Studying Chinese has become very popular over the past 20 years. With business and cultural links to China and other Chinese-speaking countries increasing, interest in learning Chinese for business and personal reasons means there are many ways to go about learning Chinese.
Tutors
Hiring a native Chinese speaker or someone who has lived in a Chinese-speaking culture for a long time is a good way to begin learning Chinese. Chinese, like other Asian languages, is a tonal language. Getting the tones right is critical to understanding and communication. For example, with a slight change of inflection in Chinese you could end up calling your mother a horse. Many large cities have Chinese tutors. Consulting a local college or university foreign language department may prove fruitful.
If you can, find a tutor who has experience teaching. If your tutor doesn't have much experience, use a book and tape system that is well structured. In some cases, tutors can help with pronunciation online via voice messaging or telephone.
Classes
Group classes are another good option. By starting to study Chinese in a group setting with a native speaker, corrections in grammar and pronunciation are easily made. In some ways, group classes are better than tutors. You are able to do language modeling with other students, and the interactions can help with understanding and retention. The downside of a class situation is less individual time with the teacher.
Some community colleges offer Chinese classes. In some cities, civic organizations and continuing education services offer Chinese classes. If you want a Chinese class, but can only find a tutor, consider getting some of your friends together for a class with the tutor.
Computer Based Training
A number of good computer-based training systems are available, including Rosetta Stone. Many of these training systems have voice recognition software to correct grammar and pronunciation. However, they are not perfect and cannot correct minor problems with inflection. In situations where you can't find a tutor or a class, computer-based training may be a good option. It is also a good supplement to tutors or classes.
Traditional Books and Tapes
If none of the above are available, traditional books and tapes can work. The problem with books and tapes is that teaching proper intonation of the words is very difficult. If you are working primarily from a book and tape, it is best if you can arrange for an occasional hour of tutorial, either online or by telephone.
Things to Watch Out For
Spoken Chinese is a very simple language in many ways. For example, there are no verb tenses. An action's placement in time is indicated with a time word somewhere in the sentence. Chinese grammatical structure can be either subject-verb-object or subject-object-verb, which can be difficult for native English speakers. Most important, however, is to master the tones early. Re-learning an incorrect tone can be very difficult.
Another important thing to consider if learning to read and write is the character system. Mainland China uses a simplified character system, while most other Chinese speaking areas use traditional characters. The two writing systems are mutually exclusive and can not be combined.
Language Practice
Once you have a rudimentary working knowledge of Chinese, try to use it. As you meet people from Asia, see if they speak Mandarin (or Cantonese, if you are studying Cantonese). People are often very happy to help with a bit of practice and language instruction.
