Customer Reviews:
A Very Fine Chinese Textbook.......2007-07-30
My travels to China inspired me to begin learning Chinese. I just completed this beginning text with my native Chinese tutor, and I cannot believe how much I have learned! This book presents the language in a well-structured method, offering grammar, vocabulary, sentence patterns, review exercises and cultural notes. The accompanying CDs ensure correct pronunciation and a chance to develop your ear for the spoken language. In my opinion, the book has everything! I can already carry on a little conversation in Chinese. Now it is on to the intermediate book in the same series!
Text Ok, CD's Terrible.......2007-04-06
This text book is okay, but not stellar as far as language texts go. There doesn't seem to be enough practice dialogue or examples of how the words are used in everyday conversation. It just needs to be fleshed out a little - the information is too sparse. The accompanying CD's, however, are TERRIBLE. They rush through the words and conversation with no pause at all, so you have no time to even figure out what they are saying, much less try to repeat it yourself. There is no repetition either. I don't use the CD's at all anymore - they're useless.
Very nice book.......2007-03-28
I just got this book and am pleased with the presentation and the CD's. It is for the absolute beginner, which is great! However if you are accustomed to "learn in your car" style language series, you will either be disappointed or at the very least, surprised.
The book is written with the idea that it is used in a classroom setting, which for undisciplined learners may be frustrating. It also assumes that you have a firm grasp on the technical details of the English language, so if you struggled in high school English with things like verbs, adverbs, participles, sentence structure, etc. you will probably find the discussion frustrating.
The CD is intended to be listened to while you read the chapter exercises. It's not a pronunciation CD; personally I read the lesson with it, and later just turn the CD on in the background at work so that I can get used to hearing the language. Again, BEGINNER Chinese. You aren't going to be an expert speaker at this level, you just need to learn the foundations of the language and the sounds. To that end, this book is great.
It's a great introductory book that is inexpensive, and by the end of it you will know if you want to continue studying the Chinese language.
Excellent tool for learning Mandarin.......2007-03-15
I have been teaching Mandarin Chinese for years and this book is one of the best Mandarin textbooks I have seen. It is easy to understand, and also includes useful vocabulary, grammar, and cultural notes in each lesson. Along with the book, there are 2 audio CDs with recordings of the dialogues from the book. I highly recommend it.
Excellent learning tool.......2007-02-07
Yong Ho does a superb job of presenting both the written and verbal language in this "basic chinese" guide book and audio CD's. I agree with all of the positive reviews thus far, as well as a few of the negative ones. For the price, the value of this book to someone learning mandarin chinese is indispensible. Let me add some additional comments:
- There is no "fluff" in this book. It's basic, simple, and (most importantly) well organized. Sure it's not 100% perfect, but good enough.
- It's a small and light book - perfect for traveling.
- I agree that first 15 pages is technical but if you are serious about learning this language it is very relevant material and well written. Who says you have to read it first? Just skip it and go directly to Chapter 1.
- The language points and insights added to the learning experience and value of this golden book.
- The audio CD's were clear and perfectly usable. Tracks 1-3 of CD#2 does indeed not match page 151. The vowels were "hidden" next to page i (Intro)
Customer Reviews:
Stimulating and fun way to review conversational Chinese.......2007-10-08
This package of Text Book and CDs for use at home and in car, bus, train, jet, boat - wherever you can play CDs - is clean, fun and efficient. You'll get warmed up on conversational topics painlessly and effectively.
Not a great way to get Character review, but a good package for speaking fluently and idiomatically.
10 X Better Than Last Version.......2007-09-26
For students who tried the first version of LL Mandarin, this latest is far superior (both to the original LL and competitors).
First, it now had grammar fully integrated into the course. So, as you proceed thru the course, you get a clear understanding of basic Chinese grammatical constructs.
Second, it now has a separate set of CD's that are designed for book-free learning - i.e. listen while you drive. It would be helpful if the publisher included the text for this section, but it is fairly easy to follow without one.
Worth the money - better than anything else I've seen on the market...
A very good book.......2007-09-15
A very good book for a beginner. You'll get to know some useful phrases and the grammar behind it.
