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Chinese - Mandarin - Cantonese - Language Learning - Learn to Speak
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The House of Oojah Learn to Speak Chinese Cantonese and Mandarin Audio Books
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Car Learn Language DVD books
Learn in Your Car - Mandarin Chinese
The Complete Language Course
Get Other Chinese - Mandarin and Catonese language learning Audio click here |
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Learn in Your Car Mandarin Chinese - 9 Audio CDs
Brand New : 9 Audio CDs - plus three listening guides plus zippered carry case plus bonus DVD
This exciting new edition includes a 60-minute Travelogue DVD of the relevant destination countries for each language. This added feature will enrich the learning experience and add that extra stimulus to motivate users with their studies. New material in this second edition includes a variety of internet and digital media/technology terms. It features: nine 60-minute CDs; full text listening guide; and zippered CD carrying case. It includes: Level 1 - introduction to key words, numbers, phrases, sentence structure, and basic grammar; Level 2 - more challenging vocabulary, more grammar, more complex sentences generate confidence in your ability to comprehend and converse; and Level 3 - expanded vocabulary, advanced grammar and complex sentences to expand your conversational skills.
Three Levels Designed to Make You Fluent!
Level 1 Beginning Level
# Introduces key words and phrase
# Develops basic grammar skills
# Emphasizes travel needs
Level 2 Intermediate Level
# Increases vocabulary
# Presents new grammar concepts
# Includes more routine, day-to-day experiences
Level 3 Advanced Level
# Broadens Vocabulary base
# Adds even more grammar skills
# Enriches conversational abilities
About the Mandarin Chinese Language
Mandarin , a category of related Chinese dialects spoken across most of northern and south-western China. When taken as a separate language, as is often done in academic literature, the Mandarin dialects have more speakers than any other language.
In English, Mandarin can refer to either of two distinct concepts:
* to Standard Chinese or Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu/Huayu/Hanyu), which is based on the particular Mandarin dialect spoken in Beijing. Standard Mandarin functions as the official spoken language of the People's Republic of China, the official language of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and one of the four official languages of Singapore. ‘Chinese’ — in practice Standard Mandarin — is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
* to all of the Mandarin dialects spoken in northern and south-western China. This group of dialects is the focus of this article.
In everyday use, Mandarin refers usually to just Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu). In its broader sense, Mandarin is a diverse group of related dialects, some less mutually intelligible than others. It is a grouping defined and used mainly by linguists, and is not commonly used outside of academic circles as a self-description. Instead, when asked to describe the spoken form they are using, Chinese speaking a form of non-Standard Mandarin will describe the variant that they are speaking, for example Sichuan dialect or Northeast China dialect, and consider it distinct from ‘Standard Mandarin’ (putonghua); they may not recognize that it is in fact classified by linguists as a form of ‘Mandarin’ in a broader sense. Nor is there a common ‘Mandarin’ identity based on language; rather, there are strong regional identities centred on individual dialects, because of the wide geographical distribution and cultural diversity of its speakers. Moreover, it is of note that despite its wide use in the Occident, most native Mandarin speakers are reluctant to recognize the term 'Mandarin', since the word does not reflect any Chinese origin. Instead, they would rather call the language simply 'standard Chinese'.
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Learn in Your Car Mandarin Chinese - 9 Audio CDs |
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Mandarin CD's Chinese Immersion audio Instant
Instant
Immersion Mandarin Chinese
The Quickest Way to Learn a Language!
8 Audio CDs - play in your
car - portable CD player - or at home - (they are not computer software)
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Instant
Immersion Mandarin Chinese - Audio CDs
Brand New : . 8
CDs
Business trip to Bejing? Cruising to Changsu From Mianyang to Macau, now you can join the conversation with Instant
Immersion Chinese Mandarin, the dynamic audio language learning system on 8
compact discs. Providing effective, progressive instruction in all the basics
of structure, syntax and grammar, Instant Immersion Chinese Mandarin emphasizes the building blocks of proper speech and conversational
skill-building, all set to a lively lesson play on practrical Chinese
vocabulary. Not a phrase book, not a translation guide, Instant Immersion
Chinese Mandarin is the speedy, sophisticated route to proper Chinese, for
all non-native speakers on the go.
CD 1: Pronunciation; Four tones, finals and
initials
CD 2: Common expressions; Greetings;
Introductions
CD 3: Numbers; Time, date
CD 4: Weather; Families; Hobbies; Jobs
CD 5: Making friends; Schooling; Banking
CD 6: Making phone calls; Scheduling
appointments
CD 7: Shopping and bargaining; Dining and Chinese
food
CD 8: Directions; Traffic; Traveling
About Mandarin Chinese
traditional Chinese is a category of related Chinese dialects spoken across most of northern and south-western China. When taken as a separate language, as is often done in academic literature, the Mandarin dialects have more speakers than any other language.
In English, Mandarin can refer to either of two distinct concepts:
* to Standard Chinese or Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu/Huayu/Hanyu), which is based on the particular Mandarin dialect spoken in Beijing. Standard Mandarin functions as the official spoken language of the People's Republic of China, the official language of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and one of the four official languages of Singapore. ‘Chinese’ — in practice Standard Mandarin — is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
* to all of the Mandarin dialects spoken in northern and south-western China. This group of dialects is the focus of this article.
In everyday use, Mandarin refers usually to just Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu). In its broader sense, Mandarin is a diverse group of related dialects, some less mutually intelligible than others. It is a grouping defined and used mainly by linguists, and is not commonly used outside of academic circles as a self-description. Instead, when asked to describe the spoken form they are using, Chinese speaking a form of non-Standard Mandarin will describe the variant that they are speaking, for example Sichuan dialect or Northeast China dialect, and consider it distinct from ‘Standard Mandarin’ (putonghua); they may not recognize that it is in fact classified by linguists as a form of ‘Mandarin’ in a broader sense. Nor is there a common ‘Mandarin’ identity based on language; rather, there are strong regional identities centred on individual dialects, because of the wide geographical distribution and cultural diversity of its speakers. Moreover, it is of note that despite its wide use in the Occident, most native Mandarin speakers are reluctant to recognize the term 'Mandarin', since the word does not reflect any Chinese origin. Instead, they would rather call the language simply 'standard Chinese'.
From an official point of view, there are two versions of Standard Mandarin, since the Beijing government refers to that on the Mainland as Putonghua, whereas the Taiwanese government refers to their official language as Kuo-yü (Guoyu in pinyin).
