Ellen Bialystok and Fergus I.M. Craik, researchers at York University in Toronto, recently discovered that being bilingual helps protect the brain from Alzheimer disease. In fact, bilingualism could slow the progression of this type of dementia by up to six years.
One of the keys to using your two languages to slow the progression of mental decline is to use them regularly, which means more than just an occasional foray into Mandarin Chinese. To truly keep up with the language and benefit your brain, you should converse in it at least a few times a week with a native speaker and make a point to watch movies and TV shows or listen to radio or Internet broadcasts in Mandarin Chinese. The more you can use the language and keep maintaining your fluency, the better.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
How to Use Podcasts for Chinese Language Study
Podcasts are great. You can listen to them whenever you want, over and over again until you get what you need out of them. But many newcomers to Mandarin language learning wonder how to get the most out of podcasts like ChinesePod and Popup Chinese.
Here are a few tips and ideas:
- Use Chinese podcasts to practice listening. This is especially important if you don't have regular access to Chinese speakers and aren't hearing the language spoken on a regular basis. Try listening to a few podcasts while you are doing everyday activities or household chores to get used to how the language sounds.
- Try to figure it out yourself. Use the pause button frequently, stopping the podcast to try and guess what the hosts just said. You can listen to a whole dialogue and then try to parse it out or stop after each sentence to take things more slowly.
- Write down words and phrases for future use. Pick out one or two words or phrases to use throughout the day and try to find places to use them. Make up simple sentences using your new word or phrase to fix the information in your brain.
- Do the exercises. If you are a subscriber, take advantage of all of the materials the podcast provides. Don't skip over the exercises, but use them to deepen your understanding of the lesson.
- Listen to Chinese podcasts out of order. If you have some situation coming up where you might need to know Chinese, skip ahead to a podcast having to do with that situation. Heading to a Chinese restaurant? Pull up all of the lessons on food, ordering and paying the bill. Have a test at school on a chapter dealing with professions? Look up related podcasts and impress your teacher with a few extra words and a perfect score on the oral portion of your test.
- Don't be afraid to repeat lessons. You don't need to listen to a podcast only once. Listening a second or third time can help you recognize things in the dialogue that you might have had trouble with the first time around.
Here are a few tips and ideas:
- Use Chinese podcasts to practice listening. This is especially important if you don't have regular access to Chinese speakers and aren't hearing the language spoken on a regular basis. Try listening to a few podcasts while you are doing everyday activities or household chores to get used to how the language sounds.
- Try to figure it out yourself. Use the pause button frequently, stopping the podcast to try and guess what the hosts just said. You can listen to a whole dialogue and then try to parse it out or stop after each sentence to take things more slowly.
- Write down words and phrases for future use. Pick out one or two words or phrases to use throughout the day and try to find places to use them. Make up simple sentences using your new word or phrase to fix the information in your brain.
- Do the exercises. If you are a subscriber, take advantage of all of the materials the podcast provides. Don't skip over the exercises, but use them to deepen your understanding of the lesson.
- Listen to Chinese podcasts out of order. If you have some situation coming up where you might need to know Chinese, skip ahead to a podcast having to do with that situation. Heading to a Chinese restaurant? Pull up all of the lessons on food, ordering and paying the bill. Have a test at school on a chapter dealing with professions? Look up related podcasts and impress your teacher with a few extra words and a perfect score on the oral portion of your test.
- Don't be afraid to repeat lessons. You don't need to listen to a podcast only once. Listening a second or third time can help you recognize things in the dialogue that you might have had trouble with the first time around.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Popup Chinese
Popup Chinese is a newcomer on the Mandarin Chinese podcast scene, but with its snappy dialogue and entertaining scenarios, it is quickly becoming a favorite of Chinese language learners.
You can choose from any of four different levels of Chinese lessons, from Beginner to Advanced. Hosts Echo, Brendan and David make learning fun and introduce slang and everyday language as well as the common phrases you'll need to get by in Mandarin. There are over 800 podcasts and more being added every week.
Access to the entire site costs $49.99 for a year, but you can get one week of free access to try it out first. Full access includes transcripts, exercises, downloadable files, HSK test prep materials and a host of Chinese language learning tools.