Great program with some minor drawbacks.......2007-08-03
I've been using Ultimate Mandarin Chinese for about three months now, and have gotten through about two-thirds of the course. The recordings are very clear, the book is very simple (no graphics or fancy stuff), but with comprehensive grammar explanations, some homework, and lots of useful dialogs and vocabulary.
If you complete the book and learn every lesson well, you can expect to be at the mid-intermediate level of speaking/understanding. You will know about 1500-2000 words, and you will be able to discuss pretty much any subject, although nothing in much depth. You'll also have a slight Beijing accent, and you'll have some brief exposure to Chinese daily life customs, and mainland Chinese culture. The book does not cover the southern accent or Taiwanese/Singaporean/etc. culture.
Although the book is marketed as beginner-intermediate, it moves very quickly. By lesson 15, the dialogs are spoken at a very fast, conversational pace, and the vocabulary starts to become specialized far beyond the standard tourist fare. The dialogs are excellent for listening comprehension because of the speed, while the vocabulary is pretty extensive. The book is also very grammar heavy, which serves as an excellent complement to Pimsleur Comprehensive Mandarin, which is heavy on speaking skills, but not grammar.
Where the course suffers, however, is in the voice actors, the editing, and the lack of writing. One of the male voice actors has a terrible, nearly incomprehensible accent that sounds awkward and foreign (he is the male speaker in Lesson 15), and each of the lessons that he's featured on is rather painful to the ear. I suspect that is not a native speaker of Mandarin and that, moreover, he is not a trained voice actor. Secondly, the editing of the text is rather poor--there are a number of typos, mostly with tone marks. Thirdly, the course is written almost entirely in pinyin, with only about 200-300 characters in the whole book. I have gotten around this problem by transcribing the pinyin into MSWord IME with the appropriate Simplified Characters, but this is a bit of a hassle, especially given the number of Chinese homonyms.
Overall, I think this is a great course, especially when used in conjunction with other materials (i.e., Pimsleur, Chinese in a Flash cards). With the inclusion of Hanzi and some edits, I think it could be even better. I don't think that it's the ultimate one-stop-shop for Mandarin language learning, but it is certainly worth the price and more.
Extremely helpful.......2007-03-18
I bought this product a few months ago and started learning on my own. I wanted to up the amount I was learning, so I began taking weekly lessons with a Chinese instructor. She was amazed at how much I had learned in such a short time. It helped with the vocabulary and pronounciation. I now use both and have doubled my learning ability. I needed to do this, as I only have a short time to learn. For someone who is not in such a hurry, this product is perfect!
Book Description
The Oxford Beginner's Chinese Dictionary is a brand new guide to learning Chinese. Designed specifically for English-speaking adult learners who are either learning from scratch or refreshing lost language skills, it offers an easy to use dictionary, extra help with vocabulary, and essential information on living and interacting in the Chinese-speaking world. The dictionary is exceptionally easy to use, because it moves away from the traditional dictionary layout. All main translations are preceded by an equals sign so that they are instantly identifiable, and all parts of the entry are spelt out in full, avoiding confusing jargon and abbreviations. Grammar and usage notes throughout the text warn of possible translation pitfalls, and thousands of example phrases show how the language is used in context. The 30-page Learning and Lifestyle kit gives key information on both the Chinese language, with a list of the words you really need to know, grammar help, and verb tables, and on life in the Chinese-speaking world: background information on lifestyle and culture, tips on etiquette and interaction in the language, and a phrasefinder for use when travelling. The Oxford Beginner's Chinese Dictionary is your essential companion to learning Chinese.
Customer Reviews:
Helpful product.......2007-10-06
This dictionary is very useful if you're looking to translate from Chinese to English... the only thing is that you should be familiarized with pinyin. Translating written Chinese with this dictionary is basically impossible.
Simplified Characters.......2007-08-23
This is an excellent dictionary if you are learning from Pinyin and not learning to read Chinese. However, if you need Chinese characters, you should be aware that the book uses simplified characters. That would be fine for some people and places, but NOT if you're studying in Taiwan as we are at the moment since Taiwan uses traditional characters only.
