Standard Chinese is the official language of China and is based on the dialect spoken in Beijing. Mandarin from which Standard Chinese is derived is spoken by over 850 million people worldwide.

It is the common language of communication in China used in government departments, business, media, as well as in schools. There are various other language groups in the Chinese language family like Cantonese, Wu, Min and Hakka all of which share a fairly common written script.

Chinese characters and writing system
The Chinese writing system is termed as “zhongwen”; an interesting aspect about the Chinese language is that the spoken and written forms developed at a different rate in history.

The Chinese characters known as “hanzi” are written and arranged vertically in columns and read from top to bottom and right to left. The characters or morphemes are independent of changes in phonetics according to language group. The characters derive their meaning and pronunciation from semantic radicals and phonetic components.

The system of Chinese characters currently in prevalence is the Simplified Chinese Character system introduced by China in 1954. The traditional system is still used in some parts of the Chinese speaking world mainly in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

To gain a functional knowledge of Chinese a literate person needs to have knowledge of over 2,000 characters. Large dictionaries identify over 40,000 characters with estimates putting the overall figure at over 60,000. Most well educated people are able to comprehend about 6,000 characters.

Spoken Chinese and pronunciation

Spoken Chinese makes use of different tones to give different meaning to similar sounds. Standard Chinese uses four tones based on a rising or falling and high or low or neutral pitch.

Romanization of the Chinese language has made it easier for several students to learn Chinese as a second language. The most common standard employed in most Chinese Language Schools worldwide is Pinyin introduced in 1956 by the Chinese government.

The Chinese language is more concise than English, and has no gender and tenses. The speaker can simply add appropriate word and time period to the beginning and ending of the sentences to indicate the gender and tense.

The language is based more upon the word order and sentence structure for meaning rather than on changes in the form of the word to indicate its function in a sentence.

Here are some Chinese Pronunciation for commonly used expressions in English

1. This isn’t right – Zhe Shi Bu Dui De or Bu Dui
2. See me ASAP – Kuai Lai Kan Wo or Kuai Lai
3. Stupid Man – Sha Mao
4. Did you go to the beach – Qu Sha Tan Le Ma?
5. He is washing his car – Ta Zai Xi Che
6. How is the weather? – Tian Qi Ru He?
7. Our meeting is scheduled for next week – Hui Yi She Xia Zhou
8. Where do you go skiing? – Qu Nar Hua Xue?
9. How do you like America/India? – Mei Guo/(Yin Du) Hao Ma?
10. Great – Zhen Bang
11. I though you went on a diet – Ni Bu Shi Zao Jian Fei ma?
12. It is very dark here – Zhe Li Teng Hei De
13. I think you need a face lift – Ni Xu Yao Huan Zhang Lian
14. It is necessary – Bi Xu De
15. Happy New Year (Hope you get rich) – Gong Xi Fa Cai

Are you prepared for the AP Chinese exam?

The AP Chinese Exam is a great way for high school students learning Chinese as a second language as well as native speakers to get acquainted with the Chinese culture. The exam enables the student to improve in all elements of the Chinese language from speaking and listening to reading and writing.

What is the AP Chinese exam about?

The AP Chinese exam is part of the College Board’s initiative to promote multiculturalism. High school students based on their performance in the exam can earn college credit towards their foreign language requirements under the Advanced Placement Chinese program. The exam is equivalent to a fourth semester or college course in Mandarin Chinese.

The questions focus on the three major communication modes testing the student’s interpersonal, interpretive and presentation skills. Preparing for the exam requires extensive practice as often students struggle to answer the question within the stipulated time frame.

Upon successful completion of the exam the student will be able to

•    communicate in Chinese especially in daily situations
•    appreciate Chinese culture and understand the Oriental way of life
•    connect with other subject areas related to the Chinese language
•    compare the Chinese language with the languages already learnt
•    be a part of the global community emphasizing a multi-lingual and multi-cultural environment

Exam date and duration

The exam duration is of about 2 hours and 15 minutes and is usually held in the middle of the year around May. The AP Chinese exam is designed in such a manner that the student while preparing for the exam also comes to know various aspects of the Chinese culture.

The exam preparation should focus on applying the language skills learnt. Since the exam includes significant references to Chinese culture the preparation course should include material that gives them an idea how the Chinese people live and have lived in the past. Studying topics related to Chinese history as well as philosophy would help students better understand the Chinese speaking world.

Educated and Fearing the Future in China is the title of this article (click on the link below), it will be equally true if we just change China to United States in the heading.  Even last decade, having a college degree means having a job and career, now a wider notion of ability and sense of passion is needed to stand out amonge the cllege graduated crowd.  http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/educated-and-fearing-the-future-in-china/

Learning Chinese will fit in with a wider notion of ability.  Learning a secondary language, like Chinese, not only provide the learner with a concrete skill, but also introduce him to a new culture, and different way of thinking about issues and concerns of the world.