Are Jenny and Ken over at Chinese Pod nervous? You can see China’s new learn-Mandarin-online site here. One of it’s first lesson plans is about Beijing Kaoya, so it must have some merit. Here’s what the media’s saying:
China launched a Web site on Saturday offering free Chinese lessons and materials to promote the study and use of the language abroad.
The site, www.linese.com (not working at press time), includes audio-visual presentations, interactive exercises and advice for teachers of Mandarin Chinese, with photographs and descriptions of cultural icons such as the Great Wall, kung fu actor Jackie Chan and basketball star Yao Ming.
Many of the exercises touch on China’s mythical and imperial past, including practice sentences such as “how can you be a hero if you are unarmed” and “I find that Tibetans like worshipping heroes”.
China is keen to expand its cultural influence along with its growing economic power, and is also setting up a network of “Confucius Institutes” around the world to promote its culture.
The site is working now, but several of the links seem temperamental (if not downright broken). I couldn’t get the Beijing duck audio to turn on, but I’ll give them some time. Surfing around the site is interesting, if a little strange (why do they have hanzi blogs listed on a learn-Mandarin site?), and I would have to say that Ken and Jenny (and John) have nothing to worry about, at least not for now.
1
By V Ramaswamy
Hullo
Came upon your blog. Nice read.
You might like to visit this blog out of Calcutta:
cuckooscall.blogspot.com
best
rama
July 10, 2006 @ 3:25 am | Comment
2
By Brendan
I wonder if this is the Hanban-backed thing that Joel and I got asked, a while back, if we wanted to help with. If it is, I’m sure glad I turned them down.
I should really make a lesson of Chinese you can use.
“Chapter 1: 矿难 – Mining Disasters.”
July 10, 2006 @ 5:04 am | Comment
3
By JL
It’s a pity that Beijing continues to march traditional Chinese to its doom.
July 10, 2006 @ 9:32 am | Comment
4
By azmatic
Hi,
Have been reading your blog for some time, though don’t usually post comments. I’m working at the website you mentioned part time, helping to edit and translate some English articles, as well as writing a blog. Most of the blogs haven’t been put up yet. Have to agree with you about there being too many blogs in Chinese. Lots of other teething problems at the moment, though I think it will be a useful site as things get fine tuned.
BTW, it’s not backed by Hanban, just a private company working out of the Beijing Language and Culture University (though not affiliated with the university). I think the live interactive lessons will be useful for students, especially those overseas, and as more podcasts are added it might be a good alternative for those people wanting to hear more standard Mandarin than the southern Chinese found on Chinesepod. At the same time, I have to say that I think Chinesepod is a good web site which benefits from its focus on one particular method of learning.
If anyone has any constructive comments or criticism you can send them to me at: ruzzlebot@yahoo.com
I’m also looking for any stories that people have talking about their experiences in China to post on the site.
July 12, 2006 @ 8:34 pm | Comment
5
By azmatic
Hi,
Have been reading your blog for some time, though don’t usually post comments. I’m working at the website you mentioned part time, helping to edit and translate some English articles, as well as writing a blog. Most of the blogs haven’t been put up yet. Have to agree with you about there being too many blogs in Chinese. Lots of other teething problems at the moment, though I think it will be a useful site as things get fine tuned.
BTW, it’s not backed by Hanban, just a private company working out of the Beijing Language and Culture University (though not affiliated with the university). I think the live interactive lessons will be useful for students, especially those overseas, and as more podcasts are added it might be a good alternative for those people wanting to hear more standard Mandarin than the southern Chinese found on Chinesepod. At the same time, I have to say that I think Chinesepod is a good web site which benefits from its focus on one particular method of learning.
If anyone has any constructive comments or criticism you can send them to me at: ruzzlebot@yahoo.com
I’m also looking for any stories that people have talking about their experiences in China to post on the site.
July 12, 2006 @ 8:35 pm | Comment
6
By azmatic
Sorry I posted twice by accident thinking the first one didn’t work, as the computer said it couldn’t load the page. The link to the Free Hao Wu website won’t work on my computer either, is that blocked in Beijing?
July 12, 2006 @ 8:44 pm | Comment
7
By Ken Carroll
Hi,
Thus far, the Linese site is more for show than for true content. Nor does it have a working business model. In this light, Linese is unlikely to threaten Chinesepod right now.
We’ve been invited to join Linese in a broader collaboration. I’ll be happy to pass on more information when we confirm the details.
I think azmatic’s comments suggest that there is something wrong with the Mandarin spoken on ChinesePod and that the method somehow lacks depth. Both suggestions are inaccurate. (Obviously he sees ChinesePod as a competitor.) I don’t know on what authority he makes these claims, but I’d be happy to debate him on them at any time.
July 14, 2006 @ 2:20 am | Comment
8
By chris(mandarin_student)
I sense a bit of confusion over so called correct Chinese. Beijing Chinese seems to carry the weight of political power and influence and is correct in that sense. Also a lot of learning material uses Beijing style Mandarin (presumably for similar reasons).
However I also understand that Southern Chinese is actually usually more technically correct. This seems to be supported by my Chinese friend who was raised in Beijing and admits that he often fudges tones in multi-syallable words etc. where a Southerner wouldn’t. He also pointed out that anyone who spoke authentic Northern style (with even more fudging than he thought appropriate) would be unlikely to get a job on TV or Radio.
I actually prefer to learn yidian nali etc and then learn yidiar nar etc. as a later alternative.
Linese has a long, long way to go. I found some interesting kids rhymes on there, the idioms bemused me however as they focused on the cultural origin. Where were the examples I need of the use of the idioms in modern language ?? (now I have an idom with a nice story and no idea what to do with it).
The whole flavour of the site is too cultural at the moment and the English is often missing just where I need it.
The nearest thing to a podcast I found, had a long way to go by Chinesepod standards.
July 14, 2006 @ 7:54 am | Comment
9
By richard
Ken, good to hear from you. I’m a huge fan of Chinese Pod and a paying subscriber (though I need to renew – why don’t you send out emails warning us when our subscription’s about to expire?).
July 14, 2006 @ 10:17 am | Comment
10
By Ken Carroll
Chris,
Beijing pronunciation certainly has the cachet of authority or status. As far as correctness is concerned, a well educated speaker from anywhere in China can certainly speak ‘correctly’.
Richard,
I’m happy to hear that you’re a ChinesePod person. Your suggestion is also a smart one.
I’ll try to drop by more often. Peking Duck is a real force in the blogosphere in this part of the world. Well done.
July 14, 2006 @ 9:52 pm | Comment
11
By azmatic
I wasn’t trying to suggest that Chinesepod lacks depth at all, if you read my comments I said that I thought it’s a good web site. I actually started listening to your podcasts long before working for Linese.com and at that time I found the southern accents problematic. For example, pronouncing zhengzhi as zhenzhi etc. I’m certainly not the first person to raise this issue, it’s been discussed at length on other forums such as Sinosplice and toshuo.com.
I think some of your comments also suggest you see Linese.com as a potential competitor. I don’t think this is likely, because as you say, the site has a long way to go, and I also think the two web sites are trying to do different things.
July 15, 2006 @ 7:12 am | Comment
12
By I learn Chinese
Hello,
I’d like to share this website that helps learn Chinese online : http://www.clearchinese.com. It includes free Chinese lessons, an easy-to-use Chinese-English dictionary, free Chinese fonts, a discussion forum, daily mp3 lessons and more. If you want to learn Chinese on your own, then this is for you.
Good luck 🙂
October 13, 2006 @ 11:19 pm | Comment