Technically, both Putonghua and Guoyu base their phonology on the Beijing accent, though Putonghua also takes some elements from other sources. Comparison of dictionaries produced in the two areas will show that there are few substantial differences. However, both versions of ‘school’ Standard Mandarin are often quite different from the Mandarin dialects that are spoken in accordance with regional habits, and neither is wholly identical to the Beijing dialect. Putonghua and Guoyu also differ from the Beijing dialect in vocabulary, grammar, and usage.
It is important to note that the terms ‘Putonghua (The Common Language)’ and ‘Guoyu’ refer to speech, and hence the difference in the use of simplified characters and traditional characters is not usually considered to be a difference between these two concepts.
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Instant
Immersion Mandarin Chinese - Audio CDs |
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Mandarin Book Chinese CD Talk speak Phrase Mandarin Learn Audio Travel
Travel Talk Mandarin Chinese
includes 2 Audio CDs and Lonely Planet Phrase Book
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Travel Talk Mandarin Chinese - Lonely Phrase Book and includes 2 Audio CDs
Brand New : Phrase Book and 2 Audio CDs
Get the words you need to communicate and get around, plus a musical introduction to your destination!
- The classic audio of 300 essential travel words and phrases
- NEW! An enhanced audio CD with U-Print PDF quick-reference audio guide
- NEW! And audio CD offering a variety of selections reflecting national culture
- The latest edition of the comprehensive Lonely Planet Phrasebook with two-way dictionary and cultural insights
The unique audio includes both what you hear and what you say to interact with locals at hotels, restaurants, shops-anywhere your travels take you! The enhanced CD with PDF audio guide means that you can reprint it at any time you need-perfect for groups! Meanwhile, what better way to immerse yourself in the culture than listening to its rhythms!
Contains:
- Enhanced Audio CD with U-print listening guide
- Music Audio CD
- Lonely Planet Phrasebook with 2-way dictionary
About the Chinese Language
Traditional Chinese is a category of related Chinese dialects spoken across most of northern and south-western China. When taken as a separate language, as is often done in academic literature, the Mandarin dialects have more speakers than any other language.
In English, Mandarin can refer to either of two distinct concepts:
* to Standard Chinese or Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu/Huayu/Hanyu), which is based on the particular Mandarin dialect spoken in Beijing. Standard Mandarin functions as the official spoken language of the People's Republic of China, the official language of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and one of the four official languages of Singapore. ‘Chinese’ — in practice Standard Mandarin — is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
* to all of the Mandarin dialects spoken in northern and south-western China.
In everyday use, Mandarin refers usually to just Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu). In its broader sense, Mandarin is a diverse group of related dialects, some less mutually intelligible than others. It is a grouping defined and used mainly by linguists, and is not commonly used outside of academic circles as a self-description. Instead, when asked to describe the spoken form they are using, Chinese speaking a form of non-Standard Mandarin will describe the variant that they are speaking, for example Sichuan dialect or Northeast China dialect, and consider it distinct from ‘Standard Mandarin’ (putonghua); they may not recognize that it is in fact classified by linguists as a form of ‘Mandarin’ in a broader sense. Nor is there a common ‘Mandarin’ identity based on language; rather, there are strong regional identities centred on individual dialects, because of the wide geographical distribution and cultural diversity of its speakers. Moreover, it is of note that despite its wide use in the Occident, most native Mandarin speakers are reluctant to recognize the term 'Mandarin', since the word does not reflect any Chinese origin. Instead, they would rather call the language simply 'standard Chinese'.
From an official point of view, there are two versions of Standard Chinese Mandarin, since the Beijing government refers to that on the Mainland China as Putonghua, whereas the Taiwanese government refers to their official language as Kuo-yü (Guoyu in pinyin).
Technically, both Putonghua and Guoyu base their phonology on the Beijing Chinese accent, though Putonghua also takes some elements from other sources. Comparison of dictionaries produced in the two areas will show that there are few substantial differences. However, both versions of ‘school’ Standard Chinese Mandarin are often quite different from the Mandarin dialects that are spoken in accordance with regional habits, and neither is wholly identical to the Beijing dialect. Putonghua and Guoyu also differ from the Beijing dialect in vocabulary, grammar, and usage.
It is important to note that the terms ‘Putonghua (The Common Language)’ and ‘Guoyu’ refer to speech, and hence the difference in the use of simplified characters and traditional characters is not usually considered to be a difference between these two concepts. |
Travel Talk Mandarin Chinese - Lonely Phrase Book and includes 2 Audio CDs |
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CDs
Teach Yourself Cantonese Chinese
Book and 2 Audio CDs
Get Other Chinese - Mandarin and Cantonese language learning Audio click here |
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Teach Yourself Cantonese Chinese - Book and 2 Audio CDs
Brand New : . 5 CDs
Teach Yourself Cantonese will introduce you to a wide range of topics and language structures and progresses quickly beyond the basics to a level where you can speak and understand with confidence.
The key structures are introduced in 26 thematic units progressing from introducing yourself and everyday situations to work and finance. Most of the units follow the same pattern: two dialogues, each with a list of new words used and explanations of new grammar points, followed by some exercises. There are four revision units giving more material based on what has been learned but not introducing anything new. All Cantonese text is given in roman characters so that you can start speaking straightaway.
Includes 2 CDs as well.
About the Authors
Hugh Baker, co-author, is Professor Emeritus of Chinese at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London where he taught Cantonese and Mandarin for 35 years. Professor Baker has published extensively on Chinese culture, the Chinese family system, Chinese language, and Hong Kong history and society. He was Chief Editorial Consultant to the Channel 4 TV documentary series 'The Heart of the Dragon', and has frequently broadcast on radio and television in Britain and in Hong Kong.
Ho Pui-Kei, co-author, was born in Hong Kong and studied at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Mr Ho has more than 30 years' experience of teaching Cantonese to foreign adults from all walks of life, and he brings to his teaching an approach which emphasises humour and down-to-earth everyday language, the ideal register for the extrovert people of Hong Kong and South China.
About Cantonese Chinese
Standard Cantonese is a variant of Cantonese (Yue) Chinese . It is spoken natively in and around the cities of Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau in Southern China. Standard Cantonese is the de facto official Chinese spoken language of Hong Kong and Macau, and a lingua franca of Guangdong province and some neighbouring areas. It is also spoken by many overseas Chinese of Guangdong, Hong Kong or Macau origin in Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, United States, Australia, Europe and elsewhere. Historically, Cantonese was the most common form of Chinese spoken by overseas Chinese communities in the Western world, although that situation has changed with the increasing importance of Mandarin in the Chinese-speaking world as well as immigration to the West from other countries as well as other parts of China.
