Melange vol.4: Multilingual Page Part II

Mark (New Zealand): Difficulties have changed through period. First period was when I was studying in undergraduate school. Chinese paper was one out of eight papers that I took in the year, so I had difficulties to find time to memorise characters. Then the next stage was when I was in China... Time is important.

But I don't think I had many difficulties then, apart from loneliness. I intentionally lived with Chinese speaking people so that I'll use Chinese all the time. Now I still have to find much time to study characters and words... I can write characters using computer but I can't do handwriting...

About grammar and ping yin? Chinese grammar is very simple. Actually when I was in undergraduate I found it easier reading explanation of Chinese grammar in Chinese rather than in English. The grammatical order SVO is the same as English. I think ping yin is easy for English speakers. How to achieve the difference between 2nd and 3rd tone? Practice can make you better.

Itsuka (Japan): I've learned Chinese only half a year, but I can tell you difficulties I've had without hesitation (laugh). I think my difficulties in Chinese is completely opposite from Mark's. Since Japanese language uses Chinese characters, I don't have much difficulty in learning characters. I think most of Japanese can understand what it says by seeing Chinese writing although we can't read it loud. This might be an advantage as being Japanese, but this can be a pit fall at the same time. When I try to remember a new word I see the character and I don't pay attention to its ping yin and tone. I try to use my broken Chinese to my Chinese-speaking friends, but I often get tone wrong.

By the way talking to Chinese people who can't speak English can take your confidence. The first few minutes may be good, but if you have to keep talking, you'll lose way what to say. I was trying to talk to an elderly Chinese lady who can't speak much English in Chinese, but my other Chinese friend (who can speak English well) had to translate my Chinese into proper Chinese (laugh). I had to realise how little I knew Chinese language.

Kahori (Japan): Pronunciation and tones are very difficult. There are four tones in Chinese, which Japanese don't have. I try to use Chinese that I learn in the class to native speakers, but often they get me wrong. It's very difficult for me to speak like native Chinese speakers. Reading and writing are relatively easy for me because I'm Japanese and can read Chinese characters. But I shouldn't be too confident because even with the same character, the way it is read is often different between Chinese and Japanese.

Thank you for your cooperation. Interviewers: Emiri, Itsuka, & Megumi, Melange editors from Writer's Group The 8th Continent