Miya

I'm also someone who gets distracted really easily. Most of the time I am distracted by the internet :nerd: So whenever I have something I really really need to get done, I make a list for myself and then I unplug the internet (or turn off my computer) and just sit through until I complete all or most of my tasks. If I need to learn a grammar structure or memorize vocabulary, I make sure I have those DOWN before I allow myself back on the net. I feel that I work more efficiently when I have a "goal" to reach (to my computer back on). But of course, you also have to maintain interest in the subject if you want to do a good job. So basically, turn off all your distractions and set a goal for yourself. Working towards that goal will (hopefully) help you stay focus long enough to get some information in your head.

My professor also shared similar Kanji stories with my class when we first started studying Kanji. The one I remember the most is 男. 田 = rice fields, 力 = power. So 田 + 力 = 男 (otoko, man). It's interesting to see how the Kanjis are made, but personally I don't think it helps me remember the Kanji. I do like listening to the stories though

The correct way to write it is "a lot". "Alot" is considered incorrect so make sure you don't write that on your papers.

iqiyi also looks a lot better than tudou/youku and runs faster on my computer. If I can find my shows there, I might just start using iqiyi instead.

^Why don't you think it's necessary? If you ask me though, I think it depends. If I speak English and I don't plan to ever leave America and my job doesn't require me to speak a foreign language, then knowing just English would be enough. But let's say I'm a businesswoman traveling around the world every year to do business. In that case, it would probably be better for me to learn at least 2 foreign languages.

My major is Language Studies with a focus in Japanese I don't really like linguistics (I only like to learn different languages), but I have to take ling classes anyway to complete my major. I'm currently taking a ling class on social identity and I have also taken semantics, syntax (not just English syntax), and phonology.

Haha, I love reading about dragons such as 東海龍王 (Dragon king of the East Sea) in Chinese tales. Here are some more dragon idioms: 龍馬精神 (Lóng mǎ jīng shén) Direct translation: Energetic dragon & horse Meaning: to wish one good health 龍精虎猛 (Lóng jīng hǔ měng) Direct translation: Energetic like a dragon, brave as a tiger Meaning: to wish one good health 望子成龍 (Wàng zǐ chéng lóng) Direct translation: Hope for one's son to become a dragon Meaning: Hope one's son will become successful The first two are blessings you say during Chinese New Year. Both wish for good health and both have the Chinese character 'dragon' 龍 in it. As you can see, Chinese people really think positively of the dragon. Most of the idioms involving the "龍" character have a positive meaning.

Yup. In Japanese, there are lots of words that are written and pronounced the same. The only way to tell the difference is by context or by intonation.

Ooh I haven't heard of those before. I'll check them out when I have time I also really like the story of 牛郎織女 (The Story of the Cowheard and the Weaver Girl). This story is really popular so I think lots of people have heard of it before ^__^ Recently I have been reading about Chinese history and have taken a particular interest in 雍正帝 (Emperor Yongzheng) and 呂四娘 (Lu Si Niang)

I don't specifically know about any Chinese scholarships, but does your school have a study abroad program? Most study abroad programs will give you (generous) grants to study abroad. I had a friend who joined the study abroad program to go to Spain and she received a ton of money from the school to cover her costs. If your school does offer this program, maybe you should look into it

哇，你去過很多地方。 你喜歡吃什麼中國菜? 我最喜歡吃上海小籠包。我也喜歡吃北京烤鴨 。你有沒有去過台灣？台灣的珍珠奶茶真的好好味。如果有機會，你一定要試一試！

I don't know if this counts, but I learned English after immigrating to America . But it's not like I had a choice and I didn't purposely come to America to learn English. I've been wanting to study abroad though.. I really think being in a country and learning about all the culture helps language learning. Plus I'm sure my speaking and listening skills will improve if I'm around native speakers.

Those are great ones! Your dragon idioms also made me think of this dragon related one: 人中之龍 (Rén zhōng zhī lóng) Direct translation: The dragon among people Meaning: One who is outstanding or very skillful In the past when China still had kings, the kings would be described as 人中之龍 to prove that they are worthy of the throne.