Listening to the basic podcasts online is always free, but the extra material is well worth the cost.
The site also hosts the informative and entertaining Sinica podcast, which discusses hot topics about China and the world in English.
The Popup Chinese crew also has a Cantonese language version for anyone interested in learning a different dialect of Chinese.
You can choose from any of four different levels of Chinese lessons, from Beginner to Advanced. Hosts Echo, Brendan and David make learning fun and introduce slang and everyday language as well as the common phrases you'll need to get by in Mandarin. There are over 800 podcasts and more being added every week.
Access to the entire site costs $49.99 for a year, but you can get one week of free access to try it out first. Full access includes transcripts, exercises, downloadable files, HSK test prep materials and a host of Chinese language learning tools.
Listening to the basic podcasts online is always free, but the extra material is well worth the cost.
The site also hosts the informative and entertaining Sinica podcast, which discusses hot topics about China and the world in English.
The Popup Chinese crew also has a Cantonese language version for anyone interested in learning a different dialect of Chinese.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
ChinesePod
ChinesePod is one of the most well-known names in online Chinese language learning and for good reason. Whether you love or hate hosts Ken, Jenny and John, pretty much all of the expats you come across in China have an opinion about them one way or the other.
Lessons on ChinesePod cover common circumstances, such as talking on the phone and buying groceries, and you can find Chinese language dialogues that pertain to pretty much any situation you might get into while in China.
You can listen to any of the over 1,500 episodes from your computer or pay for monthly plans starting at $14, which gives you access to the downloadable episodes, transcripts, exercises and study tools. Discounts are available for buying 3,6,12 or 24 month subscriptions. A week long free trial is available to check out this Mandarin language learning program before you buy.
There are five levels of language learning, so you are sure to find one appropriate for your personal level of Chinese.
The company offers podcast lessons for other languages as well, including French, Spanish and Italian.
Lessons on ChinesePod cover common circumstances, such as talking on the phone and buying groceries, and you can find Chinese language dialogues that pertain to pretty much any situation you might get into while in China.
You can listen to any of the over 1,500 episodes from your computer or pay for monthly plans starting at $14, which gives you access to the downloadable episodes, transcripts, exercises and study tools. Discounts are available for buying 3,6,12 or 24 month subscriptions. A week long free trial is available to check out this Mandarin language learning program before you buy.
There are five levels of language learning, so you are sure to find one appropriate for your personal level of Chinese.
The company offers podcast lessons for other languages as well, including French, Spanish and Italian.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
How to Find a Chinese Conversation Partner
Now that you understand the importance of having a Chinese conversation partner, you may be wondering how to find one.
Many colleges and universities offer programs to hook up Chinese speakers who are students at their school with local students who want to practice Chinese and are willing to help their students improve their English skills. Contact the foreign language department of nearby schools to find out if they have such a program.
Even if your local school doesn’t offer a conversation partner program, you may be able to make a connection on your own by placing an ad in the school paper or on bulletin boards on campus.
People who don’t live close to a school may have more trouble finding a conversation partner, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible. Try placing ads in your local classified paper or go talk to people working at a local Chinese restaurant who may be or know recent immigrants eager to practice their English in exchange for a little bit of Chinese conversation.
For the more technologically inclined, you may be able to find a conversation partner online who can converse with you via free chat or calling services such as Skype.
Many colleges and universities offer programs to hook up Chinese speakers who are students at their school with local students who want to practice Chinese and are willing to help their students improve their English skills. Contact the foreign language department of nearby schools to find out if they have such a program.
Even if your local school doesn’t offer a conversation partner program, you may be able to make a connection on your own by placing an ad in the school paper or on bulletin boards on campus.
People who don’t live close to a school may have more trouble finding a conversation partner, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible. Try placing ads in your local classified paper or go talk to people working at a local Chinese restaurant who may be or know recent immigrants eager to practice their English in exchange for a little bit of Chinese conversation.
For the more technologically inclined, you may be able to find a conversation partner online who can converse with you via free chat or calling services such as Skype.
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