Type of Chinese to Learn?

Discussion in 'Chinese Chat' started by Jay89, Oct 21, 2008.

  1. peren

    peren Member

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    English, because everyone in china speaks it anyways. xD jk. Mandarin.
     
  2. jameschristopher

    jameschristopher New Member

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    Learn Chinese

    You want to learn chinese ten i'll give you advice that to Study everything! Don't look for one or two resources and expect to learn everything from them. When someone asks which book, CD, or computer program is best to learn from, I say, "All of them!" I learned something from every Chinese language-related book I've ever read. Read a lot and you'll learn a lot. I like the book "Rocket Chinese" by Lin Ping, which gives a nice overview of the language with lots of examples from real Mandarin.

    Resources-
    Learn Chinese About.com
    Video Lessons Youtube.com
    Chinese Grammar

    Cheers James :D
     
  3. roarixer

    roarixer Well-Known Member

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    well mandarin - official language

    canto seems more informal.. I dunno.. lol
     
  4. xsugarx

    xsugarx Well-Known Member

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    Hmm... I think it seems easier for people that know cantonese to move on mandarin. When it's the other way around it seems more difficult for people to do the pronunciation part.
     
  5. smartangel

    smartangel Well-Known Member

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    support cantonese, madarin is not that bad but I am not used to it..............
     
  6. anitram

    anitram Active Member

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    Go with learning mandarin, last time I checked, schools in HK are starting to teach students to learn mandarin. If your out there to meet new people and learn about chinese culture then go with the official language.
     
  7. bbgirlsum

    bbgirlsum Well-Known Member

    i speak cantonese and write traditional chinese
    i can understand mandarin and some stimplified chinese writing
    i personally like traditional chinese writings because it looks more elegant
    i don't really like mandarin coz they sound like they are shouting at each other and sound so rude...
    however mandarin is easiest to learn tho :(
     
  8. kevami

    kevami Member

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    speak Cantonese well i want to learn how to write it
     
  9. lu0n9

    lu0n9 Member

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    i speak canto but i rec mando as more widely used in china
    gl anyway cz its gonna be hard
    i dont even know how to write any chinese just speak canto, raise in UK (BBC FTW)
     
  10. distrikt

    distrikt Active Member

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    i can speak cantonese....but i cant read chinese

    wish i could speak mandarin :(

    so i can understand more movies lol
     
  11. eternity_1314

    eternity_1314 Active Member

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    I would say mandarin since it is more useful and the market in China is expanding so I think it would wise to learn mandarin. If you want to learn chinese to get girls or watch hk dramas but tw idol series are not bad.
     
  12. tuatiao

    tuatiao Active Member

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    I speak cantonese and mandarin too...Both are useful.
     
  13. mingbill

    mingbill Well-Known Member

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    i know canto and mando, but mando is def a lot easier to learn if you dont know any chinese at all before
     
  14. serebii

    serebii Well-Known Member

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    learn both:D i would if i were you learn canto, cause that's da best!!!:p
     
  15. pensuked

    pensuked Well-Known Member

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    Hell yeah :D

    I think you should definitely learn mandarin first because it's easier to pronounce with less tones, easier to pronounce if english is your first language , used by wayyyyyyyyyyy more people (a lot of people in Hong Kong knows mandarin ) and simplified chinese writing is easier. You can grasp cantonese easier after learning mandarin anyway.(though you might never ever get the pronounciation right :D)
     
  16. christl

    christl Member

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    canto is great for pouring-your-heart-out cussing. mandarin is more uptight and people who don't speak chinese probably won't realize you're cussing. guess they both have pros and cons
     
  17. TNTxXx

    TNTxXx Active Member

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    i think if your a beginner with no previous knowledge of the language then go for mando. It is much easier to learn because it has less tones and the characters are in simplified.
     
  18. KaiFung

    KaiFung Well-Known Member

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    cantonese ftw!
     
  19. cuzi21

    cuzi21 Active Member

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    Mandarin is the common language in china, so it is good to learn that no matter what.
     
  20. smartangel

    smartangel Well-Known Member

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    Personally I love cantonese and I think it is easy to speak (may be it is my own opinion); but if you ask my suggestion, I think I would say Mandarin because it is popular right now