Is Chinese taking over as the universal language?

Is Mandarin becoming the universal language over English? Maybe not yet, but much of the world does speak Mandarin, especially considering that China's population is already one-sixth of the world. That does not include all the Chinese diaspora all over the world!

This article tells us that Lao villagers may not have much money, but education is a priority. What is more important is that, to the average Lao parent, learning Mandarin is more important than learning English. Considering what a great influence China has on Lao economy, what Lao parents are doing is probably wise. After all, China is a huge market both domestically and internationally.

A Malaysian businessman in Vietnam told me that he sent his children to a Taiwanese international school and gave them extra lessons in English. He felt that English and Mandarin (or Chinese) were essential to their ability to succeed in life. Today, his son is studying in America and his daughter has just completed her time in Europe. She is also learning French.

Every parent wants the best education for his children. In today's fast-changing and fast-moving global economy, it looks likely that Chinese is catching up with English as the universal language of the business world. Thousands in China attend classes to learn English. Chinese students are all over the world in the quest to get ahead.

In South Korea alone, there are 80,000 students from China studying there. A Chinese pastor living in Seoul commented that sometimes he thought he was in China, rather than in South Korea. All around him he would hear Chinese being spoken.

While knowing one language is good, being bilingual or even multilingual is even better. Effective communication is a fact of life. We all want to avoid misunderstandings. Being able to communicate in another language helps cut down the risk of miscommunication. Knowing Chinese will help you communicate with much of the world! Why not start learning Chinese today?

You can find many different packages to learn Mandarin here.

Have fun learning Chinese!

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Learn dialect, connect with the older generation

There must be something about speaking the language of our ancestors that makes us feel complete. Is a language only about communicating with another person, or is there more to it?

I wrote about young people wanting to revive Chinese dialects in Singapore. Some time back, I had commented on an article about the language of our ancestors being able to touch our hearts. Today's article is about a young man who started making children's picture books for two Chinese dialects (Hokkien and Cantonese) that are commonly spoken in Singapore. What started as a fun learning experience for his nephew, it has now become a small business of sorts. Anyone wanting to learn those dialects would have fun learning. After all, who doesn't like feeling like a child all over again?

What tickled me the most was the name of his website: Sibey Nostalgic. "Sibey" in Hokkien is an expression to mean "extremely". It is as colloquial as you can get. It's also very appropriate since the site sells books to teach you Hokkien, Cantonese and Teochew.

The best part about the books is not that they are available, but that you need to connect with someone who speaks the language fluently to learn the proper pronunciation. This is not a self-tutoring package. Instead, it is a family building, inter-generational package. Both children and adults can have fun with it. After all, language learning is meant to be fun!

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Bilingual children have better brain function

In general, learning anything at a young age means we learn faster and better. Language is no different. Whether a child is exposed to only one or multiple languages at home, the same rule applies. The child will pick up the language naturally and fluently, just as he hears it. An American family living in Asia for many years hired a Chinese nanny for their daughters as soon as each was born, when they were living in Beijing. The two girls speak Mandarin fluently. When asked when they started learning Mandarin, the older girl looked at her father puzzled. She learned Mandarin from the day she was born. By the time she started nursery school, she was already fluent, even though neither of her parents speak Mandarin.

Experts advocate starting a child on another language at age three. At that age, children learn by imitation, rather than by explanation. Grammar lessons come much later. By then, the child is already speaking and understanding fluently. Grammar rules simply reinforce what he already knows.

Now experts say that learning another language helps our brain function better. Bilingual adults can code-switch faster and do better on tasks that need concentration and flexibility. Switching between languages is a natural ability, rather than having to think of what to say in another language. Regardless, any way to get our brains to be more efficient is always welcome. Most people are always complaining about how forgetful they have become.

If you're thinking about starting your child on another language, you can try KidSpeak or Rosetta Stone. Both packages are designed for the child learner. Your child will have fun and learn very quickly.

Have fun learning a new language!

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KidSpeak - immerse your child in a new language

KidSpeak Language Learning Software is distributed by Transparent Language. It is designed for children aged 5-13 years. Nine languages are available but in Windows format only, even in Windows 98. This programme does not work in Mac.

Like Rosetta Stone, KidSpeak uses the immersion method to teach children. All activities are interactive and entertaining for children. There are games, puzzles, connect the dots, and songs to help children learn correct pronunciation, alphabet, word recognition, simple sentence structure, plural and singular forms, numbers, etc. A cartoon character is the teacher. No English is used at all, but English can be shown by a click of the mouse.

