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 169 of 230 29 March 2015 at 9:26am \| IP Logged
	Well I just sat the HSK Levels 2 and 3, plus the oral HSK level 1. I made a ridiculously stupid mistake in level 2 (jotted "弟弟" for an oral “妹妹”）， which　I still can't forgive myself for making. Otherwise I am confident of this test result. Level 3 was far more challenging. I think I did reasonably well in the written part, but I am leery about the listening part, where I just happened to somewhat "tune out" segments because I was mentally tired. That may have hurt me but we will see. I did very poorly in the oral. Many reasons, some my fault (I misread 运动 for 勿动, so I ended up speaking at length about dogs when it should have been sports!), others the environment (other people talking around me distracted me from remembering the actual sentence to be repeated), and others quite frankly the fault of the test itself (not clear on explaining that for the speech questions you had to formulate a response for both on the time given, not in two separate times for each one). I except the results in four weeks or so. These are the first language "level" tests I have ever taken. Never taken neither the DELF, nor the ZD, nor the CELPE-Bras. I took these exams merely because they were a pre-requisite, otherwise I would have not taken them at this time. I enjoy learning languages to a competent, useful level. Only after I feel I have achieved that goal, do I wish to take tests (so that I don't "study for the test", and get an artificially high language score). I eventually plan on going for C1 tests in my target languages, when I feel ready. I will then only study for test taking itself by familiarizing myself with the procedures and layout of each of those tests, but not per say study to pass the tests. If I achieve C1, then I will party. That's a way's away though. 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 170 of 230 01 April 2015 at 5:22pm \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 62 Unit 10 Lesson 1 Basic Spoken Chinese 4.1.2015 - - - - Due to my HSK testing plus a speech in Chinese I had to prepare I had to set aside BSC for the last 10-12 days. Now I'm full on track again. I am down to the last three parts of the Basic course. Beyond this point, I will do the first Unit of Intermediate Spoken Chinese (probably early next week!), and then review Units 4-5 of the basic course before doing Unit 12. Then after 12, review Units 6-7 of the basic course, then do Unit 13, and finally review 8-9-10 of BSC (shorter units and more recent in my mind), and then do Unit 14. After that, I will alternate doing one new unit, and then one old unit... but now I will add the Written Course for reading and writing practice. In NPCR, I am finishing lesson 26 today, and then will review all the grammar points in Book 2 and repeat some drills and dialogues from lessons 21-26. That should keep me busy this week and most of next. Then I begin book 3, at lesson 27. Once I finish book three, I will also begin alternating a new lesson with an old lesson in NPCR, and introduce the NPCR workbook. I feel this review of done material PLUS recycling of old material with new exercises (through the workbook NPCR or the Written Book BSC), is of great help and a form of spaced-repetition (albeit not too scientifically measured). I am still watching Chinese cartoons but my comprehension is getting a bit better. I am now introducing some more adult material (only casual listening, not intensive at this point). Just get used to adult Chinese male and female voices. In a month or so I intend to begin reading The Little Prince in Chinese. I know that book by hard, I could probably paraphrase each chapter, having read it in English, then Spanish, and in the last few years multiple times in French, German, and Portuguese. So this book should be quite useful since I will be able to deduce in great amounts all unknown words and give me my first extensive reading experience. In summary, I'm starting Intermediate Spoken Chinese, and Book 3 of New Practical Chinese Reader in the next two weeks. That means I am slowing finishing my beginner's studies and sailing into the full-fledged waves of the intermediate-level High Seas :) EDIT: I made an accounting error starting at Unit Completion 50, so I had to edit the last ten entries to reflect the correct number. By completing the 40 sections of Basic Spoken Chinese and the 26 lessons of New Practical Chinese Reader, my completions should total 66. Edited by outcast on 02 April 2015 at 3:56am 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 171 of 230 03 April 2015 at 7:57am \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 63 Cycle Two (Lessons 7-26) Book 2 Lesson 26 New Practical Chinese Reader (END BOOK 2) 4.2.2015 - - - - So