Hello. As i mentioned previously i did in past pmemory (ruslan) course, but basically, as we well know, these are all mnemonics methods, like loci and connecting images.
I am currently using michel thomas method. What also would you recommend me to learn mandarin fast and quickly be fluent ? (i need it now only for speaking, communicating. Maybe in future i will learn writing and reading separately but don’t need it now).
thanks.
I downloaded the Michel Thomas version of Japanese and found it be very interesting. Slow, easy to understand and she even used mnemonics to remember on occasion. To become fluent quickly engrossing yourself with the material is extremely helpful. Even if you aren’t using the writing style of Chinese, start putting a few words where you find wasted time in your life. Example would be on the toilet door, so instead of just going to the toilet and thinking random thoughts, you are studying.
Or lets say you want to remember the days of the week, use 1 loci as the starting point, example a bus stop and create a story starting from there. 1 Loci could remember 7+ words, but of course at the start it might be difficult to quickly think of what Saturday means in Chinese. Once you have this story created, a perfect time to revise, would be on the toilet or while doing exercise, in the shower etc.
A major down fall with using Loci and mnemonics is that when you require a word you need, you have to search for even though you know where it is. Which means it won’t be exactly fluent immediately I don’t think. The benefit with this you actually know the information but just can’t recall it and you can rehearse the information anywhere. It would have to be more beneficial than going to the dictionary every time you forget a word meaning.
I live near quite a lot of Chinese shops such as groceries, and I love going in there speaking the 5 Mandarin words I know. Ni hao, xie xie, zhai chien (not sure on spelling) etc. Maybe find a few friends so you are constantly speaking Mandarin every day.
Not sure if any of this information will help as I am still a novice myself but it might even spur on some ideas. Keep us posted with updates and GL
Hi
I found some links for learning Chinese and have some articles about learning foreign languages in general. It might be useful (or not)
Learning foreign languages
Let me know how it goes.
Mike
Pimsleur Chinese would probably be more effective than the Michel program. Pimsleur method uses a system that helps the information into your mind similar to how you learned your mother tongue as a child. I finished Pimsleur Chinese I. I’ve also experience with Michel method for Arabic.
All the best
I went through a few CDs of Pimsleur Chinese before I went to Taiwan, and I liked it.
Best and effective way for learning a language is practice. Teachers of hanbridgemandarin often say practices make perfect. There is no shortcut in this process. So when you write and read more, then you can moemorize them, but firstly you should fall in with them or use methods you like to study. Wish you early success.