The younger the child, the faster he will pick up the language. The activity sheets can be printed as another option, instead of point and click on the screen. While children will pick up the language quickly, they will merely be introduced to the new language, rather than be fluent in it by the end of the CD pack. There are no tests or evaluation to tell the parent how well the child has progressed. The entire premise of the package is fun and entertainment.

Depending on the learning style of the child, he may either find this frustrating, boring or fun.

Frustrating because there is no English used at all. He may be in tears due to the lack of understanding.
Boring because the graphics and games are old fashioned. Remember, you can use this on Windows 98 and later versions of Windows.
Fun because it is all fun and games with songs included.

Overall, it is reasonably priced for a starter package. It costs a fraction of Rosetta Stone, with similar teaching style. If you want to try it out on your child without spending a lot of money, get KidSpeak.

Have fun learning a new language!

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Farm-bred insects - just not the same!

Insects? Ewww! That's the standard answer you'd probably get from a western person. Western educated Asians will probably give you the same response. Then you actually go to Asia and find that insects are really good food! Sometimes, they are considered a delicacy to be savoured, thus paying a high price for bugs that run all over your dirty home. Haha

Well, in today's world that is saturated with gourmet food, Thailand has decided that they will fill the hunger for exotic insects. So instead of farmers catching the insects in the wild and cooking them (thus the supply is entirely subject to weather conditions and availability of insects scuttling around), they've decided to create insect farms. Now, ants are cultivated for food. Breeding them must have become a science.

Now the western person who is daring enough to try insects does not have to worry about hygiene. Farm-bred insects are clean, aren't they?

True, but as with farm-bred poultry, the meat just does not taste the same as those caught in the wild. We Asians like free-range chicken, skinny, small in size, tough meat, but oh so tasty! Sooner or later, I think those who have tasted wild insects will not enjoy the farm-bred ones. They just aren't as tasty. Ditto for frogs. The wild ones have sweeter meat.

Having said all that, fried spiders anyone?

Get a book on cross-cultural learning and living today!

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Tell Me More software - helps you learn more

Tell Me More language learning software is less well known than Rosetta Stone, but it is considered one of the top of the line packages available today. Available in nine languages, the entire package is interactive and well done. They even offer English as a Second Language for non-English speakers.

Priced similar to Fluenz and Rosetta Stone, it is not cheap, but offers a comprehensive language learning lesson in a box. There are various levels of lessons to choose from: beginner to advanced. I tried out the beginner lessons, since I know almost no French.

From the first word, you will learn to speak, read and write French. The only problem is there is no explanation on the French alphabet or pronunciation. Somehow, the "teacher" expects you to know which letter with the correct symbol to choose. I got it correct for the greetings, but I imagine that spelling will get more difficult as the lessons progress. If you don't explain the alphabet to me, how can I learn to spell correctly? For that matter, my pronunciation will also be affected as I don't know how to sound out each letter.

In each part of the lesson there is audio and pictures, along with the written sentences. What is puzzling is I am expected to guess the correct sentence when I've only been taught one of the sentences and not the others. You can right click on the word to get the pronunciation and translation into English, but simply by looking at the picture, you could end up with the wrong answer. Once you have clicked on the answer, a "Check Your Answer" box pops up. Click on the box to see if you got it right. If you did not, a yellow "Show Solution" box will pop up to show you the correct answer. Once you have got the correct answer, a green box will pop up to tell you you're correct and can move on to the next part of the lesson.

The software is interactive, so there is a voice recording function to record your voice and play it back. In both the native speaker's pronunciation and yours, the wave forms will be shown. I didn't find this useful as I have no idea how to interpret the wave form and adjust my pronunciation accordingly. The software will tell you on a coloured scale if your pronunciation meets the minimum standard. If it's blue, you have to keep repeating till it turns green before you can carry on. I found the Adobe Flash microphone a pain. It worked well on single syllable words but failed to pick up the first syllable in multi-syllable words. I had to speak loudly for it to pick up my voice. If I spoke too loudly, a box would pop up saying that there is a possible problem with my microphone. Word endings were not picked up either. I ended up getting fed up after about 3-4 attempts and moved on without "completing" that section.

At the end of the entire lesson, a graph will show how much of the lesson you have completed (meaning how much you got correct) and what lessons need to be repeated. The only problem is that when you click on "continue", it makes you repeat the entire lesson instead of allowing you to choose only those parts that you failed to get correct. I suppose if you're a serious learner of the language, repetition will help you remember.

