Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer Learning Asian language

I'm currently learning Mandarin Chinese. Does anyone including Ms. B have a strategy for creating aux threads or something so that the words and grammer 'stick' to my web?

For some words, there has not been a problem. For example, the Chinese word for "but" (the conjunction) sounds like "ka-shur". A little imagination made this one very easy. But many others are not so easy. When I'm listening to the language tapes, I try to pretend I'm a young Chinese child being taught by his mother. It helps, but I feel I need other tools and tricks.

Any thoughts and ideas will be greatly appreciated.

--BReeves

P.S. If anyone wants to learn a foreign language as painlessly as possible (still requires hard work, persistance, and a high tolerance for confusion), I highly recommend Pimsleur. I'm a visual/ kinisthetic learner, but the auditory format makes learning challenging and fun.

1. Important: Get totally familiar with the sound by massive passive listening! (Passive listening = listening very softly as much as possible, best for hours on end, creating a
"in-the-country-surround-sound" for the subconscious.) The more familiar we are with the sounds the easier it gets.

2. After listening ACTIVELY (until we understand the lesson, or the part of the lesson we want to study today, go to passive listening (see below).

3. Do not learn isolated words (and find "pseudo-translations" for the strange sounds) but work with whole sentences in whole lessons only and visualize what it is all about. When you hear the Chinese sentence (are you hungry? or, he is very hungry, or similar) always a complete sentence, then picture a person extremely hungry. This will be your auxiliary thread. No "explanations" of Sounds because this introduces an extra point into the connections and SLOWS YOU DOWN LATER!

Think: smell travels via one ONE SINGLE neuron from nose into the brain. Things we see may travel via 3 - 5 neuronal connections. Things we think may need 12 - 17 connections. The longer (more complex the idea the longer) the neural path, the more time you shall need later. Thus: even if these little "explanations" may help in the beginning, they will hamper you later on, when you NEED words to express ideas, because you then have a layer of English additional explanations between your thinking and the foreign language.

4. In the beginning: do not speak until thoroughly familiar by active and passive listening. If the sounds seem very strange still, then first imitate the SOUND only (imagine the child wants to make fun of his elders!!!) and after you can manage this highly exaggerated fun-speech it will be easy to imitate the real thing. While listening actively (sometimes later, in the car etc.) and while speaking, always visualize your images of what you hear/say, never repeat mindlessly. You are no robot!

Hope this helps.

vera

I greatly appreciate your help on this. However, I'm a little confused about passive listening though. From the definition, let me tell you what I think passive listening means and then if you could please tell me how hot or cold I am.

An example of passive listening would be to rent chinese movies, turn off the subtitles (or close my eyes) and listen to the sounds of the dialog without trying to interpet the meaning. I would, do this often- much like being in the country without being in the country. (If this is what you meant, then I'm glad I have an account with NetFlix.)

Using the smelling sense seems to be a key aspect of learning. However, what if I wanted to learn the phrase: "Please email me." What would be the most effective way of learning that phrase using the least number of neurons?

I will incorporate the techniques you passed on. I just recieved GC in the mail, and will play with "borrowed genius" and see if this helps...come to think of it, New Behavior Generator might also help.

Due to my vocation, I need to learn chinese rather quickly.

Once again Pete, I greatly appreciate your help.

Thanks,

BReeves