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Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
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 Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 6:06 am Post subject: Do free Chinese classes exist? |
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Recently I became aware that in Korea, the Korean government offers free Korean classes to foreigners who are living there. They even provide free textbooks. They call this the KIIP.
Does Taiwan have anything similar for Chinese? |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Are the free classes in Korea worthwhile? |
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Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
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| Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 4:38 am Post subject: |
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| JZer wrote: |
| Are the free classes in Korea worthwhile? |
I'm not sure. Completely unaware that I could have had Level 1 and Level 2 Korean for free, I actually paid for those levels...
But to me, regardless of quality, any class would be worthwhile in terms of getting me off my butt, out of my house, and studying Chinese. Even if the classes are crap and we learn nothing in the actual classes, I still think it could be really helpful, just as a motivational tool. |
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louis.p
Joined: 07 Oct 2007
Posts: 107
Location: Tainan, Taiwan
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Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
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| Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:38 pm Post subject: |
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Nah, I was just thinking more along the lines of something fun and low pressure, maybe once or twice a week.
I did eight ten-week terms of intensive Korean study at Yonsei University KLI in Seoul, and intensive language study really burns me out. |
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markcmc
Joined: 18 Jan 2010
Posts: 262
Location: Taiwan
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| Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 3:22 am Post subject: |
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| I've had hundreds of free Chinese conversation lessons from taxi drivers. |
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dangerousapple
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 292
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| Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 4:26 am Post subject: |
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| I've found it gets harder and harder to pretend you don't speak Chinese, after you learn it. When I get into a taxi now, I pretend that I'm talking on my phone, to avoid having THE CONVERSATON again (no, I'm not an American, yes, I'm married, yes, I'm used to Chinese food...). It's rare to get a taxi driver who wants to chat about anything else. |
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markcmc
Joined: 18 Jan 2010
Posts: 262
Location: Taiwan
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| Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 4:32 am Post subject: |
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| dangerousapple wrote: |
| I've found it gets harder and harder to pretend you don't speak Chinese, after you learn it. When I get into a taxi now, I pretend that I'm talking on my phone, to avoid having THE CONVERSATON again (no, I'm not an American, yes, I'm married, yes, I'm used to Chinese food...). It's rare to get a taxi driver who wants to chat about anything else. |
I know what you mean, but that only happens if you don't lead the conversation. If you want the free conversation lesson, you need to ask questions about different topics. Not all taxi drivers like to talk, but the ones who do are happy to give their opinions on every topic under sun - although I avoid politics at all costs. |
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Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
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| Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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| dangerousapple wrote: |
| I've found it gets harder and harder to pretend you don't speak Chinese, after you learn it. When I get into a taxi now, I pretend that I'm talking on my phone, to avoid having THE CONVERSATON again (no, I'm not an American, yes, I'm married, yes, I'm used to Chinese food...). It's rare to get a taxi driver who wants to chat about anything else. |
Unfortunately, my Chinese has already reached that point...
I had a bus driver once who disliked the Democratic Progressive Party and had been to Zhejiang...
Recent five-star conversation with the middle-aged taxi driver, whose name, according to his placard, is "Ma Qi-fa:"
Taxi driver: 你有結婚了嗎? ("Have you married?")
Me: 沒有。("I haven't.")
Taxi driver: 沒有結婚，沒有jiki-jiki! ("No marriage, no jiki-jiki!")
For the longest time, given the context, I thought "jiki jiki" was 太語 for "sex," but it turns out that "jiki-jiki" means something innocuous like "responsibility."
Anyways, I'm just sitting in front of my computer all day. On the rare occasion I study Chinese, it's using only Anki and Integrated Chinese, which is such a bore. I just want to get out of the house and do something that doesn't cost too much money.
Universities charge way too much. Maybe buxiban are more reasonable, not sure. I guess as soon as I make this post, I'll take a look, seeing as how there aren't any free Chinese classes available...
