Find a Tutor for learning a Language

This post is simply for directing you to iTalki. This is such a great platform for anyone wishing to have personal tutoring. You can schedule lessons when you want. There are so many languages to choose from and lots of different teachers waiting to get to know you.

Just click here https://www.italki.com/affshare?ref=af13063809 to start exploring iTalki and get to know the platform. 

The Alphabet: ABCs

      Learning any language outside of the mother tongue is a strange and even mysterious endeavor. In my time abroad—now it’s been just under 10 years in non-English speaking countries—those wishing to acquire English are mostly lacking one element. That is, aside from the obvious lack of daily speaking opportunities, they all still can help themselves in one way. 

       This one element really comes down to realizing and accepting that most languages share many of the same basic sounds. While they are used in different situations and often times with varying rules for pronouncing some sounds only in certain positions, it is still useful to know that your mouth can already make the right shape. 

      Therefore, the ability to pronounce with improved accuracy actually just boils down to knowing when those sounds are made. It is a lot to take in at first. That’s why I recommend—after much teaching—learning the sounds of the target language. Learn that Alphabet and all the varying sounds each letter (or whatever writing system is used) makes. In English, we all know that most letters make at least two different sounds depending on the word in question. 

      For example, “A” in “cat” is different to the sound in “cake”. Or the “G” in “go” is different to that in “giraffe”. It goes without saying, after such realization, that this knowledge has already improved the speaker’s pronunciation and accuracy. 

       If we use German in another example we can already make great progress toward learning the Alphabet. Look at “G” (always used like the “G” in the English “go”) in “grün”—after making this discovery you can confidently pronounce “G” correctly in every situation. And now the vowel “A” —always as in the English “on” (our Short Vowel /O/ is like the German /A/)—in “Katze”. 

     Let’s also use some Mandarin in an example. For this one we get into another writing system. Even more special is the use of a “learner’s alphabet” (my own terminology) which is used mostly by children in countries such as Taiwan to learn pronunciation and reading. Most people refer to it by its first three “letters” (just as English speakers refer to the Alphabet as the “ABC’s”) thus, ㄅㄆㄇ. Take 不 or ㄅㄨˋ —> bu2 the ㄅ is always pronounced like the English “B”. “ㄨ” always makes the equivalent to the /oo/ as in “boot”.

       Knowing the Phonics greatly eases our brains allowing us to focus on the the truly hard stuff; Grammar. And if a language utilizes conjugation then you need even more brain power focusing on that. Remembering all the situations that are possible with changes to word endings is a real challenge. 

       Come back for more posts specifically for pronunciation help and tips. 

Speaking in Mandarin (Chinese? or Taiwanese?)

What do they speak on the island of Taiwan? Is it Taiwanese? Or do they speak Mandarin Chinese (as many Americans call it)? The official language is Chinese. There is such a thing as Taiwanese that most of the population can understand and roughly half speak on a daily basis. A smaller portion of the island speaks what is known a Hakka. There are actually many more languages and dialects in Taiwan coming from the indigenous peoples who occupied Taiwan long before the Chinese speakers made their way over water to the island.

As you travel along the major highways from North to South you can hear specialty radio stations going to Hakka to Taiwanese. As you stop along the way in the cities and towns the local people also change from speaking Hakka to Taiwanese. The food choices and preparation styles change along with the scenery and the language as well.

Although the vast majority of people use Chinese as their language for business and socializing you do run into some elderly who don't really speak Chinese. I was surprised to find out that many of the older generation grew up speaking either Taiwanese or Hakka and never really learned Chinese properly. Sure they understand for the most part but getting them to speak it....? I have spent many hours in the same car with some older folks who spoke mostly in Taiwanese. That was an experience. Getting to know enough Chinese to enable me simple communication is tough enough without the added Taiwanese. But it was fun to learn a few phrases if for no other reason than to amuse them.

My experience in Taiwan has been surrounded by the Chinese, Taiwanese and Hakka languages. It just so happens that my girlfriend's parents are from two different parts of Taiwan. One from the South and the other from the North. Upon meeting family members from both sides I was quickly asked to memorize a short phrase in Hakka and Taiwanese, depending on which side we were meeting, and recite it to them. These little greetings were all in addition to the new Chinese that I was learning every day. It can be quite confusing as first but after hearing enough of each language I started picking up on the rhythm and intonation of them all. Not that I was easily identifying each one but that I could at least begin recognizing the phrases at times when another said it in a sentence during a conversation.

In conclusion, I would say that Chinese is by far the most useful language in general in Taiwan, regardless of where I went. Everybody can at least understand Chinese. Whether they speak it back to you or not is another matter. If you have the chance to learn some useful phrases from the locals from the North and the South, do it. Taiwanese and Hakka are quite prevalent in their respective areas. In most cases, as long as I was sincere in my approach, people were happy that I was trying to use their language.