Hitchhiker’s guide to the Chinese Galaxy (Language Learning Log) Language Learning Forum

Hitchhiker’s guide to the Chinese Galaxy
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Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log

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outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 89 of 230 01 July 2013 at 5:18am \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 24 Cycle One (Lessons 1-6) Book 1 Lesson 4 New Practical Chinese Reader 6.29.2013 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 90 of 230 01 July 2013 at 6:15am \| IP Logged
	Weekly Progress Entry 15 6.28.2013 a couple of days late... This past week has been all about review. I finished Unit 5 of Kubler's BSC and it was a good time to do an in-depth review, taking the time as required to read over the first 5 Units and seeing what I might have missed. As expected there are quite a few things I had forgotten, a few others that I understand better now after reading the second time (and helped by learning things from later lessons!), and a couple I actually seemed to have missed the first time entirely (example: the use of of 多 meaning "how" when used with stative verbs, that had totally passed over my head!!). I am through Unit 3 I have two more units to go, and then I will repeat the drills and transformation exercises. So I will probably take the rest of this week to review before moving on to Unit 6 and the second half of the book. I am getting additional review by doing NPCR book one. Lessons 1-6 belong to what they call the "first cycle" which focuses on pronunciation. The vocabulary up to now is almost shockingly similar to BSC, it would almost seem there is some taking cues by BSC vis-a-vis NPCR. I am just doing hard rote memorization of the material in these lessons, because I used this series to meet with the tutor and thus I want to be well- prepared. Thus NPCR is a "hard learning" course, whereas BSC I use a more "organic" learning process (that is, give my best effort to learn the material but don't fuzz about not recalling all the words/grammar presented, just let it come). As mentioned before I met with the tutor, and I was a bit unprepared although she claims I am just exaggerating. That may be so, but I felt she asked me questions I should have been able to answer because I recalled seeing the material (vocabulary or grammar), but could not actively recall it. I was probably too hard on myself since that was my first attempt at real time output in Mandarin. I am at 800 in the characters, I have just not posted the list, I will ASAP. I finished last wednesday, so a bit behind schedule after blazing start last week. I am in the middle of a virtual immersion project in French and German, so I have spent a bit more time in those languages as I try to write and think full time in those languages, plus attending more conversation meetings. As a result that took some of my time available from the characters... I hope to slowly find my groove back and adjusting to the new routine. I will start the new batch of characters tomorrow or tuesday. This week's goals are humble: finish a good review of BSC Units 1-5, finish the first cycle of NPCR, meet with my tutor at least once, and start the road to 900 Hanzi. Till the next WPE on 7.5.2013! Edited by outcast on 01 July 2013 at 6:20am 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 91 of 230 07 July 2013 at 4:43pm \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 25 Cycle One (Lessons 1-6) Book 1 Lesson 5 New Practical Chinese Reader 7.2.2013 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 92 of 230 07 July 2013 at 4:45pm \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 26 Cycle One (Lessons 1-6) Book 1 Lesson 6 New Practical Chinese Reader 7.6.2013 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 93 of 230 07 July 2013 at 5:15pm \| IP Logged
	Weekly Progress Entry 16 7.5.2013 I have finished my Unit 1-5 review and as expected it was very helpful, not only to internalize some of the grammar I may have cursorily breezed by but also to review vocabulary. I am now just reviewing one time each the drill lessons (not three times like when I did the Unit proper). I should be done next couple of days and then it is on to the 2nd half of BSC and Unit 6. In NPCR I have finished a good study of Lessons 1-6, and I have completed Cycle one (pronunciation mainly), which of course was a breeze. I am starting Lesson 7 today; this is the lesson that will be discussed in my upcoming Monday meeting with my tutor. I met with her again on Friday morning, and we did a 2nd review of Cycle one. First time I was a bit cold, this time I prepared and it showed. I was surprisingly sharp in my Chinese responses and even managed to invent new sentences out of the blue such as: 我喝可乐。（I drink cola) 这台电脑很坏。 (This computer is very bad - in reference to my laptop) 今天南京的天气怎么样？ (How is the weather in Nanjing today?) That last one was a highlight to me because I just said it rather spontaneously, and she said it was right on the money to say it like that. I am reviewing the last set of 100 characters I learned. Due to my review, starting the tutoring and NPCR, plus my other language project, character acquisition took a back burner. But I am adjusting to the new schedule (I also had to search for a new German tutor, my old one move out of town). This week I should be in full rhythm and I am starting today with a modest set of new characters. I met almost all of my goals of last week. This week the plan is: 1. Begin Unit 6 BSC 2. Meet monday with my tutor 3. Do Lessons 7 and 8 of NPCR (Cycle 2) 4. Learn 50 new Hanzi. So after a "look back" of sorts, this week I am finally plowing forward full speed. It's July and I have been at this now four months. I have noticed Chinese "slowing down" significantly recently when I hear it: almost all the words in the prior dialogues, some which I had not heard since doing the lesson, came out clear and I could focus on almost every words spoken (before, everything would go so fast I could only pick up something at the beginning or end and deduct the phrase from that). Also, Chinese does not sound so "Chinese" anymore to me, I am slowly starting to lose that utterly "foreign ear", that makes us hear foreign languages and get fixated on a stereotype sound or intonation. They say to start is the toughest thing to do, and I have done that and stuck to it, so I will give my self a small pat in the back right here. But now comes an exiting time: I am hoping by the end of October to have reached my 1,500 most used Hanzi goal, to finish Basic Spoken Chinese and have begun Intermediate Spoken, and perhaps be done with Book 3 of NPCR. At that point, I will start thinking more seriously about my possible time in China next year, and Chinese language testing. Interesting summer and fall ahead. Till the next WPE on 7.12.2013! ps - I had to fix numerous English redacting errors. Combination of typing fast... but also perhaps a bit of decline in my English writing skills. It has been now months since I have written anything substantial, and my intense focus on my written/spoken German/French has perhaps infiltrated my English slightly in the way I place words. Rather disturbing :) Edited by outcast on 18 July 2013 at 7:50pm 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 94 of 230 07 July 2013 at 7:06pm \| IP Logged
	Special entry 10 Hanzi learned @ 7.7.2013 = 800 701-800 业　業 (S / T) 碰使更决定重亿億 (S / T) 直毛笔　筆 (S / T) 民代舌适　適 (S / T) 活藝色角确　確 (S / T) 嘴谈　談 (S / T) 态　態 (S / T) 度示票社祝农　農 (S / T) 初被破坏　壞 (S / T) 且租祖组　組 (S / T) 宜谊　誼 (S / T) 刮术　術 (S / T) 支技持特义　義 (S / T) 室数　數 (S / T) 层　層 (S / T) 握拔提让　讓 (S / T) 搞贝　貝 (S / T) 员　員 (S / T) 治谷容志壮　壯 (S / T) 装　裝 (S / T) 矢医　醫 (S / T) 束整推嗽咳准　準 (S / T) 集处　處 (S / T) 各丙病织織 (S / T) Edited by outcast on 13 July 2013 at 2:26am 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 95 of 230 13 July 2013 at 1:40am \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 27 Cycle Two (Lessons 7-26) Book 1 Lesson 7 New Practical Chinese Reader 7.12.2013 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 96 of 230 13 July 2013 at 7:00pm \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 28 Unit 6 Lesson 1 Basic Spoken Chinese 7.13.2013 1 person has voted this message useful

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outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 89 of 230 01 July 2013 at 5:18am \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 24 Cycle One (Lessons 1-6) Book 1 Lesson 4 New Practical Chinese Reader 6.29.2013 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 90 of 230 01 July 2013 at 6:15am \| IP Logged
	Weekly Progress Entry 15 6.28.2013 a couple of days late... This past week has been all about review. I finished Unit 5 of Kubler's BSC and it was a good time to do an in-depth review, taking the time as required to read over the first 5 Units and seeing what I might have missed. As expected there are quite a few things I had forgotten, a few others that I understand better now after reading the second time (and helped by learning things from later lessons!), and a couple I actually seemed to have missed the first time entirely (example: the use of of 多 meaning "how" when used with stative verbs, that had totally passed over my head!!). I am through Unit 3 I have two more units to go, and then I will repeat the drills and transformation exercises. So I will probably take the rest of this week to review before moving on to Unit 6 and the second half of the book. I am getting additional review by doing NPCR book one. Lessons 1-6 belong to what they call the "first cycle" which focuses on pronunciation. The vocabulary up to now is almost shockingly similar to BSC, it would almost seem there is some taking cues by BSC vis-a-vis NPCR. I am just doing hard rote memorization of the material in these lessons, because I used this series to meet with the tutor and thus I want to be well- prepared. Thus NPCR is a "hard learning" course, whereas BSC I use a more "organic" learning process (that is, give my best effort to learn the material but don't fuzz about not recalling all the words/grammar presented, just let it come). As mentioned before I met with the tutor, and I was a bit unprepared although she claims I am just exaggerating. That may be so, but I felt she asked me questions I should have been able to answer because I recalled seeing the material (vocabulary or grammar), but could not actively recall it. I was probably too hard on myself since that was my first attempt at real time output in Mandarin. I am at 800 in the characters, I have just not posted the list, I will ASAP. I finished last wednesday, so a bit behind schedule after blazing start last week. I am in the middle of a virtual immersion project in French and German, so I have spent a bit more time in those languages as I try to write and think full time in those languages, plus attending more conversation meetings. As a result that took some of my time available from