Oxford Beginner Chinese Dictionary.......2007-04-06
This is a very good dictionary for the beginner's level. The presentation is clear and pleasant, the explanation and examples direct, easy to understand and relevant. I particularly like the boxes. I wish the authors will expand it into a more advanced edition, following the same principles. The use of pinyin is certainly a plus.
Outstanding.......2006-10-21
If you are an english speaker trying to learn Chinese this is one book that you need. It is incredibly useful and well done. Oxford added enough new features that this dictionary is worth it even if you own the previous version (Starter's Dictionary).
There are many other resources for the beginner that one could debate which ones to buy. This one will complement any other resource that you choose to use.
Book Description
Learn to write and speak Cantonese as only native speakers can. Lively lessons are clear and free from jargon and are illustrated by examples in context. The book incorporates a variety of fluency exercises, supplemented by audio and visual materials, and uses a well-known transcription system throughout.
This paperback in the Colloquial Language Learning Series is available individually or as part of a pack. For more information, please refer to the cassette pack listing for this language.
Customer Reviews:
Great Course - Highly Recommended but not the easiest to get into if you know NO cantonese at first........2006-12-03
I bought this system AFTER purchasing and using the Pimsleur language system and practiced both systems at the same time and found that an excellent way to pick up the language. The pace of these lessons goes quickly and the speed is a conversational speed so it is extremely helpful to have a small familiarity with the language to really excel with this course. My family is from Canton and my grandmother was my tutor as well. I would have her listen to both language courses and she as a native speaker felt much more confident with this course than the Pimsleur course, which tends to teach more formal speech. I highly recommend it. Especially a good tool if you live near a Chinatown like I do and want to be able to order food or buy items and use your conversation for everyday tasks.
Great Beginner Book.......2003-07-22
This is a good book if you really want to learn the language and have alot of time. It organizes everything by subject (time, shopping, etc.) with a list of vocabulary and dialogues. There are complete translations for any new phrases, plus they explain grammar so you really understand what you are saying and can apply it later on with new words you learn. The exercises are a little difficult until you really have a handle on the new words and phrases. You may not like this if you are going to Hong Kong and want to learn fast. This also teaches Hong Kong dialect, so there are some differences from Mainland Cantonese (my boyfriend's family is from Canton) but there is nothing that won't be understood anyway. It really explains the tones and I have been told by native speakers that my pronounciation is very good.
Difficult to understand!.......2002-06-30
I didn't know anything cantonese when I picked up this book and tape set, and like another reviewer, after having spent quite some time with it all I remember is the word mango (an English cognate). I eventually gave up in frustration mainly because I couldn't figure out how to pronounce the words; They're book includes a pronunciation key that is frustatingly useless. If you still want to try it, good luck with colloquial cantonese!
Great boot for beginners to intermediate.......2002-05-24
Of all the Cantonese books I've seen, I find this one to be clearly the best. No funky pinyin - this one is the same as found in most other Cantonese books - clear focus on spoken language only - don't even think of beginning to learn reading or writing with this ! - but very practical, progressive, pedagogical and clear, modern and even (sometimes) funny !
Great boot for beginners to intermediate.......2002-05-24
Of all the Cantonese books I've seen, I find this one to be clearly the best. No funky pinyin - this one is the same as found in most other Cantonese books - clear focus on spoken language only - don't even think of beginning to learn reading or writing with this ! - but very practical, progressive, pedagogical and clear, modern and even (sometimes) funny !
Book Description
Now learning non-Roman-alphabet languages is as easy as A-B-C!
Readers wanting to learn the basics of reading and writing a new language that employs script will find all they need in the Teach Yourself Beginner's Script series. Each book includes a step-by-step introduction to reading and writing in a new language as well as tips and practice exercises to build learners' skills. Thanks to the experts at Teach Yourself, script will no longer be all "Greek" to language learners--unless of course, it is Greek script! Teach Yourself Beginner's Script series books feature:
- Origins of the language
- A systematic approach to mastering the script
- Lots of "hands-on" exercises and activities
- Practical examples from real-life situations
Customer Reviews:
The best way to learn.......2007-05-23
It is one thing to learn Chinese in a classroom because you have to, it is another thing to learn Chinese because you want to learn it. Learning by route memorization is no match for learning by "going out" memorization. If you want to spend years learning enough Chinese to read a Chinese book, but in the meantime, if what you really want to do is go out into a Chinese community and find your way around, there is no other better way to do it then by reading this book. I use it when I'm in China where I am all alone with no guide, and it is tremendously helpful. I can't read a newspaper yet, but a newspaper isn't for communicating to other people with or getting around town by yourself. Besides, in China, people are more interested in your social skills then your know-it-all skills.