Specifically, I'm looking for a class designed for people who already know basic Chinese but want to take it to intermediate-low. Because I have studied SOME Chinese in college and middle school. |
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creztor
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 476
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| Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 5:34 am Post subject: |
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| It's called get yourself a girl friend or boy friend. Yes, I am being serious. Doesn't matter if you are only here for a few more months. The downside I guess is that it really isn't "free", but you'll get other benefits. Living in the sticks I think you shouldn't have much problem finding girls who can't speak any English and would jump at the chance of meeting a foreigner who can speak Chinese. |
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Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
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| Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:27 am Post subject: |
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| creztor wrote: |
| It's called get yourself a girl friend or boy friend. Yes, I am being serious. Doesn't matter if you are only here for a few more months. The downside I guess is that it really isn't "free", but you'll get other benefits. Living in the sticks I think you shouldn't have much problem finding girls who can't speak any English and would jump at the chance of meeting a foreigner who can speak Chinese. |
I had one for about four months earlier this year, but it wasn't a particularly pleasant/helpful experience. And I didn't really learn much Chinese from her.
In order for a girlfriend to improve one's Chinese, one must have already reached an intermediate level of Chinese and be using it as the medium for the relationship... Girlfriends are great for bringing you from intermediate to advanced, but not so great for bringing you from basic to intermediate.
At this point, I don't think I could sustain a whole relationship using only Chinese, and if I could, I wouldn't need a girlfriend in the first place.
It's all right, though. I guess I'm just going to have to accept that I won't have a very high Chinese level when I leave here. It's not the end of the world. Once I have some money, I can always start paying for some classes, and as long as I stay in Asia, there will be plenty of Chinese people to practice with wherever I go... |
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louis.p
Joined: 07 Oct 2007
Posts: 107
Location: Tainan, Taiwan
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| Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
| creztor wrote: |
| It's called get yourself a girl friend or boy friend. Yes, I am being serious. Doesn't matter if you are only here for a few more months. The downside I guess is that it really isn't "free", but you'll get other benefits. Living in the sticks I think you shouldn't have much problem finding girls who can't speak any English and would jump at the chance of meeting a foreigner who can speak Chinese. |
I had one for about four months earlier this year, but it wasn't a particularly pleasant/helpful experience. And I didn't really learn much Chinese from her.
In order for a girlfriend to improve one's Chinese, one must have already reached an intermediate level of Chinese and be using it as the medium for the relationship... Girlfriends are great for bringing you from intermediate to advanced, but not so great for bringing you from basic to intermediate.
At this point, I don't think I could sustain a whole relationship using only Chinese, and if I could, I wouldn't need a girlfriend in the first place.
It's all right, though. I guess I'm just going to have to accept that I won't have a very high Chinese level when I leave here. It's not the end of the world. Once I have some money, I can always start paying for some classes, and as long as I stay in Asia, there will be plenty of Chinese people to practice with wherever I go... |
The girlfriend as a language teacher thing is limited, because once you get to a certain point, you know everything they say. But, they can help early intermediate/intermediate learners, as at this level, fluency and conversational vocabulary are still big issues.
To get from intermediate to advanced Chinese, you're going to need to push yourself. Here are some ways:
(1) read books/articles (not comics);
(2) write;
(3) speak in non-conversational contexts (graduate school seminars are good for this);
(4) study things above your level (older literature, Chinese translation of Buddhist texts (I'm getting into these now), 明傳奇，or other really hard works);
(5) use Chinese a lot in a professional environment.
(The underlying trend here is total immersion.)
Here's a language item that will surprise your friends --
驢年 'the year of the donkey' Example -- 不像要等到驢年！It's not like you'll have to wait to the year of the donkey!
--Louis.p
Last edited by louis.p on Tue Dec 07, 2010 2:55 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Yes, I am currently reading the 7th grade Taiwanese history textbook. I hope to do some reading in the sciences when I finish that book. |
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louis.p
Joined: 07 Oct 2007
Posts: 107
Location: Tainan, Taiwan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 2:58 pm Post subject: |
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| JZer wrote: |
| Yes, I am currently reading the 7th grade Taiwanese history textbook. I hope to do some reading in the sciences when I finish that book. |
What's 7th grade Taiwanese history like? Do they get into some interesting stories or just a bunch of items to memorize? |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 4:44 pm Post subject: |
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I am just at the beginning but I am learning about how things were when the Dutch set foot near modern day Tainan. There are stories about famous people and events in the book.
I would like to read a junior high science book next. |
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