I seem to be addicted to studying Chinese. It feels very strange to me to here the constant uphill battle people have with it. Do I stand alone in my mass craving for new characters, vocabulary, etc.?
The reason I ask is because I’m trying estimate when it will wear off (does it ever). I started doing serious self study in January and have been in a non-stop mode of study ever since then. I thought signing up for a class would ease the hunger pains, but it has instead made them stronger.
I love studying, but I also look forward to the day when I will do other things in my free time (it’s really almost all I do, besides post here).
Maybe it’s a form of culture shock or something. So, has anyone else had (or is having) a similar experience?
After my first year, quality of written education materials (valuable to my needs) became a desire. Being the techno junkie that I am, the use of electronic education has just rekindled whatever enthuiasim that was lost.
I’m absolutly sure the PDA/KingHanzi is extreamly helpful. But transfering tape to MP3 to MD is extreamly time consuming (and fun).
Miltownkid, does the rich relative underwriting this effort need another son? I’m available for adoption
I think people who show early aptitude for Mandarin enjoy studying it more than those who have trouble early on, or who have no clear motive for learning it.
I found that the more I studied, the better I got at rapping in Guoyu. I was really motivated for about three years. Then there came a point where I was close enough to a native speaker (at least in terms of accent, vocabulary, and listening ability) and could read newspapers and magazines, and I slowed down.
I still work through reading texts purely for learning purposes, from time to time, but I mainly improve my language skills through my daily business and teaching activities, where I have to speak, listen, read, and write in Mandarin.
I applaud anyone who invests the time and effort it takes to learn this challenging language. I still have days where I feel like I’m thinking in English. On those days, I drink a few beers, and I suddenly get native-like again .
I’m totally addicted – couldn’t possibly live without it.
It’s as vital a part of my daily life as ogling pretty xiaojies and swimming in mountain creeks. The first thing I do every morning, when I get up at the crack of dawn, is sit at my desk with a big mug of tea and the radio tuned to CBC’s news and current affairs broadcasts, and practice writing Chinese characters for an hour or so (writing words, phrases and sentences that I hear on the radio, or just scribbling whatever comes into my head). I can hardly imagine starting the day any other way.
I’m sure I’ll go on studying Chinese and enjoying it thoroughly for as long as I live and remain sufficiently compus mentis. And when the brain finally packs up, I’ll probably be found sitting all day in my rocking-chair drooling at the nurses and muttering meaningless snatches of ill-pronounced Mandarin as they float up through the mists of my mind from the shattered ruins of my memory.
[quote=“miltownkid”]I love studying, but I also look forward to the day when I will do other things in my free time (it’s really almost all I do, besides post here).
Maybe it’s a form of culture shock or something. So, has anyone else had (or is having) a similar experience?[/quote]
I think you’re right about it being a form of culture shock. It’s a response to not being able to understand what’s going on around you, feeling like an outsider, or feeling like a child not able to understand what the grown-ups are talking about.
If you just study a little Chinese a day then it’s an enjoyable hobby. But I think for some of us, “obsession” is a better description. I’ve hardly done any reading in English lately, because I’m afraid it will take away from my study time.
Not necessarily culture shock at all. It’s been a while but I used to go on massive study binges. I loved my Chinese New Year before last holiday. I spent 9 days doing about 7 hours study a day. I loved it. Then kept up 2 or 3 hours most days after that for a couple of months. Of course I didn’t own a computer at the time. I was mostly working on my characters. I think it’s important to have something systematic that you can set goals and ‘levels’ for. That way there’s a sense of achievement every day and you can try and better your personal bests etc.
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