Cantonese is usually referred to as a spoken dialect, and not as a written dialect. Spoken vernacular Cantonese differs from modern written Chinese, which is essentially formal Standard Mandarin in written form. Written Chinese spoken word for word sounds overly formal and distant in Cantonese. As a result, the necessity of having a written script which matched the spoken form increased over time. This resulted in the creation of additional Chinese characters to complement the existing characters. Many of these represent phonological sounds not present in Mandarin. A good source for well documented Cantonese words can be found in drama and opera (大戲 daai hei) scripts. Written Cantonese is largely incomprehensible to non-Cantonese speakers because written Cantonese is based on spoken Cantonese which is different from Standard Mandarin in grammar and vocabulary.
"Readings in Cantonese colloquial: being selections from books in the Cantonese vernacular with free and literal translations of the Chinese character and romanized spelling" (1894) by James Dyer Ball has a bibliography of works available in Cantonese characters in the last decade of the nineteenth century. A few libraries have collections of so-called "wooden fish books" written in Cantonese character. Facsimiles and plot precis of a few of these have been published in Wolfram Eberhard's "Cantonese Ballads." See also "Cantonese love-songs, translated with introduction and notes by Cecil Clementi" (1904) or a newer translation of these Yue Ou in "Cantonese love songs : an English translation of Jiu Ji-yung's Cantonese songs of the early 19th century" (1992). Cantonese character versions of the Bible, Pilgrims Progress, and Peep of Day as well as simple catechisms were published by mission presses. The special Cantonese characters used in all these was not standardized and shows wide variation.
With the advent of the computer and standardization of character sets specifically for Cantonese, many printed materials in predominantly Cantonese speaking areas of the world are written to cater to their population with these written Cantonese characters. As a result, mainstream media such as newspapers and magazines have become progressively less conservative and more colloquial in their dissemination of ideas. Generally speaking, some of the older generation of Cantonese speakers regard this trend as a step "backwards" and away from tradition. This tension between the "old" and "new" is a reflection of a transition that is being undergone by the Cantonese speaking population. |
Teach Yourself Cantonese Chinese - Book and 2 Audio CDs |
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NEW
Learn in Your Mandarin Chinese
3 CDs
and BOOK
Get Other Chinese - Mandarin and Cantonese language learning Audio click here |
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Learn in Your Car Mandarin Chinese - 3 Audio CDs
Brand New : . 3
CDs
Learn In Your Car Mandarin Chinese is now available in the
only language learning system which is designed to teach a
foreign language in your car as you drive, without the aid of a
textbook. Listeners learn Mandarin Chinese pronunciation,
vocabulary, & grammar. Convenient to use while driving,
working out....or anywhere!
Full Text listening Guide - Features Chinese in both
simplified Chinese Characters and translated into Pinyin.
About Mandarin Chinese
traditional Chinese is a category of related Chinese dialects spoken across most of northern and south-western China. When taken as a separate language, as is often done in academic literature, the Mandarin dialects have more speakers than any other language.
In English, Mandarin can refer to either of two distinct concepts:
* to Standard Chinese or Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu/Huayu/Hanyu), which is based on the particular Mandarin dialect spoken in Beijing. Standard Mandarin functions as the official spoken language of the People's Republic of China, the official language of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and one of the four official languages of Singapore. ‘Chinese’ — in practice Standard Mandarin — is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
* to all of the Mandarin dialects spoken in northern and south-western China. This group of dialects is the focus of this article.
In everyday use, Mandarin refers usually to just Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu). In its broader sense, Mandarin is a diverse group of related dialects, some less mutually intelligible than others. It is a grouping defined and used mainly by linguists, and is not commonly used outside of academic circles as a self-description. Instead, when asked to describe the spoken form they are using, Chinese speaking a form of non-Standard Mandarin will describe the variant that they are speaking, for example Sichuan dialect or Northeast China dialect, and consider it distinct from ‘Standard Mandarin’ (putonghua); they may not recognize that it is in fact classified by linguists as a form of ‘Mandarin’ in a broader sense. Nor is there a common ‘Mandarin’ identity based on language; rather, there are strong regional identities centred on individual dialects, because of the wide geographical distribution and cultural diversity of its speakers. Moreover, it is of note that despite its wide use in the Occident, most native Mandarin speakers are reluctant to recognize the term 'Mandarin', since the word does not reflect any Chinese origin. Instead, they would rather call the language simply 'standard Chinese'.
From an official point of view, there are two versions of Standard Mandarin, since the Beijing government refers to that on the Mainland as Putonghua, whereas the Taiwanese government refers to their official language as Kuo-yü (Guoyu in pinyin).
Technically, both Putonghua and Guoyu base their phonology on the Beijing accent, though Putonghua also takes some elements from other sources. Comparison of dictionaries produced in the two areas will show that there are few substantial differences. However, both versions of ‘school’ Standard Mandarin are often quite different from the Mandarin dialects that are spoken in accordance with regional habits, and neither is wholly identical to the Beijing dialect. Putonghua and Guoyu also differ from the Beijing dialect in vocabulary, grammar, and usage.
It is important to note that the terms ‘Putonghua (The Common Language)’ and ‘Guoyu’ refer to speech, and hence the difference in the use of simplified characters and traditional characters is not usually considered to be a difference between these two concepts. |
Learn in Your Car Mandarin Chinese - 3 Audio CDs |
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Discount Book speak
Pimsleur Basic Mandarin Chinese
Audio Only 5 Audio CDs
Get Other Chinese - Mandarin and Cantonese language learning Audio click here |
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Pimsleur Basic Mandarin Chinese - 5 Audio CDs
Brand New : . 5 CDs
This Basic program contains 5 hours of audio-only, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.
HEAR IT, LEARN IT, SPEAK IT
The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning
program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of
Chinese Mandarin structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Chinese Mandarin
can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.
The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they
aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language.
Other language programs sell only pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books
and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands of words and
definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to
assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to
spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just
studying its parts.
When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to
conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That same learning process is
what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one
integrated piece so you can succeed.
With Pimsleur you get:
* Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
* Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
* The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
* 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.
Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational
skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever --
without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.
About Mandarin Chinese
traditional Chinese is a category of related Chinese dialects spoken across most of northern and south-western China. When taken as a separate language, as is often done in academic literature, the Mandarin dialects have more speakers than any other language.
In English, Mandarin can refer to either of two distinct concepts:
* to Standard Chinese or Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu/Huayu/Hanyu), which is based on the particular Mandarin dialect spoken in Beijing. Standard Mandarin functions as the official spoken language of the People's Republic of China, the official language of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and one of the four official languages of Singapore. ‘Chinese’ — in practice Standard Mandarin — is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
* to all of the Mandarin dialects spoken in northern and south-western China. This group of dialects is the focus of this article.
In everyday use, Mandarin refers usually to just Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu). In its broader sense, Mandarin is a diverse group of related dialects, some less mutually intelligible than others. It is a grouping defined and used mainly by linguists, and is not commonly used outside of academic circles as a self-description. Instead, when asked to describe the spoken form they are using, Chinese speaking a form of non-Standard Mandarin will describe the variant that they are speaking, for example Sichuan dialect or Northeast China dialect, and consider it distinct from ‘Standard Mandarin’ (putonghua); they may not recognize that it is in fact classified by linguists as a form of ‘Mandarin’ in a broader sense. Nor is there a common ‘Mandarin’ identity based on language; rather, there are strong regional identities centred on individual dialects, because of the wide geographical distribution and cultural diversity of its speakers. Moreover, it is of note that despite its wide use in the Occident, most native Mandarin speakers are reluctant to recognize the term 'Mandarin', since the word does not reflect any Chinese origin. Instead, they would rather call the language simply 'standard Chinese'.
From an official point of view, there are two versions of Standard Mandarin, since the Beijing government refers to that on the Mainland as Putonghua, whereas the Taiwanese government refers to their official language as Kuo-yü (Guoyu in pinyin).
Technically, both Putonghua and Guoyu base their phonology on the Beijing accent, though Putonghua also takes some elements from other sources. Comparison of dictionaries produced in the two areas will show that there are few substantial differences. However, both versions of ‘school’ Standard Mandarin are often quite different from the Mandarin dialects that are spoken in accordance with regional habits, and neither is wholly identical to the Beijing dialect. Putonghua and Guoyu also differ from the Beijing dialect in vocabulary, grammar, and usage.
It is important to note that the terms ‘Putonghua (The Common Language)’ and ‘Guoyu’ refer to speech, and hence the difference in the use of simplified characters and traditional characters is not usually considered to be a difference between these two concepts. |
Pimsleur Basic Mandarin Chinese - 5 Audio CDs |
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booklet Dummies Chinese CDs Audio
Chinese for Dummies
3 Audio CDs and reference Booklet
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Chinese for Dummies 3 Audio Cds and Booklet - Learn to Speak Chinese
Brand New
: 3 Audio CDs and Booklet
The fun and easy way to communicate effectively in a new language!
Want to speak Chinese? Don't have a lot of time? This practical audio set is designed to help you learn quickly and easily at home or on the road. From basic greetings and expressions to grammar and conversations, you'll grasp the essentials and start communicating right away! Plus, you can follow along with the handy, 96-page portable guide — filled with the words and phrases you'll hear on the CDs, plus a mini-dictionary.
Skip around and learn at your own pace
CD1: Get started with basic words and phrases.
CD 2: Form sentences and practice parts of speech.
CD 3: Handle real-world situations.
Discover how to:
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Handle greetings and introductions
*
Ask questions and understand answers
*
Build your vocabulary
*
Talk about numbers, time, and the calendar
*
Ask for directions
Includes all Audio Files in mp3 formats as well as CD format - so you can copy them over to your iPOD or mp3 player
Mengjun Liu teaches Chinese at Wesleyan University and Hopkins School in Connecticut.
Mike Packevicz lives in China and teaches English to Chinese students.
About the Chinese Language
Traditional Chinese is a category of related Chinese dialects spoken across most of northern and south-western China. When taken as a separate language, as is often done in academic literature, the Mandarin dialects have more speakers than any other language.
In English, Mandarin can refer to either of two distinct concepts:
* to Standard Chinese or Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu/Huayu/Hanyu), which is based on the particular Mandarin dialect spoken in Beijing. Standard Mandarin functions as the official spoken language of the People's Republic of China, the official language of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and one of the four official languages of Singapore. ‘Chinese’ — in practice Standard Mandarin — is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
* to all of the Mandarin dialects spoken in northern and south-western China.
In everyday use, Mandarin refers usually to just Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu). In its broader sense, Mandarin is a diverse group of related dialects, some less mutually intelligible than others. It is a grouping defined and used mainly by linguists, and is not commonly used outside of academic circles as a self-description. Instead, when asked to describe the spoken form they are using, Chinese speaking a form of non-Standard Mandarin will describe the variant that they are speaking, for example Sichuan dialect or Northeast China dialect, and consider it distinct from ‘Standard Mandarin’ (putonghua); they may not recognize that it is in fact classified by linguists as a form of ‘Mandarin’ in a broader sense. Nor is there a common ‘Mandarin’ identity based on language; rather, there are strong regional identities centred on individual dialects, because of the wide geographical distribution and cultural diversity of its speakers. Moreover, it is of note that despite its wide use in the Occident, most native Mandarin speakers are reluctant to recognize the term 'Mandarin', since the word does not reflect any Chinese origin. Instead, they would rather call the language simply 'standard Chinese'.
From an official point of view, there are two versions of Standard Chinese Mandarin, since the Beijing government refers to that on the Mainland China as Putonghua, whereas the Taiwanese government refers to their official language as Kuo-yü (Guoyu in pinyin).
Technically, both Putonghua and Guoyu base their phonology on the Beijing Chinese accent, though Putonghua also takes some elements from other sources. Comparison of dictionaries produced in the two areas will show that there are few substantial differences. However, both versions of ‘school’ Standard Chinese Mandarin are often quite different from the Mandarin dialects that are spoken in accordance with regional habits, and neither is wholly identical to the Beijing dialect. Putonghua and Guoyu also differ from the Beijing dialect in vocabulary, grammar, and usage.