Overall, Tell Me More language learning software is an excellent package. The beauty of this software lies in the fact that you can choose the language of instruction. If you don't know English, you can choose Chinese, Japanese, Italian, etc, as the medium of instruction, whereas Fluenz and Rosetta Stone are entirely from the English-speaker's standpoint. At the end of the entire set of lessons, you will have mastered the language you are learning. Well worth the money spent.

Have fun learning a language!

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Start language before age three

The Straits Times, Singapore, 11 June 2013

At the recent International Symposium on Bilingualisam held in Singapore, experts say that children learn language best before the age of three. To help them learn a language well at that young age, it is best to speak to the child in the language you are strongest in. If you speak in a language that you are not fluent in, the child will learn all your mistakes and be limited in his/her vocabulary.

At that age, the child is simply a sponge, not a thinking individual. What the experts advise is probably correct. I have heard of children growing up in a bilingual household from birth. One parent speaks to the child in one language and the other parent speaks to the child in another language. As the child grows up, he will speak to either parent in the language he has heard out of that parent's mouth from birth. He becomes effectively bilingual without even realising that he is so.

Miracle? Not really. It's just how we're wired, I suppose. My Filipino friends have lived in Vietnam for many years. Both speak Vietnamese fluently. When their two children were born in Vietnam, they decided to speak English at home, instead of Tagalog, their native language. The children picked up Vietnamese from their domestic help and local friends. When it was time for school, the mother began an uphill battle to teach them Filipino (the national language of The Philippines, known locally as Tagalog). I suppose to their young minds, they saw no need to learn their native language when they live in Vietnam and mix around local people, not Filipinos. Hiring a Filipino teacher to teach them didn't help the process. Should the parents have made a different decision? Only parents can make that decision, not anyone else.

My aunt and uncle bought many DVDs to teach children Mandarin for their granddaughter who has heard nothing but English since birth. The little girl had no interest in watching Mandarin lessons, preferring to watch DVDs on ballet and orchestra performances. One day, she suddenly pointed to one of the Mandarin DVDs and asked to watch it. That was the point of no return. At 10 now, she attends Mandarin lessons once a week and can write quite a few Chinese characters from memory, including her own name. While she may never be fluent since her home environment is purely English-speaking, she has an interest that could be pursued more aggressively in the near future.

If you want your child to be exposed to more than just one language or culture, start early. You may not know another language, but you can use children's DVDs, picture books, or even introduce your child to a foreign friend in your neighbourbood to get started. A whole world awaits you out there!

Happy learning a new language!

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"Human Japanese" - Sensei in a Box

Human Japanese 2.0
Human Japanese: This simple, affordable package to teach you Japanese is really a very good deal. 40 lessons are included in this package. It is excellent for the English speaking, absolute beginner or someone who needs a refresher course in Japanese. I took Japanese in university and never ever used it again. I can still read the Hiragana and Katakana characters, but my vocabulary is close to non-existent now. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this package reminded me of what has been hidden in the recesses of my mind. I enjoyed every lesson.

So what do you get anyway? The first lesson covers pronunciation. You can click on a word under "foreigner" and it will pronounce the word in an American accent. Click on the "native" and you will get the correct pronunciation. All voices are native Japanese. There is no voice recorder or playback for you to check your pronunciation, but that is about the only drawback of this package. After pronunciation is explained, we move on to handwriting. As with all Japanese classes, we begin with Hiragana, one of the three character sets used in Japanese writing.

I appreciated the tip to use a wooden pencil and square-lined paper to practice writing each character. It really does make a difference to the beginner who is used to writing the English alphabet and not drawing foreign characters. There is a story of a Japanese man who refused to marry a lady because she had poor handwriting. Beautiful handwriting is important to the Japanese, so little tips like this will help you be more accepted in Japanese society.

As you learn to write, you will also learn grammar, as explained from an English grammar point of view. Each part of the sentence is taken apart and explained in detail. This is vital because Japanese grammar is nothing like that of English. The verbs are at the end of the sentence. Tenses and verb forms are all at the end. As suggested in the lesson, do not try to understand Japanese grammar with English glasses on. Just learn it as it is. Learning will be much easier.

At the end of each lesson is a fun quiz to help you remember the lesson and reinforce what you have just learned. Each answer you input has a Japanese voice telling you if you are correct or wrong. Since you may not know what the voice is saying, it can be puzzling, but you'll get the hang of it after a few correct or wrong answers. That's all part of the immersion process.

