Mandarin Chinese, spoken by over 730 million natives in Beijing and in other parts of China, is a very beautiful language. Not only are the characters a visual symbol of their meaning, the words themselves have interesting stories to tell of the country's very rich culture and dramatic history.
Now that China is becoming an economic superpower, learning Mandarin may open a lot of opportunities for you.
If you're starting to gain interest in the language, here are three effective tools.
1. Collins Chinese Language And Culture (Book)
This book talks about the Chinese culture while introducing the language. It paints the picture on how the massive country evolved along with its very rich, dynamic and artful language. Having a grasp of the country's literature will instill passion in you as you explore the language.
2. BBC Language Learning Guide - Mandarin (Website)
This well-developed platform is perfect for learners of all levels. Novices will appreciate the language introduction and the tone game while experts can master holiday phrases and other tools.
This app is very handy and useful. It will help you insert studying into your busy and on-the-go lifestyle.
The tool contains an array of brief modules from language basics such as nouns and pronouns to specialized topics such as numbers, shapes, food, nature and many others. Advanced learners may proceed to deeper topics such as business, real estate, geography and more.
The repeatable audio feature helps the student enhance his or her accent, as well.
The app is available for free on the Google Play store. You can also download all the modules so you can learn offline.
