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JaneLloyd’s Blog
My brain hurts . . .
So today I downloaded a language app onto my iPhone . . . accelerated learning for Chinese. Five minutes in and my brain is oozing out of my ears. Gawd this language defies description! Even the Pinyin English doesn't help to get the pronunciation right.
A few years ago, I managed to pick up Italian OK, even though somehow I learned to speak it with a German Accent. But this is really something else . . . maybe I should try leaving it running whilst I sleep, would that work I wonder?
Trouble is, my brain is so much fuller than most of the other interns (cos they're younger and haven't had chance to fill theirs with twaddle yet). It feels like I'm trying to take too much in at once. So, I'll concentrate on TEFL for now.
And, if all else fails, then I'll just resort to the classic British way of speaking to foreigners . . . I'll wave my arms erratically whilst talking louder and slower . . . in English!"
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Hi Jane, know EXACTLY how you feel......ay our tender age there is onlys much the brain can absorb until it oozes out...... I've thought about trying to learn 1 word per day rather than getting overwhelmed with this interesting language. Given that process I hopefully will know about 300 words before I go....WOW who knows I might even be able to string a few together into a sentence!!!!!!!
Hey! Your post made me laugh - we are so famous for the loud shouting to try to make people magically understand a different language XD
I have started Beginners Mandarin in a class and I am still finding it difficult, It's almost like learning 2 languages - Pinyin + Traditional Characters -
Hopefully I'll be a little better off by the time I get to Heathrow! so I can help you out XD
xxxx
If you want to learn with bilingual input, you could try; http://ics.qq.com/play.php?IVid=ZIfIur8xBLn
All the best with your studies and other work.
Hi Lee,
Sadly, it is beginners Mandarin! I've got a lot going on at the moment - doing the TEFL, working on my Coaching Diploma and supporting my own Management Students. So I think my head is just a bit too full at the moment. So, I've decided to put it down for a while and make some headway with the other stuff for a while. I've got until August anyway!
Hmmm, maybe I should spend more time in my local Chinese Takeaway and get them to talk to me. Or I could put post-it notes with the pinyin words all over the items in my house . . . or just listen to it in my sleep.
Perhaps the language isn't graded to your level, or the context is inappropriate. What approach/method does the app claim to use?
Are you learning Mandarin or Cantonese?
Good luck!
Lee.
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