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Currently viewing the tag: "Attitude"
Having fun while learning, or at least making the best of every situation, is essential. Learning a language requires a lot of time and if we don’t enjoy the process, we aren’t likely to invest the time we need to master a language.
I won’t join the group of language bloggers who claim that classroom learning is meaningless, but I do believe there are good reasons to create links to the real world. Not only is this a motivational booster, it’s also an excellent way of identifying problems you might have with your Chinese.
The 10,000 hour rule is quite simple. It states that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to become really good at something. The most important lesson here is that talent is far less important that people think. Even towering geniuses work very hard. Blood, sweat and tears are what counts in the end, not talent.
Learning to understand regionally accented Mandarin is essential. Very few people speak perfectly standard Mandarin and it’s your responsibility to understand what they’re saying, not theirs to speak so you understand. This article delves deeper into the whys and hows of learning regionally accented Mandarin.
Praise is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s encouraging and makes it more rewarding to study. On the other hand, however, if you use other people’s praise as a true indication of your own ability, you’re in deep trouble. Feel encouraged, but it’s essential that you don’t trust native speakers when they tell you your Chinese is great!
Everybody has different reasons for studying Chinese, but whatever the final goal is, it is important to make the journey interesting as well. Enjoying studying isn’t simply a cliche, it’s quite necessary if you want to invest the time needed to master a language. This article discusses the journey, the destination and the relationship between them. To but it briefly: don’t forget to look at the view.
Teaching and inspiring are two closely related things. If you can see all superiors as sources of inspiration and knowledge, you will advance faster than if you view them as rivals or opponents. Similarly, realise that you have your own strong sides that inspire other people. Don’t hesitate to teach others if they want to be taught. Inspiration is cyclic in its nature and should flow freely in all directions.
I’ve written quite a number of articles about attitude. Most of them deal with tips and tricks on how to approach Chinese in such a way as not to be daunted or scared. This time, though, it will be about living abroad and various ways of doing that. Using a somewhat special definition of “tourist”, [...]
Some people seem to believe that living in a country is enough to learn the language spoken there. This is wrong, and it’s especially wrong if the language is Chinese. Becoming fluent in Chinese is the result of blood, sweat and tears, nothing less. Living abroad certainly helps, but it’s an opportunity most often wasted by students.
Very few people can receive criticism for something they do with a perfectly open mind and a positive attitude. In fact, I would go as far as saying that being able to do that is an art. Being corrected is a natural process when learning a language and something you should welcome with open arms, even if it takes courage and practice to do so.