many people have said and say Chinese is very difficult overall (tones, totally different vocabulary, and CHARACTERS), but basic spoken / oral Chinese is "relatively easy". Tones haven't been hard for me at all, either producing them or hearing them, even if I "misstone" when speaking at times (tones 2 and 3 still get me at times when listening, as does trying to say four, five, or six tone 3's in sequence... arggh). Grammar is quite easy, both because it is somewhat easy to begin with, and because I'm just good at grammar and have three languages under my belt. Characters, while hard to learn to write, are something I enjoy immensely so it doesn't seem as hard as it may seem to others. Yet, SPEAKING to me is HARD. I just find it difficult to say things in the correct Chinese way. I am always finding myself corrected. That's great, but will I ever start saying things more "Chinese"? I wanted to ask my tutor today if there are lots of thieves in China (we were talking about cars and bikes being stolen). I asked (don't laugh): 中国城市里，有没有很多小偷？ She responded (I think): 你说得不太清楚。 Later I thought maybe it would have been better to say: 在中国，小偷多不多？ But I'm sure there are still better ways to say that. I'm not "too" worried since this kinda happened with French too, and especially, German. I think I am a slow output person, compared to others, partly because I like speaking in longer, fuller sentences (which of course is quite difficult in the beginning stages of a new language), and partly because I do have this perfectionist voice on my left telling me that if the sentence is not at least 90% correct in every way, I have failed. I have tried very hard to change that viewpoint with some success, but not totally. 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 172 of 230 06 April 2015 at 9:01am \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 64 Unit 10 Lesson 2 Basic Spoken Chinese 4.4.2015 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 173 of 230 06 April 2015 at 11:35pm \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 65 Unit 10 Lesson 3 Basic Spoken Chinese 4.6.2015 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 174 of 230 08 April 2015 at 6:19am \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 66 Unit 10 Lesson 4 Basic Spoken Chinese 4.8.2015 -END BASIC SPOKEN CHINESE- 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 175 of 230 08 April 2015 at 6:42am \| IP Logged
	MAJOR MILESTONE 7 Obviously, completing the 351 page Basic Spoken Chinese textbook and workbook. I will continue to review the lessons as I have detailed before, but I have now covered the entire material. This Friday I begin Unit 11 of Intermediate Spoken Chinese. According to the orientation notes, by the time I finish this volume (as long as all the vocabulary, grammar, and cultural notes from Basic and Intermediate Spoken Chinese are fairly well under my control), I should be able to converse, or have the tools to converse, at the S-1+ and R-1+ of the ILR (trending to S-2 ILR), or Intermediate high in the ACTFL (trending to Advanced). This would correspond to an average (though not necessarily consolidated) B1 level in the CEFR. This is a wild guess but I would assume completion of book 1 of the New Practical Chinese reader accords a low/mid A1 level, NPCR 2 a high A1 to low A2, NPCR 3 a solid A2 to cusp of B1, NPCR 4 is solid B1, and NPCR 5 AND 6 takes you to around B2 level (needing two volumes to move you from solid B1 to B2 speaks of the huge gap between both, and also to the fact that I have heard the last two volumes of NPCR are not necessarily relevant to modern spoken proficiency needs). I would like to finish Intermediate Spoken Chinese by September, around the time I could be leaving for China. This gives me five months, which is a challenging YET doable goal, but if I need an extra month or two, fine. So ISC, it's finally time... Here we go. 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 176 of 230 12 April 2015 at 6:49am \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 67 Unit 11 Lesson 1 Intermediate Spoken Chinese 4.11.2015 - - - - Last 3 days have been extremely productive in terms of studying, review, and also writing my grammar / vocab notes. I went from being a bit behind to now totally caught up and actually a bit ahead. I make my own personal notes about grammar points and vocabulary and expression, rewriting in my own words and adding extras I find online or that my tutor or others provide. Rewriting is an excellent way of committing vocabulary and concepts to long term memory, especially when you have to formulate them in your own words. I am about done with book 1 of NPCR which was my goal, and may do a lesson or two tomorrow of NPCR 2 notes. Monday I start NPCR book 3 (the actual learning material part). 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 169 of 230 29 March 2015 at 9:26am \| IP Logged