On the side panel of every page is a search bar to look up any words in the lesson. The useful feature is like having a dictionary handy while going through the lesson.

A bonus to this package is the chapters on Japanese culture. These are inserted after every few lessons. Part of learning a language is learning a new culture. Every small detail is explained clearly, assuming you know nothing of Japan before embarking on this package. Little nuggets like this make the lessons come alive. It could also relieve the stress or boredom of handwriting and grammar.

However, do note that the approach to all lessons comes from the American point of view. Some analogies used are typically American, which the non-American may not understand or be familiar with. While I am exposed to American culture a lot, there were some examples that I could not relate to at all. If you can get past these minor irritations, this package is really a very good deal. The software is user friendly. Tech support responds immediately to questions. Photos are nice. Voices are clear. It is just like having a personal Japanese tutor, except that this is a teacher in a box. As with every language learning package, you can use other packages like Pimsleur to supplement your learning.

Learning Japanese will be a fun and successful experience!

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Keep repeating, it'll stick in your head eventually

Repetition is the mother of learning.

I don't know if that was ever said by anyone famous, but it's a phrase that's stuck in my head for years. If we repeat something often enough, we'll learn. Here's another version:

Practice makes perfect.

This truth applies to learning anything: language, skill, habit, schoolwork, geography, you name it. People say this to me often: "Oh, you're a linguist!" or "You have a natural flair for languages." Well, maybe or maybe not. If you asked any of my classmates from school, they'll laugh out loud in your face over that statement. One of my classmates told me her best memory of me in school was hiding a storybook inside my Chinese textbook and reading during Chinese class! Another classmate remarked recently, "Since when did you start speaking Malay?! You never took Malay in school! Now you're spouting Malay all over!"

They're both right. I was atrocious at anything other than English in school. I scraped through Chinese exams annually. I had a wonderful Taiwanese housewife who gave me a love for Chinese when I was 13 years old, but sadly, by that time, I was so far behind to be able to catch up and do well in Chinese.

I don't know when languages became easier for me, but I can honestly say that every language I've learned took hard work. Lots of repetition. Many, many nights of words floating in my head as I slept. Many mornings I woke up with foreign words running around in my mind, refusing to let me rest. This is why I firmly believe in the above two cliches. Repetition does allow for learning.

This is why I like this blog post Men need to hear things twice by my friend, Lloyd Estrada. He's talking about how men hear things and process them. Well, Lloyd and his wife, Dahl, are now fairly fluent Spanish speakers, having been at the language for a year now. Obviously, they had lots of repetition practice!

There is no substitute for plain hard work. Do you want to learn a language? Well, get moving!

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. (Chinese saying)

Happy learning a language!

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Invite me or force me?

If you invite me to do something, do I have a choice to say 'yes' or 'no'? If the question is in English, the answer would be a definite "Yes, you have a choice". After all, you didn't say that I had to do it. I can always choose to say "no" if I don't feel like it or it is not convenient.

However, I have discovered this may not be true in other languages. I found that in two Asian languages (Khmer and Indonesian), when you say you are inviting someone to do something, it is simply being polite. In some instances, the thing you are invited to do is compulsory. Huh? I have reacted in one of two ways: frustration or laughter.

Let me give you examples of what I mean:
I was on a bus going from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The bus company is a Cambodian one, so the bus attendant gave instructions in both Khmer and English. As we approached the border crossing, the Attendant stood in front of the bus to give us passengers instructions when crossing the border. He was polite in saying in English: "When the bus stops at the border, you are invited to get off the bus and get your passport stamped at the checkpoint..." He repeated the same instructions in Khmer. Since I understand both English and Khmer, I knew that the English was simply a literal translation of the Khmer. Since I was sitting in the front row, I had to do all that I could to stop myself from bursting out laughing!

Why? Every passenger has to get off the bus to get his passport stamped at the border crossing. We have no choice! I was relating the story to my Filipino friends living in Phnom Penh, and they promptly burst out laughing when I got to "you are invited to get off the bus". If we don't have a choice in the matter, don't "invite" us, tell us politely!

Example 2: Each month, I receive an email and a phone text message informing me of the monthly meeting I must attend. The opening line always reads: "You are invited to the monthly Workers' Prayer Meeting ..." At the end of the email and the text message, this line appears: "Attendance is compulsory." When I first started receiving these messages, I was flabbergasted! As in the example above, my reaction was, "What do you mean 'invite' me then tell me that I have to go?!" The next reaction became frustration. The ones who crafted the messages are Indonesians who have varying levels of English proficiency. My Indonesian friend laughed at me. She explained that the use of the word "invite" in Indonesian denotes politeness. Yes, well, if used in English, it takes on an entirely different connotation! My last retort was that they need to study English all over again.

