Posts tagged as:

Learning

Language: Learning Thai – Initial Impressions

March 12, 2010

I recently had an opportunity to take a two-day Thai Language course, and despite my promise to never learn another tonal language, I decided to attend. I actually had three compelling reasons to take it – I was bored, the course was free, and I wanted an excuse to dive into the Thai book I [...]

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Language: Happy Mandarin/快乐汉语 on CCTV

September 8, 2009

My Chinese teacher introduced me to a new show on CCTV 4/CCTV 4’s website. The show is about an American student (Susan) that is living with a family in Beijing, and the purpose is to teach people about Chinese customs and Mandarin.

 
Although the show is not very good, and at times even annoying, I find [...]

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Language: My New Favorite Mandarin Review Site

April 25, 2009

This is my new favorite study tool on the web. Skritter is a great way to review your writing skills, and to test you on tones. The site has lots of different vocabulary lists from various Chinese textbooks, and they are continually trying to add more. After you review, the site keep track of your [...]

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Language: Information Overload and Language Study

April 13, 2009

Studying Chinese alone is probably easier now than ever. There are tons of free/cheap resources that allow you to do different things at your own pace. Those studying the language offer tips on their blogs, and various online communities form to encourage language study.
As I was sitting on my desk starting at the Chinese textbooks, [...]

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Life: My Student’s Class on Doing Business in China

April 3, 2009

In addition to my Business Communication class, my students are also taking a class called “Cultural Insights to Doing Business in China”, which is taught by one of the Shanghai University Professors.
I have attended all of the lectures so far (2 at 4 hours each), and it has been a very interesting experience. The class [...]

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Language: Singlish Post # 3

December 1, 2008

One of the funniest (sorry if that is offensive) things about Singlish is the crazy intonation. This is especially pronounced when the speaker is angry, excited, or correcting someone. Let me share a sample dialogue to illustrate the last one:
Student: When is the assignment due?
Teacher: Wednesday?
Student: Tuesday!
Student’s friends/classmates:  Wednesdaaaaaaaaaay ahhhhh!
The best is when they don’t [...]

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