It is important to note that the terms ‘Putonghua (The Common Language)’ and ‘Guoyu’ refer to speech, and hence the difference in the use of simplified characters and traditional characters is not usually considered to be a difference between these two concepts. |
Chinese for Dummies 3 Audio Cds and Booklet - Learn to Speak Chinese |
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Conversational Pimsleur CDs
Pimsleur Conversational Cantonese Chinese -
16 Lessons 8 Audio CD's
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Pimsleur Conversational Cantonese Chinese - 8 Audio CDs
8 CD's - Brand New
Includes a free CD case
This Basic program contains 5 hours of audio-only, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.
HEAR IT, LEARN IT, SPEAK IT
The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning
program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of
Cantonese structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Cantonese
can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.
The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they
aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language.
Other language programs sell only pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books
and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands of words and
definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to
assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to
spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just
studying its parts.
When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to
conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That same learning process is
what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one
integrated piece so you can succeed.
With Pimsleur you get:
* Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
* Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
* The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
* 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.
Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational
skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever --
without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.
Dr. Pimsleur
Dr. Pimsleur was a language educator for over 20 years. He noticed that children have an amazing ability to learn new languages--quickly. That's why there are so many bilingual 5-year olds. Dr. Pimsleur spent his life developing this course to let you, as an adult, learn French as easily as a child would. You might not realize it, but you've already learned one language using the Pimsleur approach. Your first language!
About the Pimsleur Method
The entire Pimsleur approach is what language learning should be: quick, fun, and easy! Many foreign language students have difficulty learning. Their textbooks teach monotonous drills, grammar rules, and random lists of words. But textbooks alone can never bring it all together.
Your only real goal in taking any Cantonese Chinese course is to speak Cantonese Chinese naturally with others.
Dr. Pimsleur designed each lesson as the foundation for the next. In other words, you'll keep building on what you've previously learned. Best of all, the Pimsleur Cantonese Chinese course does not waste your time by cramming grammar down your throat. You learn to recognize what sounds right through practice. The Pimsleur approach's subtle grammar lessons won't seem like grammar lessons at all.
About Cantonese Chinese
Standard Cantonese is a variant of Cantonese (Yue) Chinese . It is spoken natively in and around the cities of Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau in Southern China. Standard Cantonese is the de facto official Chinese spoken language of Hong Kong and Macau, and a lingua franca of Guangdong province and some neighbouring areas. It is also spoken by many overseas Chinese of Guangdong, Hong Kong or Macau origin in Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, United States, Australia, Europe and elsewhere. Historically, Cantonese was the most common form of Chinese spoken by overseas Chinese communities in the Western world, although that situation has changed with the increasing importance of Mandarin in the Chinese-speaking world as well as immigration to the West from other countries as well as other parts of China.
Cantonese is usually referred to as a spoken dialect, and not as a written dialect. Spoken vernacular Cantonese differs from modern written Chinese, which is essentially formal Standard Mandarin in written form. Written Chinese spoken word for word sounds overly formal and distant in Cantonese. As a result, the necessity of having a written script which matched the spoken form increased over time. This resulted in the creation of additional Chinese characters to complement the existing characters. Many of these represent phonological sounds not present in Mandarin. A good source for well documented Cantonese words can be found in drama and opera (daai hei) scripts. Written Cantonese is largely incomprehensible to non-Cantonese speakers because written Cantonese is based on spoken Cantonese which is different from Standard Mandarin in grammar and vocabulary.
"Readings in Cantonese colloquial: being selections from books in the Cantonese vernacular with free and literal translations of the Chinese character and romanized spelling" (1894) by James Dyer Ball has a bibliography of works available in Cantonese characters in the last decade of the nineteenth century. A few libraries have collections of so-called "wooden fish books" written in Cantonese character. Facsimiles and plot precis of a few of these have been published in Wolfram Eberhard's "Cantonese Ballads." See also "Cantonese love-songs, translated with introduction and notes by Cecil Clementi" (1904) or a newer translation of these Yue Ou in "Cantonese love songs : an English translation of Jiu Ji-yung's Cantonese songs of the early 19th century" (1992). Cantonese character versions of the Bible, Pilgrims Progress, and Peep of Day as well as simple catechisms were published by mission presses. The special Cantonese characters used in all these was not standardized and shows wide variation.
With the advent of the computer and standardization of character sets specifically for Cantonese, many printed materials in predominantly Cantonese speaking areas of the world are written to cater to their population with these written Cantonese characters. As a result, mainstream media such as newspapers and magazines have become progressively less conservative and more colloquial in their dissemination of ideas. Generally speaking, some of the older generation of Cantonese speakers regard this trend as a step "backwards" and away from tradition. This tension between the "old" and "new" is a reflection of a transition that is being undergone by the Cantonese speaking population.
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Pimsleur Conversational Cantonese Chinese - Audio CDs |
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Volume Trainer Audio
Earworms Rapid Chinese Volume 1
Musical Brain Trainer
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Earworms Rapid Chinese - Musical Brain Trainer - Volume 1 - Audio CD
Brand New (still shrink wrapped): Audio CD + 20 page booklet.
earworms mbt™ is a revolutionary accelerated learning technique that takes the hard work out of learning.
By listening to these specially composed melodies with their rhythmic repetitions of Chinese and English a few times, you pick up over 200 essential words and phrases that will not just be on the tip of your tongue, but burned deeply into your long-term memory in next to no time.
If you like music, and want to make rapid progress without any formal knowledge of language learning, earworms mbt™ Rapid Chinese is the course for you.
Rapid Chinese Vol 1 is your survival kit of essential words and phrases to get you by on your trip abroad.
Listen a few times to be able to ask for a table in a restaurant, order food and drink, take a taxi, rent a car, buy tickets, deal with money, numbers, times and days, ask for directions, deal with typical problems, hold a simple conversation and more.
Try the demos - experience something ‘a little different'. After a few listenings, foreign words will be popping out of your memory...
... when you least expect them!
Rapid (Vol. 1) The Tracks:
Song 1 - I would like...7:22
Song 2 - To order 5:14
Song 2 - Have you got....? 8:26
Song 4 - To the airport 6:31
Song 5 - Numbers and days 8:15
Song 6 - Is there...? 5:55
Song 7 - Directions 8:03
Song 8 - Where and what time? 8:43
Song 9 - Problems, problems! 8:06
Song 10 - Do you speak English? 8:14
Effortless, enjoyable and effective
Essential phrases for your trip abroad
Words anchored deeply into your memory by gentle repetition to music
Stimulating and self-motivating through real rapid progress
Developed by language teaching experts
Target language spoken by native speakers
Pronunciation acquired automatically
Listen and learn, anytime, anywhere: in the car, while jogging...