What's the problem here? We simply speak the foreign language in exactly the same way we would our native language. We literally translate the sentence in our heads, then speak it out, thinking it is correct. Wrong move! No two languages are exactly alike. We need to learn a language well enough to speak it the way it should be spoken. No word for word translations. Misunderstanding results when we think we know what we are saying but have actually unintentionally communicated the wrong message.

So what should the instructions or email/text message read in English?

When we arrive at the border crossing, please get off the bus and have your passport stamped by the Immigration Officer before boarding the bus again.

Kindly note that the monthly Workers' Prayer Meeting will be held as follows: (date, time, venue). Please note that attendance is compulsory.

At the end of the day, we're not all perfect. Learning is lifelong. Let's learn to laugh at ourselves and enjoy the learning journey! We'll get there someday.

Have fun learning a language!

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Learn Vietnamese fast

Are you an expatriate living and working in Vietnam? Or are you living among many Vietnamese immigrants in Europe or America? Maybe you're like me with many Vietnamese friends studying in your country. Wouldn't it be nice to communicate with the Vietnamese in their own language? I think so!

This book with CDs sold separately is excellent. Vietnamese for Beginners: Second Edition is exactly what it promises. It is for people who know very little Vietnamese or none at all. At the end of the course of self-study, you will be able to speak, listen, read and write Vietnamese!

This is the only Vietnamese self-study package that teaches southern Vietnamese language. As you listen to the audio CDs, the instructor will make distinctions between the northern and southern words and pronunciation. This is useful since people in different parts of Vietnam have different pronunciations and accents. Depending on whom you speak to, opinions are divided as to which accent is the accurate one. I think what's more important is that you are understood by the locals, rather than be concerned about being "proper".

Lessons focus on sounds, tones and alphabet. Southern Vietnamese grammar is clearly explained with exercises to reinforce learning. It helps that the author is an American living in Ho Chi Minh City. His approach is simple and clear. It is also a very affordable package for both the book and the CDs, which are sold separately, as compared to Rosetta Stone.

Rosetta Stone's and Talk Now's Vietnamese packages are entirely northern accent and usage. Both packages can be a heavy investment if you are just starting out wanting to "get by" in Vietnamese. If you are around southern Vietnamese and wanting to communicate with them, Rosetta Stone will not help you. It could also alienate you from the people you are trying to befriend, since deep-seated feelings exist among Vietnamese from the north and the south. Learning a language is not just about being able to communicate; it is also embracing a new culture. The cultural lesson will take a lifetime to learn and understand.

As with learning any language, you may wish to use two different packages at the same time to speed up learning. If you're that kind of learner, then you can use Pimsleur with Vietnamese for Beginners. Pimsleur is also an audio with book package that will get you speaking fast.

Enjoy learning Vietnamese! The tones may make you stumble at first, but you will have fun!

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Go ahead and laugh. I'll get fluent soon!

Taken hostage by the English language
My Filipino friend living in Costa Rica has encountered many funny instances of getting words with similar sounds mixed up. While he has written more about his own journey of learning Spanish and having to use this newly learned language to preach the Gospel and speak publicly about his work, this piece is about a Spanish-speaker learning English. I had such a good laugh reading his post.

I've been there and done that, though not in Spanish. I've had so many Cambodian friends laugh at me because I've mispronounced a word. These young people, many of them my students, would laugh out loud in my face. Thankfully, I had many other slightly older young people who patiently corrected me till I got fluent. Learning a language takes a lot of hard work and humility, maybe even humiliation, depending on how you look at it. However, the more effort and practice you put in, the better you get at it. The rewards of being able to communicate freely in another language are immeasurable.

Summer in the northern hemisphere is just around the corner. Many will start planning summer holidays soon. Some may even visit another country or visit a place that has a completely different culture from your own e.g. visiting Chinatown in San Francisco, or Little Italy in New York City. Why not immerse yourself in the experience by learning some words or phrases of that people group before you go? You'll make new friends a lot faster and endear yourself to a new culture.

Plan your summer holiday well! Learn a language to get the most out of your holiday experience!