the characters... I hope to slowly find my groove back and adjusting to the new routine. I will start the new batch of characters tomorrow or tuesday. This week's goals are humble: finish a good review of BSC Units 1-5, finish the first cycle of NPCR, meet with my tutor at least once, and start the road to 900 Hanzi. Till the next WPE on 7.5.2013! Edited by outcast on 01 July 2013 at 6:20am 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 91 of 230 07 July 2013 at 4:43pm \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 25 Cycle One (Lessons 1-6) Book 1 Lesson 5 New Practical Chinese Reader 7.2.2013 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 92 of 230 07 July 2013 at 4:45pm \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 26 Cycle One (Lessons 1-6) Book 1 Lesson 6 New Practical Chinese Reader 7.6.2013 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 93 of 230 07 July 2013 at 5:15pm \| IP Logged
	Weekly Progress Entry 16 7.5.2013 I have finished my Unit 1-5 review and as expected it was very helpful, not only to internalize some of the grammar I may have cursorily breezed by but also to review vocabulary. I am now just reviewing one time each the drill lessons (not three times like when I did the Unit proper). I should be done next couple of days and then it is on to the 2nd half of BSC and Unit 6. In NPCR I have finished a good study of Lessons 1-6, and I have completed Cycle one (pronunciation mainly), which of course was a breeze. I am starting Lesson 7 today; this is the lesson that will be discussed in my upcoming Monday meeting with my tutor. I met with her again on Friday morning, and we did a 2nd review of Cycle one. First time I was a bit cold, this time I prepared and it showed. I was surprisingly sharp in my Chinese responses and even managed to invent new sentences out of the blue such as: 我喝可乐。（I drink cola) 这台电脑很坏。 (This computer is very bad - in reference to my laptop) 今天南京的天气怎么样？ (How is the weather in Nanjing today?) That last one was a highlight to me because I just said it rather spontaneously, and she said it was right on the money to say it like that. I am reviewing the last set of 100 characters I learned. Due to my review, starting the tutoring and NPCR, plus my other language project, character acquisition took a back burner. But I am adjusting to the new schedule (I also had to search for a new German tutor, my old one move out of town). This week I should be in full rhythm and I am starting today with a modest set of new characters. I met almost all of my goals of last week. This week the plan is: 1. Begin Unit 6 BSC 2. Meet monday with my tutor 3. Do Lessons 7 and 8 of NPCR (Cycle 2) 4. Learn 50 new Hanzi. So after a "look back" of sorts, this week I am finally plowing forward full speed. It's July and I have been at this now four months. I have noticed Chinese "slowing down" significantly recently when I hear it: almost all the words in the prior dialogues, some which I had not heard since doing the lesson, came out clear and I could focus on almost every words spoken (before, everything would go so fast I could only pick up something at the beginning or end and deduct the phrase from that). Also, Chinese does not sound so "Chinese" anymore to me, I am slowly starting to lose that utterly "foreign ear", that makes us hear foreign languages and get fixated on a stereotype sound or intonation. They say to start is the toughest thing to do, and I have done that and stuck to it, so I will give my self a small pat in the back right here. But now comes an exiting time: I am hoping by the end of October to have reached my 1,500 most used Hanzi goal, to finish Basic Spoken Chinese and have begun Intermediate Spoken, and perhaps be done with Book 3 of NPCR. At that point, I will start thinking more seriously about my possible time in China next year, and Chinese language testing. Interesting summer and fall ahead. Till the next WPE on 7.12.2013! ps - I had to fix numerous English redacting errors. Combination of typing fast... but also perhaps a bit of decline in my English writing skills. It has been now months since I have written anything substantial, and my intense focus on my written/spoken German/French has perhaps infiltrated my English slightly in the way I place words. Rather disturbing :) Edited by outcast on 18 July 2013 at 7:50pm 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 94 of 230 07 July 2013 at 7:06pm \| IP Logged
	Special entry 10 Hanzi learned @ 7.7.2013 = 800 701-800 业　業 (S / T) 碰使更决定重亿億 (S / T) 直毛笔　筆 (S / T) 民代舌适　適 (S / T) 活藝色角确　確 (S / T) 嘴谈　談 (S / T) 态　態 (S / T) 度示票社祝农　農 (S / T) 初被破坏　壞 (S / T) 且租祖组　組 (S / T) 宜谊　誼 (S / T) 刮术　術 (S / T) 支技持特义　義 (S / T) 室数　數 (S / T) 层　層 (S / T) 握拔提让　讓 (S / T) 搞贝　貝 (S / T) 员　員 (S / T) 治谷容志壮　壯 (S / T) 装　裝 (S / T) 矢医　醫 (S / T) 束整推嗽咳准　準 (S / T) 集处　處 (S / T) 各丙病织織 (S / T) Edited by outcast on 13 July 2013 at 2:26am 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 95 of 230 13 July 2013 at 1:40am \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 27 Cycle Two (Lessons 7-26) Book 1 Lesson 7 New Practical Chinese Reader 7.12.2013 1 person has voted this message useful
outcast Bilingual Heptaglot Senior Member China Joined 4960 days ago 869 posts - 1364 votes Speaks: Spanish, English, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Mandarin Studies: Korean	Message 96 of 230 13 July 2013 at 7:00pm \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 28 Unit 6 Lesson 1 Basic Spoken Chinese 7.13.2013 1 person has voted this message useful