Are you learning Chinese? Is it a difficult language?
By Runprun
@Runprun (48)
China
2 responses
@bunnyhoover (406)
• United States
16 Mar 09
Runprun, Mandarin is one of the hardest languages I have ever attempted to tackle. The reality of it is that after learning english it's very very hard to try to learn any tonal languages. Mandarin is even harder than some because of it's intricate nature. For instance the spoken word "ma" can mean everything from scold to horse and even hemp or just mother. Mama ma ma pronounced " ma ma MAH! mahahhhhh" means mother scolds the horse, for instance. And the chinese are not really any more popular right now and there is always at least 100 million people learning mandarin. The reality of it is that Mandarin is the most widely spoken language on the planet. It is one of the most heavily used languages in international business and with the Chinese slowly gathering power as a world government and the lynch pin in the world economy, everyone will be better off learning it sooner than later. I'd imagine that it will be the universal language on earth in the next 100 years. I hope this adds insight to your day.
@Runprun (48)
• China
17 Mar 09
Chinese is so different from English, which might be the reason why most English speakers find it difficult to learn. As you have mentioned, the sound of "ma" can mean a variety of things. But in fact Chinese use four different tones to distinguish them. For example, "ma" when said in a flat tone means "mother", while "ma" in a falling tone means "scold". The truth is most English speakers are not able to distinguish these different tones, so they get confused. It's the same case when a Chinese student want to learn spoken English. They find intonation especially hard to learn. I'm happy to see more people learning Chinese. But I don't think it can become a universal lanuage: it's too difficult~
@bunnyhoover (406)
• United States
20 Mar 09
Well I am pretty sure I touched base on the tonal part of things. I even wrote the same thing you did about the word ma. China currently holds the largest population on the planet and it grows rapidly. I truly believe that in the next few decades that the Chinese government will push for more control over the other dominant nations and win. This will begin blending us as a universal species and we will grow to have a one world economy and a one world populous. This will undoubtedly lead to mandarin as the key language of earth. People won't really have a choice but to learn. Times may be tough under Chinese rule too, but that will be a period of adjustment. Eventually all will blend together and future generations will think nothing of the difference in the way of life. They won't know it.
my point was that currently in the biotech industry and the business world, mandarin is already the center of it all. This all just seems the next logical step in human progression. One race, no religion, no more wars, just pushing to improve. It totally worked for Star Trek.
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
16 Mar 09
Hi, Runprun! I am not learning Chinese right now. I may not ever do so either. I think that it is a difficult language to learn. I also find it very interesting to learn as well. It is great the many people are trying to learn this language for themselves. I wish them all of the luck!