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Get immersed and talking fast with Instant Immersion

Instant Immersion Spanish Instant Immersion language learning software is available in over 100 languages, including some native American languages, not just major languages of the world. Each language is "taught" by a native speaker, so you get to hear correct pronunciation as you learn. There are three levels for Spanish. Each level comprises 3 discs and a workbook. If you buy the Deluxe set, you get three bonus discs with the package. Each package comes with an interactive DVD and MP3 discs that you can transfer to your iPod or iPhone to play on the go.

This software is best for the beginner who wants to pick up conversational skills quickly. If you are going to Spain, then the Spanish package is good for you because it teaches Spanish from Spain, not Latin America. The use of flash cards, conversation with a native speaker, and a video game to enforce learning, work together to help you learn through repetition and practice. The only drawback is that there is no grammar instruction, which may not bother you, depending on how you learn.

As you listen to the pronunciation, you can record your voice and play it back to hear how you sound, as compared to the native speaker. The "checking" component is wave form and pitch contour which can be adjusted to strict or lenient. For those who can't seem to hear the differences in tones and sounds, this system is very good to help you get the right pronunciation. As you converse with the computer, you are learning quickly general phrases and questions that will help the general or business learner of Spanish. The variety and mixture of topics appeals to learners of all ages.

The audio and visual lessons present information in a variety of ways. Each activity can be customised for the particular age group. In short, you can tweak the software to learn in your own way. This is a bonus, since each person learns differently. You choose what works best for you.

There is no space to get bored as the approach to teaching changes as you get used to the same method. Your mind will not have a chance to wander off. This makes learning fun and interesting.

The best part about Instant Immersion is the price. This costs a fraction of Rosetta Stone and Fluenz. It is affordable and helps you get started quickly. Of course, all three packages, plus Pimsleur, can be used in conjunction with each other. If you want to learn fast, then get all the packages and immerse yourself in every way possible. Sometimes the way to learn is to jump in with two feet.

Whichever way you learn best, enjoy the process! Learning language is fun! Fun Language Tools

Get better at English daily

Improving English is lifelong

English teachers have been lamenting the rapid decline in the quality of spoken and written English among adults. Social media, text messaging, messaging software or applications do not help the process. In an effort to squeeze everything into 140 characters or less and do it quickly, we end up typing some sort of understandable gibberish that masquerades as English.

That spills over into formal writing e.g. business letters and formal email communication. Microsoft Word provides an auto spell checker and some grammar checks. These are useful to ensure that we have at least got the basics correct, but a computer cannot check clarity, style and content. You still need a human being to help you, preferably one who is as good as or better than you are at English.

Then there are many who say, "I'm done with school." In other words, I do not need to learn anything anymore. I know it all. If a young person said this, we'd all frown at the arrogance of youth. If an older person said this, we would be more accepting of the statement. Both of them need help, regardless of age and education.

The Speak Good English Movement in Singapore works very hard to get the population improving their standard of English, whatever age you may be. For 2013, they will be launching a lifelong learning drive to make working adults improve their command of English. Tough as this may be, it is worth a try.

I have to admit that I don't always get it right. I type fairly quickly, but often I don't read my sentence again. I'm in a hurry, so I click "send" without a second thought. Wrong move. I end up realising that I could have said it better. Do my friends care? Not really. Social media doesn't bother if you write in gibberish or proper grammar. Getting the message out is the goal, not proper language use.

We are never too old to learn anything. I'm still trying to be more fluent in the languages I already know. It isn't easy when I lack practice with native speakers. It doesn't help that native speakers tend to use slang, colloquialism or slur the pronunciation of words. I have trouble enough learning the proper words, let alone the vernacular of the area. I am making progress. I make myself make progress. That's part of the fun in the learning process.

If you already speak and write English, good for you. Don't stop there. Take a tip from the Speak Good English Movement. Make it your daily goal to get better at it. One new thing a day is a step forward in the right direction.

Here's to lifelong improvement!

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Are you an audio learner? Use Pimsleur

Pimsleur German language

Pimsleur is one of the top selling language learning software packages available in the market today. It was developed by Dr Pimsleur himself, who is a linguist. The success story of Pimsleur is that this package is used by the US government to train its officers in foreign languages so that they can serve effectively overseas. So, why not extend it to the general public?

The approach is a simple three steps: learn, review, engage. All lessons are audio-based at 30 minutes per lesson. Up to four users are allowed with one purchase. It comes in CD or MP3 format. There are games and audio flashcards in the package. The beauty of Pimsleur is you can take your lesson with you on the go: in the car, while riding a bus or a train, or even a bicycle. No computer is required. At 30 minutes a day, you will be speaking and understanding very quickly.