Phrase book included
About the Chinese Language
Traditional Chinese is a category of related Chinese dialects spoken across most of northern and south-western China. When taken as a separate language, as is often done in academic literature, the Mandarin dialects have more speakers than any other language.
In English, Mandarin can refer to either of two distinct concepts:
* to Standard Chinese or Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu/Huayu/Hanyu), which is based on the particular Mandarin dialect spoken in Beijing. Standard Mandarin functions as the official spoken language of the People's Republic of China, the official language of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and one of the four official languages of Singapore. ‘Chinese’ — in practice Standard Mandarin — is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
* to all of the Mandarin dialects spoken in northern and south-western China.
In everyday use, Mandarin refers usually to just Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu). In its broader sense, Mandarin is a diverse group of related dialects, some less mutually intelligible than others. It is a grouping defined and used mainly by linguists, and is not commonly used outside of academic circles as a self-description. Instead, when asked to describe the spoken form they are using, Chinese speaking a form of non-Standard Mandarin will describe the variant that they are speaking, for example Sichuan dialect or Northeast China dialect, and consider it distinct from ‘Standard Mandarin’ (putonghua); they may not recognize that it is in fact classified by linguists as a form of ‘Mandarin’ in a broader sense. Nor is there a common ‘Mandarin’ identity based on language; rather, there are strong regional identities centred on individual dialects, because of the wide geographical distribution and cultural diversity of its speakers. Moreover, it is of note that despite its wide use in the Occident, most native Mandarin speakers are reluctant to recognize the term 'Mandarin', since the word does not reflect any Chinese origin. Instead, they would rather call the language simply 'standard Chinese'.
From an official point of view, there are two versions of Standard Chinese Mandarin, since the Beijing government refers to that on the Mainland China as Putonghua, whereas the Taiwanese government refers to their official language as Kuo-yü (Guoyu in pinyin).
Technically, both Putonghua and Guoyu base their phonology on the Beijing Chinese accent, though Putonghua also takes some elements from other sources. Comparison of dictionaries produced in the two areas will show that there are few substantial differences. However, both versions of ‘school’ Standard Chinese Mandarin are often quite different from the Mandarin dialects that are spoken in accordance with regional habits, and neither is wholly identical to the Beijing dialect. Putonghua and Guoyu also differ from the Beijing dialect in vocabulary, grammar, and usage.
It is important to note that the terms ‘Putonghua (The Common Language)’ and ‘Guoyu’ refer to speech, and hence the difference in the use of simplified characters and traditional characters is not usually considered to be a difference between these two concepts.
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Earworms Rapid Chinese - Musical Brain Trainer - Volume 1 - Audio CD |
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Chinese Pimsleur
Pimsleur Basic Cantonese Chinese
5 Audio CDs
Get Other Chinese - Mandarin and Cantonese language learning Audio click here |
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Pimsleur Cantonese Chinese - 5 Audio CDs
Brand New : . 5 CDs
This Basic program contains 5 hours of audio-only, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.
HEAR IT, LEARN IT, SPEAK IT
The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning
program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of
Cantonese structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Cantonese
can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.
The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they
aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language.
Other language programs sell only pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books
and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands of words and
definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to
assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to
spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just
studying its parts.
When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to
conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That same learning process is
what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one
integrated piece so you can succeed.
With Pimsleur you get:
* Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
* Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
* The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
* 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.
Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational
skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever --
without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.
About Cantonese Chinese
Standard Cantonese is a variant of Cantonese (Yue) Chinese . It is spoken natively in and around the cities of Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau in Southern China. Standard Cantonese is the de facto official Chinese spoken language of Hong Kong and Macau, and a lingua franca of Guangdong province and some neighbouring areas. It is also spoken by many overseas Chinese of Guangdong, Hong Kong or Macau origin in Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, United States, Australia, Europe and elsewhere. Historically, Cantonese was the most common form of Chinese spoken by overseas Chinese communities in the Western world, although that situation has changed with the increasing importance of Mandarin in the Chinese-speaking world as well as immigration to the West from other countries as well as other parts of China.
Cantonese is usually referred to as a spoken dialect, and not as a written dialect. Spoken vernacular Cantonese differs from modern written Chinese, which is essentially formal Standard Mandarin in written form. Written Chinese spoken word for word sounds overly formal and distant in Cantonese. As a result, the necessity of having a written script which matched the spoken form increased over time. This resulted in the creation of additional Chinese characters to complement the existing characters. Many of these represent phonological sounds not present in Mandarin. A good source for well documented Cantonese words can be found in drama and opera (大戲 daai hei) scripts. Written Cantonese is largely incomprehensible to non-Cantonese speakers because written Cantonese is based on spoken Cantonese which is different from Standard Mandarin in grammar and vocabulary.
"Readings in Cantonese colloquial: being selections from books in the Cantonese vernacular with free and literal translations of the Chinese character and romanized spelling" (1894) by James Dyer Ball has a bibliography of works available in Cantonese characters in the last decade of the nineteenth century. A few libraries have collections of so-called "wooden fish books" written in Cantonese character. Facsimiles and plot precis of a few of these have been published in Wolfram Eberhard's "Cantonese Ballads." See also "Cantonese love-songs, translated with introduction and notes by Cecil Clementi" (1904) or a newer translation of these Yue Ou in "Cantonese love songs : an English translation of Jiu Ji-yung's Cantonese songs of the early 19th century" (1992). Cantonese character versions of the Bible, Pilgrims Progress, and Peep of Day as well as simple catechisms were published by mission presses. The special Cantonese characters used in all these was not standardized and shows wide variation.
With the advent of the computer and standardization of character sets specifically for Cantonese, many printed materials in predominantly Cantonese speaking areas of the world are written to cater to their population with these written Cantonese characters. As a result, mainstream media such as newspapers and magazines have become progressively less conservative and more colloquial in their dissemination of ideas. Generally speaking, some of the older generation of Cantonese speakers regard this trend as a step "backwards" and away from tradition. This tension between the "old" and "new" is a reflection of a transition that is being undergone by the Cantonese speaking population. |
Pimsleur Cantonese Chinese - 5 Audio CDs |
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Learn Mandarin Mandarin speak CDs Modern Book Beginners Audio Chinese
Modern Mandarin Chinese for Beginners
Learn to speak understand and read Mandarin Chinese
includes 2 Audio CDs
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Modern Mandarin Chinese for Beginners - Book and includes 2 Audio CDs
Brand New : Book and 2 Audio CDs
Language students and international travelers are introduced to Mandarin Chinese in the course of this book's "guided tour" of various regions throughout China. Instruction in Mandarin Chinese is presented in words, phrases, and reading passages as follows: First, the passage is printed in Chinese characters. Next, the passage is given phonetic pronunciation, using the Western alphabet (Pinyin). What follows next is a literal, word-for-word English translation of the Chinese. Concluding is an English translation that presents the passage's general sense and intended meaning. Two bilingual audio CDs are enclosed with the book. They present the text's dialogues and teach correct Mandarin pronunciation while also giving students practice in listening comprehension.
