Why learning Chinese is easier in Year of the Ox

A worker

displays an ox-shaped lantern inside a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jan. 2, 2009.

(Chinese media/Chong Voon Chung)
Photo

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BEIJING, Jan. 5 -- Britney Spears wants to stop

biting her nails, Cameron Diaz wants to stop smoking and start wearing a bra,

and I want to speak Chinese. We all have different New Year's resolutions and

maybe in 2009 there's a few expats who will share my wish.

If any expat is planning to stay around for a while,

then they must seriously consider having a go at learning the local lingo. But

it's a 2-3-year commitment, and if you don't plan to hang around, a 3-month

burst of enthusiasm isn't enough.

At the start, the Chinese language beginner spends

most of the time in the dark and this is very frustrating. A teacher told me it

took about 800 hours of concentrated listening for the brain to become familiar

with the sound of the Chinese language, with the intonations and tones. This

effort did not include all the memorizing and speaking work. All up, it takes

about 2,000 hours of hard study - that's 15 hours a week for 3 years.

Learning putonghua is a long winding road, and I've

trudged down this bumpy path a fair bit over the past 18 months, but I reckon

2009, the Year of the Ox, is the year the miracle will happen. This year is the

perfect time to learn the world's most difficult language because the Ox is the

sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work.

I've been living in China for two and half years and

unlike many of my Mandarin-mad mates, who hit the books and flashed the flash

cards immediately on arrival, I was a late starter. For the first year, I was

just happy to be here.

In fact, I read an interesting report that claimed a

man or a woman living in a new country could enjoy a 25 percent boost to their

wellbeing and outlook in life. According to the theory, and depending on the

individual, a new expat's senses receive additional stimulation because

everything is new. The buzz heightened "wellbeing" levels, which could stay

forever. Our work colleagues, the neighbors, the local shops, the food, the

restaurants, the bars, the clubs and everything else were all brand new and

these new sights and sounds could energize an open-minded visitor. A kid

visiting a park experienced the same sensation.

The research proved true for me because at first, I

was happy every day. I woke each morning, looked out the window onto the streets

of Beijing, and thought: "How cool, I'm living in China."

I felt this enthusiasm for about five months until

the arrival of winter, which chilled my outlook. However, although my mood and

enthusiasm for China dropped a fraction, I was still feeling more positive about

life than when I first arrived.

But about one year into my China mission, I really

hit the skids. My mood nose-dived significantly because I felt totally isolated

from 99.9 percent of the people living here.

It happened when I was holidaying in that fantastic

historic town of Lijiang, in Yunnan province. It is a marvelous place, but I

couldn't speak to anyone, and they couldn't speak to me. My 100 words were not

enough.

I actually quit my China Daily job and told my bosses

I needed to go to language school full-time. A compromise was made, and they

gave me time off work to study. For the past 18 months I have averaged

one-on-one study, 12 hours a week - and I still can't speak very well. But I

know more than 2,500 words and could go back to Lijiang and have a much better

time. I'm half way down the road.

My listening is much better than my speaking, but as

soon as people start speaking quickly (i.e. normal), I'm lost. Chinese

television is still mystery. I normally experience a 5-second delay before I

comprehend a little bit of what's being said. But I still watch TV and still

focus. I need those 800 hours, and I've racked up about 500.

But a learner does have some wonderful moments of

clarity on the path, and this happens to me every few months. The four tones

actually start sounding different, new words learnt weeks before leap to mind,

and even some of those strange squiggly lines make sense.

If you want to learn Chinese and work a busy job,

like many of us expats do, the road will be longer, but this mission is not

impossible.

According to Chinese astrology, the Ox works hard,

patiently, and methodically, with original intelligence and reflective thought.

Behind this tenacious, laboring, and self-sacrificing exterior lies an active

mind.

(Source: China Daily)