciation may be obviously foreign. Individual sounds are accurate: but stress, intonation and pitch control may be faulty. Examples: Can typically discuss particular interests and special fields of competence with reasonable ease. Can use the language as part of normal professional duties such as answering objections, clarifying points, justifying decisions, understanding the essence of challenges, stating and defending policy, conducting meetings, delivering briefings, or other extended and elaborate informative monologues. Can reliably elicit information and informed opinion from native speakers. Structural inaccuracy is rarely the major cause of misunderstanding. Use of structural devices is flexible and elaborate. Without searching for words or phrases, the individual uses the language clearly and relatively naturally to elaborate concepts freely and make ideas easily understandable to native speakers. Errors occur in low-frequency and highly complex structures. (Has been coded S-3 in some nonautomated applications.)) --- I need to be able to assess my current stage of development and implement a learning strategy that gets me from here, to the above levels. I'll note what I do here, but perhaps will create a new post in the forum asking for specific advice. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Ari Heptaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 6580 days ago 2314 posts - 5695 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese Studies: Czech, Latin, German | Message 156 of 169 05 September 2012 at 6:57am | IP Logged | ||
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Good luck and keep it up! I find shadowing and lots of listening to be good ways to improve my conversational ability.
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| zhanglong Senior Member United States Joined 4927 days ago 322 posts - 427 votes Studies: Mandarin, Cantonese | Message 157 of 169 05 October 2012 at 1:27pm | IP Logged | ||
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Mandarin
The hardest part for me is to focus on one thing at a time. Since I'm so interested in so many different aspects of language, language learning, and language teaching, it's easy to split my energy in unproductive ways. But I've been fairly good. I've devoted the majority of my efforts to practicing my oral Mandarin, these past few weeks. I didn't note much of a change, until I went to the movies last night. I saw another Mandarin film, without English subtitles, and suddenly, where random words would pop out of a gopher hole and chirp their arrival, now, I could understand sentences and phrases and entire bits of dialogue. It was so much fun! I must keep up with it; I can almost fool myself into thinking that I "know" Chinese, until of course, I meet a native speaker. Once the conversation veers from daily topics to more abstract ideas...ai yo! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| druckfehler Triglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4866 days ago 1181 posts - 1912 votes Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, Korean Studies: Persian | Message 158 of 169 05 October 2012 at 6:01pm | IP Logged | ||
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Hey, that's a great improvement, congrats!
Don't be discouraged if the next movie happens to be more difficult. I'm just mentioning that because I remember the excitement of understanding whole sentences, only to be back at the stage of wondering what was going on with a film on another topic. But that doesn't undo your progress. Soon you'll be able to understand more and more topics and more and more complex sentences and the best thing is that you can get that excitement of understanding something new all the time :) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| zhanglong Senior Member United States Joined 4927 days ago 322 posts - 427 votes Studies: Mandarin, Cantonese | Message 159 of 169 06 October 2012 at 2:48pm | IP Logged | ||
Thanks-- I'll do a movie every three days just to keep things interesting. Last movie: Dangerous Liaisons (2012) Next up: Ip Man (2008) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| zhanglong Senior Member United States Joined 4927 days ago 322 posts - 427 votes Studies: Mandarin, Cantonese | Message 160 of 169 07 October 2012 at 10:15pm | IP Logged | ||
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Mandarin
I watched another movie, but this was in English with Chinese subtitles. Not very effective for improving my Mandarin. I also listened to two hours of native speakers and practiced some conversation. My accent is slowly improving. They say if you love something enough, it will give you all its secrets. I'm married to my languages and enjoying the journey. I'm not so focused on the destination... 1 person has voted this message useful |
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