Thought provoking and basic concepts........2006-05-31
This book is basically to introduce the concepts of Chinese script.
If you are new to Chinese, just starting out, I would recommend this book.
Because Chinese script does not have a direct correlation to speaking as western languages do. Chinese dialects are more different than French and Spanish are different in terms of speaking. But, interestingly, they use the same characters in all the dialects for script. Thus they are called dialects instead of languages. (Although the Chinese dialects are spoken differently like different languages, they use the same written symbols.) Because of this nature, some people prefer to learn Chinese script writing and reading seperately from speaking.
For example one may choose to learn speaking by using the Pimsleaur excellant audio course and afterwards learn Chinese script. Or one could learn speech by using Pinyin, using a western alphabit.
Or it may be that you just want to learn to read and write Chinese.
This book is an inexpensive easy place to start to get a feel for Chinese script. By its self this book will not make you literate in Chinese. It is just a starting place to understand the concepts of Chinese language script.
The authors' methodology is to ask questions that you probably won't be able to answer, to get you to think about the concepts and then goes on to expalin the reasoning.
If you are curious about Chinese script, just want to get a feel for how it works, and don't want to spend a lot of money; then I would recommend this book for you.
The one problem I had with this book is that sometimes the characters are printed too small to see all the strokes. The strokes sort of blend in togeather.
To be literate in Chinese script, you will need to purchase more advanced books.
Upside down book - very unhelpful.......2005-10-10
I am in Beijing at the moment, working and trying to learn the language and although I don't normally write reivews I was moved to by the sheer illogical nature of this book. The characters are put alongside the English definitions without pinyin to help with the pronunciation! What is the point in learning characters if you can't vocalise them?
I cant imagine that there is anyone who wants to learn chinese script without being able to speak first or practice their learning by speaking?!! Even if you want to write first then it would be a good and logical learning tool to be able to learn the sound at the same time as writing the character!!!
Very poor!.......2005-04-13
As someone whos family is 1/2 Chinese, and who understands a little Cantonese I found this book almost impenetrable! As early as page 4 it asks you to 'remember' things it never told you! By page 10 the average western reader will have resigned this volume to propping up a wobbly fridge, Which is about as useful as this book will EVER be to it's stated target audience.....
I learned more about reading Chinese from my 6-Y/O niece who attends Chinese School!
Presumaby Ms Scurfield understands A Chinese language (which one? I wonder!) and logic better than she does English! to the beginner in Chinese this is worse than useless. To those who might have learned a little of one of the spoken Chinese languages...... Well it didn't help me; and I CAN hold my own in Cantonese!
Don't waste your money; why they spared ink on this is beyond me!
A lot reading, few writing.......2004-06-22
When I bought this book, I was hoping I could learn how to read AND write Chinese characters, but this book did not achieve this goal. The book only dedicates one chapter for writing Chinese characters and hardly gives the stroke order of other characters in later chapters. Also, it never shows you the written forms of characters which can be different from the computer typed forms. The book is also very overwhelming by presenting a lot of characters in a short period of time. The only logic I see to this is developing your reading skills, which is good. That's why I give this book three stars. However, when I tried to write the characters, it was very difficult. One last thing I do not like about the book is that it only presents simplified characters. It is necessary to learn both Simplified and Traditional Characters in order to understand Chinese, since Traditional characters are becoming more popular lately. A good book for learnig how to write both Simplified and Traditional Characters is 250 Essential Chinese Characters for every day use (Volumes 1 and 2)By Philip Yungkin Lee.
Book Description
This paperback in the Colloquial Language Learning Series is available individually or as part of a pack. For more information, please refer to the cassette pack listing for this language.