50 languages are available to choose. Each lesson is based on a drill, so the words and phrases will stick in your head for a long, long time, simply because you have to repeat them over and over again. Each new word or phrase builds on or incorporates the previous one learned, so there is little chance you will forget what you learned yesterday or the week before. It is excellent for the absolute beginner in the language of your choice. It works best for the audio learner, not someone who needs to "see it to remember it".

I tried out the free Mandarin lesson online. The instructors are native speakers. That is a plus. However, Mandarin is a tonal language. A wrong tone will result in either not making any sense whatsoever, or saying something completely different. If you are tone deaf, you will never be able to differentiate between the tones. The only explanations that the instructor gives is, "Notice the rising and falling tone". Frankly, if you are an absolute beginner, you may never even have realised there were tones to begin with.

Then comes the learner's pronunciation. Since the lessons are all audio-based, there is no interaction with the software or instructor. This means there is no way to check if I am pronouncing the words correctly or not. It baffles me why the marketer's voice says, "Your pronunciation will be exceptional!" Really? How will I know?

Now comes the actual content of Lesson 1 for the Beginner. Pimsleur translates the spoken English language into Chinese as 英文. Technically, this is not correct. 文 is used for the written language. 语 is used for the spoken language. So, the question: "Do you speak English?" should be translated as "你会说英语吗？" rather than "你会说英文吗？“

Since the lessons are focused only on conversational Mandarin for China, it makes sense to use the Mainland China's translation of Mandarin, which is 普通话, instead of 华语 (South-East Asia) or 国语 (Taiwan) or 汉语 (some parts of China), depending on which part of the Chinese-speaking world you come from. For the written form, Chinese language is translated as 中文 or 华文.

No language learning package is perfect. It all depends on how you best learn a language. Some reviews said they never got past very simple phrases that did not allow them to survive as a tourist in a foreign land. Others said they were speaking in no time at all, as short as two weeks. My recommendation is to use a combination of several packages (Fluenz or Rosetta Stone or some simple child's DVD or book) to get the full exposure to every kind of learning method. This way, you will really be speaking like a native in no time at all. The goal is to learn, not criticise the instructor.

Have fun learning a new language! It will open doors to cultures you never dreamed existed!

Fun Language Tools

Fluenz to get fluent

Fluenz Language Learning Software

Fluenz is considered one of the luxury brands of language learning software available in the market today. Six languages are currently available, with more being added at a slow pace. This move is deliberate as each language offered has been carefully researched and pulled apart before the curriculum is designed for the English speaker who is learning the new language.

The instructor for each language offered uses a different approach for each language. Fluenz does not assume that the way to learn every language is the same. Each instructor has put in great effort to learn the language himself/herself. They do not claim to be perfect, native speakers. The goal of Fluenz is simply to get you communicating orally with a native speaker as quickly as possible.

Here's an example of a Mandarin lesson: The lesson is about ordering a drink at a restaurant. The conversation begins with simple greetings and then Lisa orders coffee and water. As you listen to the spoken words, the Hanyu Pinyin or official pronunciation guide appears on the screen. No Chinese characters are used in the lessons, as the focus is on conversation, not reading and writing.

Go through teach short lesson at least three times or until you are comfortable with speaking each phrase. After that, the instructor comes on to break down each phrase word by word and translates each word into English. She also explains the sentence structure and grammar from an English standpoint. This way you can use the individual words in your own sentence later on.

Once that part of the lesson is learned, then comes the review. Here's a screenshot of the review section:


Repetition is the best way to learn a language well. Somehow the correct word order will automatically pop up in my head when the time comes to use it. So this is a tried and true method of learning to speak a language well.

Very soon, you will be able to order food and get around in China on your own. Once you are hooked, you can go for the Pimsleur Series and use it together with Fluenz to go full on in learning Mandarin.

Get started today with a package from Fun Language Tools!

Happy learning!

Fun Language Tools

Just say it like you think it

Tamil language education still going strong

There are many ways to teach and learn a language. Some insist on 100% immersion into the language without the use of any other language to explain the words or grammar. The theory is that if you get thrown into the deep end of the pool, you will somehow learn to swim to survive.

Others say that you learn best when everything in the new language is explained using your native language, so you fully understand what is going on and how the new language works. Some disagree with this method, saying that you end up not learning anything because you rely entirely on your native language, using it as a crutch to fall back on too often.