About the Chinese Language
Traditional Chinese is a category of related Chinese dialects spoken across most of northern and south-western China. When taken as a separate language, as is often done in academic literature, the Mandarin dialects have more speakers than any other language.
In English, Mandarin can refer to either of two distinct concepts:
* to Standard Chinese or Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu/Huayu/Hanyu), which is based on the particular Mandarin dialect spoken in Beijing. Standard Mandarin functions as the official spoken language of the People's Republic of China, the official language of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and one of the four official languages of Singapore. ‘Chinese’ — in practice Standard Mandarin — is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
* to all of the Mandarin dialects spoken in northern and south-western China.
In everyday use, Mandarin refers usually to just Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu). In its broader sense, Mandarin is a diverse group of related dialects, some less mutually intelligible than others. It is a grouping defined and used mainly by linguists, and is not commonly used outside of academic circles as a self-description. Instead, when asked to describe the spoken form they are using, Chinese speaking a form of non-Standard Mandarin will describe the variant that they are speaking, for example Sichuan dialect or Northeast China dialect, and consider it distinct from ‘Standard Mandarin’ (putonghua); they may not recognize that it is in fact classified by linguists as a form of ‘Mandarin’ in a broader sense. Nor is there a common ‘Mandarin’ identity based on language; rather, there are strong regional identities centred on individual dialects, because of the wide geographical distribution and cultural diversity of its speakers. Moreover, it is of note that despite its wide use in the Occident, most native Mandarin speakers are reluctant to recognize the term 'Mandarin', since the word does not reflect any Chinese origin. Instead, they would rather call the language simply 'standard Chinese'.
From an official point of view, there are two versions of Standard Chinese Mandarin, since the Beijing government refers to that on the Mainland China as Putonghua, whereas the Taiwanese government refers to their official language as Kuo-yü (Guoyu in pinyin).
Technically, both Putonghua and Guoyu base their phonology on the Beijing Chinese accent, though Putonghua also takes some elements from other sources. Comparison of dictionaries produced in the two areas will show that there are few substantial differences. However, both versions of ‘school’ Standard Chinese Mandarin are often quite different from the Mandarin dialects that are spoken in accordance with regional habits, and neither is wholly identical to the Beijing dialect. Putonghua and Guoyu also differ from the Beijing dialect in vocabulary, grammar, and usage.
It is important to note that the terms ‘Putonghua (The Common Language)’ and ‘Guoyu’ refer to speech, and hence the difference in the use of simplified characters and traditional characters is not usually considered to be a difference between these two concepts.
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Modern Mandarin Chinese for Beginners - Book and includes 2 Audio CDs |
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Child First Baby's Chinese Chinese
Baby's First Words in Chinese
Teach Your Child Chinese
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Baby's First Words in Chinese Book and CD - Newborn to 2 Years
Expand Your Child's Mind and Horizons with a Second Language!
Reccomended for babies and toddlers up to 2 years of age.
Brand New
Before they focus in on their native language, babies have an amazing ability to hear and absorb sounds that adults unconsciously block out, like the subtleties of a foreign language. "Baby's First Words in Chinese" is an introduction to the sounds of Chinese and locks in a child's ability to learn these sounds.
Created by linguistic experts, "Baby's First Words in Chinese" is designed for newborns to toddlers up to two years old. Each package includes:
-A CD of sweet and soothing songs, rhymes, words and stories
-Parents' guide that explains how children learn languages
-Lyric sheet so that parents can sing along to the songs on the CD with their children
Here's what a well-known expert has to say about Baby's First Words:
"it makes good science and good sense to teach your child an extra language in the early years when the brain centers for learning language are rapidly maturing."
Dr. William Sears, renowned pediatrician and co-author of The Baby Book.
About the Chinese Language
Chinese or the Sinitic language(s) can be considered a language or language family. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the two branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages. About one-fifth of the worlds population, or over one billion people, speak some form of Chinese as their native language. The identification of the varieties of Chinese as "languages" or "dialects" is controversial.
Spoken Chinese is distinguished by its high level of internal diversity, though all spoken varieties of Chinese are tonal and analytic. There are between six and twelve main regional groups of Chinese (depending on classification scheme), of which the most spoken, by far, is Mandarin (about 850 million), followed by Wu (90 million), Min (70 million) and Cantonese (70 million). Most of these groups are mutually unintelligible, though some, like Xiang and the Southwest Mandarin dialects, may share common terms and some degree of intelligibility. Chinese is classified as a macrolanguage with 13 sub-languages in ISO 639-3, though the identification of the varieties of Chinese as multiple "languages" or as "dialects" of a single language is a contentious issue.
According to news reports in March 2007, 86 percent of people in the People's Republic of China speak a variant of spoken Chinese. As a language family, the number of Chinese speakers is 1.136 billion. The same news report indicates 53 percent of the population, or 700 million speakers, can effectively communicate in Putonghua.
Linguists often view Chinese as a language family, though owing to China's socio-political and cultural situation, and the fact that all spoken varieties use one common written system, it is customary to refer to these generally mutually unintelligible variants as "the Chinese language". The diversity of Sinitic variants is comparable to the Romance languages.
From a purely descriptive point of view, "languages" and "dialects" are simply arbitrary groups of similar idiolects, and the distinction is irrelevant to linguists who are only concerned with describing regional speeches technically. However, the idea of a single language has major overtones in politics and cultural self-identity, and explains the amount of emotion over this issue. Most Chinese and Chinese linguists refer to Chinese as a single language and its subdivisions dialects, while others call Chinese a language family.