Customer Reviews:
Simple and humorous.......2006-08-26
It's easy to learn from this text and it's organized in a way that's very easy to follow (it's not too difficult to learn Mandarin anyway, since it only uses 4 tones). Unfortunately, some of the language in the book is outdated but the passages are quite humorous and therefore easy to memorize to help you build your confidence in speaking the language. If you want to learn how to read and write, get the corresponding full-form character workbook (shows you the simplified form of characters also). Also recommended: Pocket Oxford Chinese dictionary.
O.K. but not on its own.......2005-09-26
This book offers some insights into the language one would otherwise not be aware of. Those little thinhs one only knows by actually living within the country of the language. However, without the audio CDs or cassetts it is not worth studying. Learning to pronounce words incorrectly creates a speach base that then becomes difficult to overcome. I reccommend it...but get the audio that is offered with it.
Excellent if you know how to use it.......2001-02-10
"Colloquial Chinese" (the older version) is an excellent Mandarin primer, as long as you are aware of its limitations and have a plan for supplementing it. The only real problem with this book is that it uses a lot of Maoist scenarios that were relevant in the early eighties but are now rather comical. Once chapter, for example, talks about going to visit the Clear Mountain People's Commune. Although this will not help you much in China today it is only a minor setback.
To make this series work, I suggest you do two things. First, get the supplementary character text book, as this one only uses the Pyin Yin romanization system. Second, get a tutor, or conversation partner, or someone to help you out. Not only will that person help you learn the material, but the chances are he/she will give you more updated, contextual information to supplement the lessons.
Other than that, this is an excellent book. If you stick with the lessons and listen to the tapes you will develop a foundation in Mandarin.
solid, traditional course for the long-term learner.......2000-06-01
This is a strong course for the motivated learner keen to get a solid grounding in the basics of Mandarin Chinese grammar and vocabulary in order to continue their studies at a higher level. Someone who is more interested in quickly learning situational language and useful phrases for travelling or for business would be better served by a different course more focused on their particular needs since the vocabulary given in this one is quite general.
There's another book with the same title and publisher, but by a different author (K Qian). That book is simpler and more suitable for the casual learner wanting to learn Chinese for travelling, but it doesn't reach as high a level of Chinese as this one. But then again, neither is it as hard going!
Back to this one: there are no Chinese characters in the book. To learn these, it would be useful to buy the companion chinese character version of the book, which gives all the texts and grammatical pattern sentences, but not the grammar explanations, in Chinese characters and teaches you how to write the 700 plus characters introduced. That's available only directly from the authors I think. Unfortunately, there aren't any cassette tapes currently available for this book so it's not really suitable for someone learning completely by themselves unless they already have a good knowledge of Mandarin Chinese pronunciation. Nor are the answers to the exercises given. So it's more suitable to use with a tutor or as supplementary reading for someone attending a chinese class.
I have two quibbles with the book. Firstly, the grammar explanations are a bit dryly written so they are not always easy to understand. Secondly, the lengths of the chapters vary too much. The first few lessons are quite short and concise (perhaps 20 new words get introduced) but by the end of the book, the number of new words given per chapter has ballooned to well over 100. So the later chapters are much more hard going than the earlier ones. The first point can be overcome by buying a set of good Chinese grammars, e.g. the books "Basic Chinese" and "Intermediate Chinese" by Yip and Rimmington and of course by asking your Chinese teacher!
If you include learning how to write, I think there's enough material in the book for 6 months of intensive study or a year for someone who wants to study more slowly (but still regularly).
After mastering the material in the book and learning the 500-700 associated characters, the learner is well-placed to go on to a lower-intermediate text, i.e. at the beginning 2nd year college level.
A very good, and actually colloquial, course.......1998-10-28
First off, this book is entirely written in Roman characters, not Chinese characters. It uses the standard Pinyin romanization developed in the PRC. Secondly, it seems quite complete. I'm now halfway through it, and it seems to be covering all basic syntax, and not just the introductions or phrases included in other introductions for popular audiences. I'm using it to review Chinese after having taken an intensive university course a year and a half ago. I'm finding it quite excellent for that purpose, getting me up to speed without the slowing burden of trying to read characters. I expect that next time I'm in China I'll do much better at speaking and understanding than last time.