The article above is a study of school children learning Tamil, a Southern Indian language. Both the theories I stated earlier are shown to be wrong. School children in Singapore are taught Tamil as a second language. They may get stuck on a word, but if they use English, Chinese or Malay to fill in the blank, they are not penalised. In reality, the children end up learning and speaking more Tamil this way than if they were forced to speak only Tamil. I think the children get excited if they are given a chance to express themselves without fear of being reprimanded if they make a mistake or use a foreign word in a sentence. After all, it is better for them to speak up than not at all.

I tell all my students who are learning any language that they need to have "thick skin" to learn. Go ahead and keep talking. Don't be afraid of saying the wrong thing. Someone will correct you along the way, and you learn something new very quickly. Say it in the way you think is right, mixed with other languages. You will learn very quickly.

Have fun learning languages!

Fun Language Tools

Computer - no match for human mind

Office Stuff aka Supplies

Office Stuff, Office Staff; Office Manage, Office Manager

Small difference in spelling, big difference in meaning. Two employees in my previous office had to complete forms. In the "Position" section, one wrote "Office Stuff". The other wrote "Office Manage". Both of them were advanced learners of English. Today, they are fluent. No one in the office (not even the foreign supervisor), noticed the errors in spelling. I did.

When I pointed it out, we all had a really good laugh. The "Office Stuff" had become part of the furniture and supplies in the office, since he didn't seem to think he was a "Staff", or human being working there. The other one wasn't as funny, but still, he wrote down a function, rather than a position.

Another friend recently wrote that he was going into the jungle to search for "staff". He was a learner of English and has now become a teacher. I told him I didn't think he was going to find "Staff" in the jungle. He got the drift. He was going to look for "stuff". He, too, had a laugh over his mistake.

In these cases mentioned, auto-correct had nothing to do with the errors. They were simply human oversight. While computers are a great asset to our working life, they cannot replace the human mind. After all, humans created computers, not the other way around.

My three friends have learned English well through hard work and much practice. I salute them! May we all follow their example and learn a new language today!

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What's a Peeking Tom?

Peeping Tom

My Caucasian friend with a Chinese husband shared a cute remark that her husband made: "I suspect in that building across from us there are many peeking toms".

That got me thinking. What's the difference between "peep" and "peek"? So, here's what I found:
Peek: look quickly, typically in a furtive manner
Peep: look quickly and furtively at something, especially through a narrow opening

Slight difference between the two words. No wonder they're called "Peeping Toms" and not "Peeking Toms". Peeping Toms are peering through a narrow opening, while a Peeking Tom could be looking from a distance or from around a corner. All that said, my friend's husband is not wrong in his word usage. After all, if a man is looking across a building into someone's hotel room, it isn't a narrow opening! He might never get caught either, being that he's so far away.

The English language is full of phrases and sayings that easily confuse the learner. I've been speaking and writing English all my life, yet I still find out new meanings of phrases, like this one mentioned above. Sometimes it takes a non-native speaker to make our speech and language all the more colourful. So, let's colour our world with our unique brand of English!

Enjoy your language learning journey!

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Eat till it hurts and stay fat

Nike t-shirt I was walking through a mall on Saturday morning when I saw a rather large man with an equally large woman standing in the middle of the walkway eating fast food. They had on matching t-shirts (the one in the picture), shorts and sports shoes. I almost took a photo, but that would be rude. So, I continued on my way, making a mental note for today's blog post.

No Pain, No Gain

I've always heard this phrase used for exercise or sport. If you don't work out hard enough (and hence experience pain), you won't gain muscle mass, agility, strength, ... and whatever else you should to improve your physical fitness. As slightly tubby friends slog it out in the gym, us so-called friends will "motivate" them by saying, "Hey, no pain, no gain. Keep at it." This cute line is supposed to make them stay on the road to a 6-pack or hourglass figure.

Well, as I looked at this couple, I thought to myself, "How ironic!" The combination of being overweight, eating fast food and wearing this shirt was too funny for me. If you don't eat junk food till your stomach hurts (No Pain), then you won't get to my size (No Gain). So, no matter how much I exercise (note: they were wearing running shoes), I still need to eat high fat food to maintain or gain weight. Ha!

Whichever way you interpret this slogan, the fact remains that if you don't experience pain in learning anything, you will not gain knowledge and experience. The same goes with learning a language. The more pain you experience in trying to get the pronunciation, spelling, grammar, etc right, the more you will gain. You will be well on your way to communicating with a people and learning about their culture.

Whether you like it or not, all learning involves some measure of pain. The more pain, the more you gain! And have some fun in the process. The results are well worth the effort.

Learn a new language today!

Fun Language Tools