Learning
Chinese Is As Easy As Chow Mien
Okay, maybe it’s not quite that easy, but it’s not as hard
as people make it out to be. But why? Why is it that most
people feel that Chinese is such a difficult language to learn
while languages like German, French and Italian are virtually
scoffed at? A meal out and a few hours of instruction and any
other language can be mastered by the time you’re home in bed.
Truth is, any language takes time and Chinese is no different
from any other language.
Probably the main reason why people feel Chinese is so hard
is because of the characters. We’re not talking plain Arabic
script here. Chinese characters are quite unusual to say the
least…easily rivaling Hebrew for its complexity and uniqueness.
But like with any other symbolic language (let’s face it, even
the letters A-Z are symbols) these symbols can be learned and
it doesn’t have to take you an eternity to learn them.
Another reason people feel Chinese is so difficult is that,
unlike many other languages, there isn’t a lot of English
derived from Chinese. In languages like German, French and
Italian, you’ll find many words that are exactly the same in
both languages, such as the word menu, which is actually a
French word. So because of this, we identify more with these
European based languages because they are closer to our
own.
The truth is, Chinese is really no different from any other
language. You’re going to need to put time into it if you want
to become proficient at it, just like with anything in your
life. Fortunately, I have found a fantastic resource online
that I’ve reviewed here. I believe it is the most
comprehensive course on the Internet for learning Chinese.
Okay, learning Chinese may not be as easy as eating chow
mien, but with a little bit of work and a great course, it
doesn’t have to become a monumental challenge
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