Average customer rating:
- A little too simplistic
- fun little book
- Perfect Beginner Book
- My 4 year old loves it!
- If a Kid Can, I Can
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The Chinese Language for Beginners.
Lee Cooper
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ASIN: 0804809186 |
Customer Reviews:
A little too simplistic.......2007-08-12
This is a great book for small children, but not for anyone who cares to really learn Chinese. It is very interesting with some simple words and builds both characters and sentences. I thought is was helpful in gaining an understanding of how the language works and how characters are related. My biggest complaint is only the very small size and the small number of words you actually learn. If you want to get a flavor of Chinese and learn about 50 words, it's OK; for anything more serious, it is too simple.
fun little book.......2007-07-13
If you have any interest in the Chinese language, this is a fun book to start with. You will read a simple Chinese sentence easily in the first few pages. (You will appreciate this when you get to page 17, 'Man too much big') The author quickly introduces you to the basic components necessary to get started, some of which are not explained well or hidden in more sophisticated texts. Very fun to read!
Perfect Beginner Book.......2006-02-18
I was looking for a book to get me started learning Chinese, and this one was the least intimating of all the ones I found. It provides a good foundation for understanding how characters are drawn, gives instructions on reading multiple lines of characters, and introduces some basic vocabulary. The pictures are well-drawn and provide a little humor and entertainment while you try to learn the characters. It includes a story to help you test your newly-learned language skills.
I would recommend this to anyone who plans to start learning Chinese, and doesn't want a heavy, overwhelming textbook-type of study guide. It would also be great for children.
My 4 year old loves it!.......2005-11-15
My 4 yr old son wanted to learn Chinese. I can't remember why. We put him in Chinese school. The first half is writing Chinese. The second half is story and song time. My son reads and when he realized that the pictures wouldn't help him sound out the words, he got frustrated and wouldn't write in class or at home.
I found this book and the problem's solved. He really liked the story time in class and now he "sees" that each character in Chinese is a story. He loves writing Chinese now. I wish Lee Cooper had written a whole series. That is how helpfull this little book is. I don't speak Chinese and can't help my son with his homework. But I feel like I can help him with his writing now.
The 6" X 9" (-ish) book has 39 pages. 32 characters are covered and a few are combination characters. Right to left reading is covered. Three illustrated stories and a few picture stories are included. The illustrations are pencil drawings with an old fashion look. My son's favorite story is "The Big Man". The words "big", "man", and "too", are all related. The book lets you see how the characters have "root" characters inside them. This book made me feel like learning chinese could even happen for me. It also made me "see" the stories behind the characters. Now I can remember the characters better. They aren't just random lines. They are beautiful picture stories.
I got my copy for $6.95 at the Borders store.
If a Kid Can, I Can .......2005-02-12
This very basic Chinese primer was written for kids. However as I read through the pages, I realized that it was just my speed as well. Chinese had seemed too formidable because when it is spoken, it is a tonal language, and when it is written, it uses a new character for every word.
Lee Cooper starts out his book with the latter. Yes, each word has its own character, but there are some basic characters which are built upon to make other words. And the tones of saying the words are explained using a musical scale. Cooper then goes on to explain some of the basics of Chinese grammar.
By golly, I think I *could* learn Chinese!
Book Description
For those who find learning a new language daunting, the Teach Yourself Beginner's Language Series is just what the language teacher ordered. Each friendly and practical course introduces the new language without overwhelming the learner and includes:
- Lively dialogues and exercises
- A helpful pronunciation section
- Manageable lists of practical vocabulary
- A glossary of grammar terms
- Hints on how to make learning easy
- Fascinating language and cultural information
- Accompanying dialogue recordings on CD
Customer Reviews:
great on grammar, but weak on practice.......2000-06-25
The author is quite talented in the presentation of grammatical points. Her explanations of the structure of the language are intuitive and readable without being oversimplified or patronizing. This book contains a wealth of grammatical information, much more than other beginning books I have seen, and always clearly explained.