Chinese itself has a term for its unified writing system, Zhongwen, while the closest equivalent used to describe its spoken variants would be Hanyu (spoken language[s] of the Han Chinese) this term could be translated to either language or languages since Chinese possesses no grammatical numbers. In the Chinese language, there is much less need for a uniform speech-and-writing continuum, as indicated by two separate character morphemes yu and wen. Ethnic Chinese often consider these spoken variations as one single language for reasons of nationality and as they inherit one common cultural and linguistic heritage in Classical Chinese. Han native speakers of Wu, Min, Hakka, and Cantonese, for instance, may consider their own linguistic varieties as separate spoken languages, but the Han Chinese race as one albeit internally very diverse ethnicity. To Chinese nationalists, the idea of Chinese as a language family may suggest that the Chinese identity is much more fragmentary and disunified than it actually is and as such is often looked upon as culturally and politically provocative. Additionally, in Taiwan, it is closely associated with Taiwanese independence, where some supporters of Taiwanese independence promote the local Taiwanese Minnan-based spoken language.
Within the Peoples Republic of China and Singapore, it is common for the government to refer to all divisions of the Sinitic language(s) beside standard Mandarin as fangyan (regional tongues, often translated as dialects). Modern-day Chinese speakers of all kinds communicate using one formal standard written language, although this modern written standard is modeled after Mandarin, generally the modern Beijing substandard.
The term sinophone, coined in analogy to anglophone and francophone, refers to those who speak the Chinese language natively, or prefer it as a medium of communication. The term is derived from Sinae, the Latin word for ancient China.
Most linguists classify all varieties of modern spoken Chinese as part of the Sino-Tibetan language family and believe that there was an original language, termed Proto-Sino-Tibetan, from which the Sinitic and Tibeto-Burman languages descended. The relation between Chinese and other Sino-Tibetan languages is an area of active research, as is the attempt to reconstruct Proto-Sino-Tibetan. The main difficulty in this effort is that, while there is enough documentation to allow one to reconstruct the ancient Chinese sounds, there is no written documentation that records the division between proto-Sino-Tibetan and ancient Chinese. In addition, many of the older languages that would allow us to reconstruct Proto-Sino-Tibetan are very poorly understood and many of the techniques developed for analysis of the descent of the Indo-European languages from PIE don't apply to Chinese because of "morphological paucity" especially after Old Chinese.
Categorization of the development of Chinese is a subject of scholarly debate. One of the first systems was devised by the Swedish linguist Bernhard Karlgren in the early 1900s; most present systems rely heavily on Karlgren's insights and methods.
Throughout history Chinese culture and politics has had a great influence on unrelated languages such as Korean and Japanese. Korean and Japanese both have writing systems employing Chinese characters (Hanzi), which are called Hanja and Kanji, respectively.
Languages within the influence of Chinese culture also have a very large number of loanwords from Chinese. Fifty percent or more of Korean vocabulary is of Chinese origin and the influence on Japanese and Vietnamese has been considerable. At least five percent of all words in Tagalog are of Chinese origin. Chinese has also lent a great deal of many grammatical features to these and neighboring languages, notably the lack of gender and the use of classifiers. Japanese has also a lot of loanwords from Chinese, as does Vietnamese.
Loan words from Chinese also exist in European languages such as English. Examples of such words are "tea" from the Minnan pronunciation of (POJ: tê), "ketchup" from the Cantonese pronunciation of(ke chap), and "kumquat" from the Cantonese pronunciation of (kam kuat).
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Baby's First Words in Chinese Book and CD - Newborn to 2 Years |
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About the French Language
French is a Romance language originally spoken in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, and today by about 350 million people around the world as either a native or a second language, with significant populations in 54 countries.
French is a descendant of the Latin of the Roman Empire, as are languages such as Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Romanian, and Portuguese. Its development was also influenced by the native Celtic languages of Roman Gaul and by the Germanic language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders.
It is an official language in 31 countries, most of which form what is called in French La Francophonie, the community of French-speaking nations. It is an official language of all United Nations agencies and a large number of international organisations.
The majority of French words derive from Vulgar Latin or were constructed from Latin or Greek roots. There are often pairs of words, one form being popular (noun) and the other one savant (adjective), both originating from Latin. Example:
* brother: frère / fraternel < from Latin FRATER
* finger: doigt / digital < from Latin DIGITVS
* faith: foi / fidèle < from Latin FIDES
* cold: froid / frigide < from Latin FRIGIDVS
* eye: il / oculaire < from Latin OCVLVS
* inhabitants of the city Saint-Étienne are called Stéphanois
The last example, Saint-Étienne/Stéphanois, illustrates common practice for gentilics throughout France.
In some examples there is a common word from "vulgar" Latin and a more savant word from classical Latin or even Greek.
* ChevalConcours équestreHippodrome
The French words which have developed from Latin are usually less recognisable than Italian words of Latin origin because as French developed into a separate language from Vulgar Latin, the unstressed final syllable of many words was dropped or elided into the following word.
It is estimated that 12% (4,200) of common French words found in a typical dictionary such as the Petit Larousse or Micro-Robert Plus (35,000 words) are of foreign origin. About 25% (1,054) of these foreign words come from English and are fairly recent borrowings. The others are some 707 words from Italian, 550 from ancient Germanic languages, 481 from ancient Gallo-Romance languages, 215 from Arabic, 164 from German, 160 from Celtic languages, 159 from Spanish, 153 from Dutch, 112 from Persian and Sanskrit, 101 from Native American languages, 89 from other Asian languages, 56 from Afro-Asiatic languages, 55 from Slavic languages and Baltic languages, 10 for Basque and 144 about three percent from other languages.
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Esperanto
Esperanto is the most widely spoken artificial language. The name derives from Doktoro Esperanto, the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book of Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887. The word esperanto means 'one who hopes'. Zamenhof's goal was to create an easy and flexible language that would serve as a universal second language to foster peace and international understanding. Esperanto has a very regular structure. Words are often made from many other roots, and in this way the number of words which one must memorise is made much smaller. The language is phonetic, and the rules of pronunciation are very simple, so that everyone knows how to pronounce a written worde and vice-versa.Esperanto has had continuous usage by a community estimated at between 100,000 and 2 million speakers for over a century. By most estimates, there are approximately a thousand native speakers. No country has adopted the language officially. Today, Esperanto is employed in world travel, correspondence, cultural exchange, conventions, literature, language instruction, television (Internacia Televido), and radio broadcasting. Esperanto is also a language of internet websites, which can be explored from the Esperanto interface of Google Search.
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