	Well I just sat the HSK Levels 2 and 3, plus the oral HSK level 1. I made a ridiculously stupid mistake in level 2 (jotted "弟弟" for an oral “妹妹”）， which　I still can't forgive myself for making. Otherwise I am confident of this test result. Level 3 was far more challenging. I think I did reasonably well in the written part, but I am leery about the listening part, where I just happened to somewhat "tune out" segments because I was mentally tired. That may have hurt me but we will see. I did very poorly in the oral. Many reasons, some my fault (I misread 运动 for 勿动, so I ended up speaking at length about dogs when it should have been sports!), others the environment (other people talking around me distracted me from remembering the actual sentence to be repeated), and others quite frankly the fault of the test itself (not clear on explaining that for the speech questions you had to formulate a response for both on the time given, not in two separate times for each one). I except the results in four weeks or so. These are the first language "level" tests I have ever taken. Never taken neither the DELF, nor the ZD, nor the CELPE-Bras. I took these exams merely because they were a pre-requisite, otherwise I would have not taken them at this time. I enjoy learning languages to a competent, useful level. Only after I feel I have achieved that goal, do I wish to take tests (so that I don't "study for the test", and get an artificially high language score). I eventually plan on going for C1 tests in my target languages, when I feel ready. I will then only study for test taking itself by familiarizing myself with the procedures and layout of each of those tests, but not per say study to pass the tests. If I achieve C1, then I will party. That's a way's away though. 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 170 of 230 01 April 2015 at 5:22pm \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 62 Unit 10 Lesson 1 Basic Spoken Chinese 4.1.2015 - - - - Due to my HSK testing plus a speech in Chinese I had to prepare I had to set aside BSC for the last 10-12 days. Now I'm full on track again. I am down to the last three parts of the Basic course. Beyond this point, I will do the first Unit of Intermediate Spoken Chinese (probably early next week!), and then review Units 4-5 of the basic course before doing Unit 12. Then after 12, review Units 6-7 of the basic course, then do Unit 13, and finally review 8-9-10 of BSC (shorter units and more recent in my mind), and then do Unit 14. After that, I will alternate doing one new unit, and then one old unit... but now I will add the Written Course for reading and writing practice. In NPCR, I am finishing lesson 26 today, and then will review all the grammar points in Book 2 and repeat some drills and dialogues from lessons 21-26. That should keep me busy this week and most of next. Then I begin book 3, at lesson 27. Once I finish book three, I will also begin alternating a new lesson with an old lesson in NPCR, and introduce the NPCR workbook. I feel this review of done material PLUS recycling of old material with new exercises (through the workbook NPCR or the Written Book BSC), is of great help and a form of spaced-repetition (albeit not too scientifically measured). I am still watching Chinese cartoons but my comprehension is getting a bit better. I am now introducing some more adult material (only casual listening, not intensive at this point). Just get used to adult Chinese male and female voices. In a month or so I intend to begin reading The Little Prince in Chinese. I know that book by hard, I could probably paraphrase each chapter, having read it in English, then Spanish, and in the last few years multiple times in French, German, and Portuguese. So this book should be quite useful since I will be able to deduce in great amounts all unknown words and give me my first extensive reading experience. In summary, I'm starting Intermediate Spoken Chinese, and Book 3 of New Practical Chinese Reader in the next two weeks. That means I am slowing finishing my beginner's studies and sailing into the full-fledged waves of the intermediate-level High Seas :) EDIT: I made an accounting error starting at Unit Completion 50, so I had to edit the last ten entries to reflect the correct number. By completing the 40 sections of Basic Spoken Chinese and the 26 lessons of New Practical Chinese Reader, my completions should total 66. Edited by outcast on 02 April 2015 at 3:56am 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 171 of 230 03 April 2015 at 7:57am \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 63 Cycle Two (Lessons 7-26) Book 2 Lesson 26 New Practical Chinese Reader (END BOOK 2) 4.2.2015 - - - - So many