Unfortunately, the book and tapes together contain only a small fraction of the amount of excercises, conversations, and other reinforcement that would be necessary to support the amount of vocabulary & grammar presented. The tapes are good, with a steadily increasing pace, but you would need more of them to really get practice at listening. The readings are modern, friendly and interesting, but they are lacking in volume. Chapters 7-11 (out of 22) have such a high density of new vocabulary as to make the readings discouragingly difficult.
If used by itself, this book may not be the best for self-study. However, I would recommend it as a supplement to any course. If you are having trouble with technical points of grammar, this book might make it easier for you. If you are taking a self-study program which espouses the "conversation-only" approach and lacks the grammatical information so useful to an intelligent adult, this book will provide it. I plan to keep it close at hand as a reference.
Book Description
For those who find learning a new language daunting, Teach Yourself Beginner's Language series is just what the language teacher ordered. Each friendly and practical course introduces the new language without overwhelming the reader and includes:
- Lively dialogues and exercises
- A pronunciation section
- A vocabulary list
- A glossary of grammar terms
- Language and cultural information
Customer Reviews:
Needs Characters, but otherwise very good.......2005-09-01
I have used the Teach Yourself series for a number of languages and have been very happy with the results. As other reviewers have pointed out, this text desperately needs to have characters along with the pinyin. I incorporated that failing into the learning process by looking up every word with the Oxford University Press dictionary. But that was tedious at times. Although you can find most words with just the pinyin, proper nouns are especially difficult to transcribe with only a basic dictionary - and there are a lot of people and places in Beginner's Chinese.
The audio is a must. The track cuts out mid-sentence in Unit 4 (Saying how old you are). Apart from this minor glitch, the sound is good and the speakers are easy to understand.
If you are interested in learning how to read and write Chinese, you should get an additional text (Unit 11 gives a brief introduction).
The book is well organized and grammar/vocabulary prioritized around the needs of a beginning learner/traveler. The Teach Yourself series requires work, but is rewarding. Now that I have finished this text, I am working in Yong Ho's Intermediate Chinese (Hippocrene) and Schaum's Outlines. I am familiar with many of the grammar points and much of the vocabulary thanks to the Teach Yourself Beginner's Chinese.
A good book but would much better with an accompanying Chinese chaarcter text.......2005-06-29
The texbook is good and the audio is great. A small number of words were not translated.
What's missing is the Chinese character text - in fact I would buy this separately, if it was available. I am working on inputting all dialogs in Chinese characters. The learner should have this choice (at least at separate pages in the end of the book) and the vocabulary should have the Chinese characters as well.
Otherwise a great book - I give 4 out of 5.
Great for Newbies.......2004-06-26
Good teaching for early beginners of the language. Well-organized & easy to learn.
Great book to begin with!.......2003-10-15
I'm only about halfway (okay, not that far, even) through the book, and I've learned a lot. I've even had a couple of very short conversations with people in Chinese, and they've told me that I speak very well, so the book certainly does its job. The tapes are indispensible.
The book covers pronunciation and the different tones very well. I've got a lot left to read, but I'm very, very happy with the course over all! I WOULDN'T buy it, though, as a new, updated version is coming out in the U.S. in January, I believe. For more information on that, go to:
http://www.teachyourself.co.uk
Important!.......2001-10-05
I'm currently studying from this book, and it has been very helpful, and very thourough. However, I had a Mandarin speaking (yes, he's Chinese), friend of mine look at the book. He laughed. Most of the information is correct, but the usage of Ni and Nin (you informal and "formal") is very incorrect. My friend informed me that he has only using Nin once or twice with his parents, and only to suck up. Instead of being more formal, nin is more intimite. He showed me the difference in characters, and the only difference between the two is that nin has the symbol for the heart underneath! There are gross missuses of the word within the book, as in between a student and a teacher. My friend couldn't stop laughing! But other than that, the book is accurate...
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Intermediate Chinese with Audio CD
Chinese-English Frequency Dictionary: A Study Guide to Mandarin Chinese's 500 Most Frequently Used Words
Reading and Writing Chinese: A Guide to the Chinese Writing System
Schaum's Outline of Chinese Grammar
Reading & Writing Chinese: Simplified Character Edition
