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Can Mandarin/English bilinguals recommend study materials for a Mandarin speaking English Learner? My Mandarin speaking friend has struggled with English for several years. She lives in the USA and has daily contact with native English speakers. I hope to eventually persuade her to try personal English instruction. For right now, I'm looking for good beginning student materials that she might try. Are you a native Mandarin speaker? What study materials did you find particularly effective in learning English? Can you recommend resources that an independent beginner can use effectively? All suggestions are appreciated.
Sep 30, 2014 6:09 PM
Answers · 2
Hi Michelle, I would say that you speak English natively if you learned it as a small child. Are you familiar with the mistakes Chinese speakers make when learning English? My friend makes all those mistakes. She's well into middle-age, with grown children, and moved to the USA several years ago, speaking no English. Her Chinese education predates the Chinese government's emphasis on English training. She doesn't understand pronouns properly, particularly he and she, and subject and object pronouns. She doesn't understand negation. The concept of verb conjugation is quite unexpected by a Chinese speaker if it has never been introduced in school. Her vocabulary is very limited. She doesn't use "to be". She doesn't use articles properly. She's had no formal training in English. I helped her start with Duolingo but the product is not ready and it is not adequate. It has been completely ineffective. "Me very no happy", she would say. My next idea is to find some effective self-study resources and try those. Then persuade her to upgrade her internet connection and try some individual coaching. I speak no Chinese so it is difficult for me to access, and judge the quality of, Chinese-based teaching materials. Thanks
October 1, 2014
I speak Mandarin/English but I was born and grew up in the US. I spoke Mandarin as my first language and learned English when I was a child. I believe I learned English through songs and nursery rhymes and hearing adults speak but nursery rhymes might be a bit childish if your friend is an adult. Although I don't know what it's like to learn English as an adult, I hope I can be of some assistance for your friend. What background does your friend have in English and what in particular is she struggling with? Is she a student or is she working? Has she had any English classes before? How long has she been learning? How old is she? This would help me get a better idea of suggesting something appropriate for her. If it's any help, my aunt was 24 years old when she immigrated to the US and learned English by watching sesame street with my cousin.
October 1, 2014
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