Starting Language Studies in Earnest
Today I started my Chinese class, and it got off to a good start. My teacher is from the North, and has been in Shanghai for about a year and a half.
The material we are using is very good. It is the Contemporary Chinese series, using the advanced book. I like the way the book is laid out, with the lesson text first in simplified characters, then in complex characters, and only at the end in Hanyu Pinyin. Most other books I have used have the pinyin incorporated into the text, which makes it too easy to rely on the phonetics rather than learning to read the characters.
The course looks like it will move along rather quickly. We worked a lot on reading and writing today, and took some time for extended conversation too. I have lots of homework to finish over the next several days. I think the work will certainly be challenging enough.
Posted by in 07:10:56