If you can invite some of your students to join, that would be great! We don't really have a lot of activity in this part of the forum so any help would be appreciated. Recently, I have been reviewing my keigo and I understand it a little better now. I'm still a little shaky, but if I keep practicing, I think I'll get the hang of it.

Weirdly enough, my linguistic professor had this dicussion in class today. He said something about people living in West (I think it was West) Germany having an advantange when learning Dutch. So my question is... for those of you who know German and had an easy time learning Dutch, did you speak a dialect from West Germany? Or I guess what I'm trying to ask is -- do ALL German speakers have an easier time learning Dutch or only those who come from a specific region?

Oh okay, I see what you mean. I do agree that we should focus on language learning and I failed to realize that my suggestions would bring in more people who are not passionate about languages. As for the game section (if you do decide to start it), we would be able to play games in all languages right?

I got this idea from LauraM over at the English Idioms topic. Please post Chinese idioms related to animals in this thread. When posting, please provide the Chinese characters (traditional or simplified are both fine), pinyin, direct translation (if possible) and the meaning of the idiom. You can use this format or pick your own: Chinese characters (pinyin) Direct translation Meaning Here are a few I know: 一石二鳥 (Yī shí èr niǎo) Direct translation: to kill two birds with one stone Meaning: two accomplish two tasks in one action 馬馬虎虎 (mǎ mǎ hŭ hŭ) Direct translation: N/A Meaning: to do things carelessly 豬狗不如 (zhū gǒu bù rú) Direct translation: to be of lower status than a pig or a dog Meaning: used to describe people who do terrible things 對牛彈琴 (Duì niú tán qín) Direct translation: to play piano for a cow Meaning: talking to people that don't and won't understand you 雞犬不寧 (Jī quǎn bù níng) Direct translation: to make dogs and chickens feel uncomfortable Meaning: to cause trouble for one 打草驚蛇 (Dǎ cǎo jīng shé) Direct translation: hit the grass to scare the snake Meaning: to ruin one's plans

Here are some other common ones: Ants in your pants -- used to describe people who can't sit still Raining cats and dogs -- when it's raining super hard A wolf in a sheep's fur -- a person who looks nice, but is actually very mean or wicked. Eyes like a hawk -- someone with really good eyesight

JED is probably the best and most recommended app for Japanese dictonaires. I use it when I need a quick translation or when I need to know the correct stroke order for my Kanjis. When I'm on the computer though, I like to use http://jisho.org/. The page runs fast, it's easy to use, and it provides multiple translations when possible.

我有時都會聽日文演歌，但是我最喜歡是聽Jpop. 以前我會聽中文歌，不過想在對中文歌沒有什麼興趣。 你們又沒又去過中國。我是生在香港，小時候也去過台灣和上海。我下年想去中國旅行。

I actually just read something on this topic. No one actually thinks they have an accent in their native language because everyone thinks they speak in the standard and correct way. I don't know if I entirely agree with this statement, but I can see some truth to it.

It sucks that they don't teach cursive any more, but I can see why. I don't know anyone who actually uses cursive on a daily basis. Even signatures nowadays don't have to be in cursive. I remember back then signatures were in cursive and now they are just scribbles With the current technology boom, they might as well teach students how to type instead.

Other than using a textbook, I like to watch shows in the language I'm learning. When I was studying Japanese, I watched a bunch of Jdramas and listened to Jpop all day. And even though it's entertainment, it really helped a lot and I started to understand bits of what they were saying after a while. Another aid I use is the Language table at my school. Here, people who are studying (or know) the same language you are studying will gather and talk only in that language. I go to the Japanese language table to talk to people all the time and it really helps brush up my Japanese. So definitely use your friends and the people around you as resources. Of course in the end, I did buy a textbook. But watching entertainment videos and talking to other people definitely helped me build a stronger foundation for my studies.

我喜歡的樂隊是Coldplay, Green Day 和Adele。 我個人好少聽英文歌。我比較喜歡聽外國歌. 我最近好喜歡聽印尼歌。

I think I'm a mix between audio and read/writer learner. Maybe a little bit of visual too, but definitely not kinesthetic