people have said and say Chinese is very difficult overall (tones, totally different vocabulary, and CHARACTERS), but basic spoken / oral Chinese is "relatively easy". Tones haven't been hard for me at all, either producing them or hearing them, even if I "misstone" when speaking at times (tones 2 and 3 still get me at times when listening, as does trying to say four, five, or six tone 3's in sequence... arggh). Grammar is quite easy, both because it is somewhat easy to begin with, and because I'm just good at grammar and have three languages under my belt. Characters, while hard to learn to write, are something I enjoy immensely so it doesn't seem as hard as it may seem to others. Yet, SPEAKING to me is HARD. I just find it difficult to say things in the correct Chinese way. I am always finding myself corrected. That's great, but will I ever start saying things more "Chinese"? I wanted to ask my tutor today if there are lots of thieves in China (we were talking about cars and bikes being stolen). I asked (don't laugh): 中国城市里，有没有很多小偷？ She responded (I think): 你说得不太清楚。 Later I thought maybe it would have been better to say: 在中国，小偷多不多？ But I'm sure there are still better ways to say that. I'm not "too" worried since this kinda happened with French too, and especially, German. I think I am a slow output person, compared to others, partly because I like speaking in longer, fuller sentences (which of course is quite difficult in the beginning stages of a new language), and partly because I do have this perfectionist voice on my left telling me that if the sentence is not at least 90% correct in every way, I have failed. I have tried very hard to change that viewpoint with some success, but not totally. 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 172 of 230 06 April 2015 at 9:01am \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 64 Unit 10 Lesson 2 Basic Spoken Chinese 4.4.2015 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 173 of 230 06 April 2015 at 11:35pm \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 65 Unit 10 Lesson 3 Basic Spoken Chinese 4.6.2015 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 174 of 230 08 April 2015 at 6:19am \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 66 Unit 10 Lesson 4 Basic Spoken Chinese 4.8.2015 -END BASIC SPOKEN CHINESE- 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 175 of 230 08 April 2015 at 6:42am \| IP Logged
	MAJOR MILESTONE 7 Obviously, completing the 351 page Basic Spoken Chinese textbook and workbook. I will continue to review the lessons as I have detailed before, but I have now covered the entire material. This Friday I begin Unit 11 of Intermediate Spoken Chinese. According to the orientation notes, by the time I finish this volume (as long as all the vocabulary, grammar, and cultural notes from Basic and Intermediate Spoken Chinese are fairly well under my control), I should be able to converse, or have the tools to converse, at the S-1+ and R-1+ of the ILR (trending to S-2 ILR), or Intermediate high in the ACTFL (trending to Advanced). This would correspond to an average (though not necessarily consolidated) B1 level in the CEFR. This is a wild guess but I would assume completion of book 1 of the New Practical Chinese reader accords a low/mid A1 level, NPCR 2 a high A1 to low A2, NPCR 3 a solid A2 to cusp of B1, NPCR 4 is solid B1, and NPCR 5 AND 6 takes you to around B2 level (needing two volumes to move you from solid B1 to B2 speaks of the huge gap between both, and also to the fact that I have heard the last two volumes of NPCR are not necessarily relevant to modern spoken proficiency needs). I would like to finish Intermediate Spoken Chinese by September, around the time I could be leaving for China. This gives me five months, which is a challenging YET doable goal, but if I need an extra month or two, fine. So ISC, it's finally time... Here we go. 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 176 of 230 12 April 2015 at 6:49am \| IP Logged
	Unit Completion Entry 67 Unit 11 Lesson 1 Intermediate Spoken Chinese 4.11.2015 - - - - Last 3 days have been extremely productive in terms of studying, review, and also writing my grammar / vocab notes. I went from being a bit behind to now totally caught up and actually a bit ahead. I make my own personal notes about grammar points and vocabulary and expression, rewriting in my own words and adding extras I find online or that my tutor or others provide. Rewriting is an excellent way of committing vocabulary and concepts to long term memory, especially when you have to formulate them in your own words. I am about done with book 1 of NPCR which was my goal, and may do a lesson or two tomorrow of NPCR 2 notes. Monday I start NPCR book 3 (the actual learning material part). 1 person has voted this message useful