How Do You Speak & Write Chinese?
Proper pronunciation is perhaps the most important part of learning Chinese, whether you are learning Mandarin or Cantonese. But, of course, in order to properly learn a language, you must master its written form, too. Listen to a string of Chinese words and phrases being pronounced. Rent a Chinese-language movie and do not pay attention to the subtitles. Chinese takes special concentration because differentiating between its words’ meanings is all in the tone of your voice. Pronunciation is everything. Go to Chinese sites on the Internet to take in the basic aesthetic of Chinese writing and get a feel for how Chinese characters look. Learn the “pinyin” spelling system. The People’s Republic of China fashioned this phonetic spelling system in the 1950s. It adopts the Roman alphabet to transliterate Chinese words. That is, pinyin is the phonetic spelling of Chinese with Roman characters. It runs horizontally from left to right–like English. Study the distinct Chinese “tones.” Tone is o
