Learning Chinese by watching Chinese movie and listening to Chinese song

[kenthoang28]

Have you ever learned Chinese by watching Chinese movie and Chinese music?

I have been learned Chinese by that way and it helps me alot to improve my Chinese. You are able to learn new worlds and how to pronounce exactly. Some Chinese songs are really easy to addicted such as Ting Ma De Hua ( Jay Chou), The Moon represents my heart ( Teresa Teng)....

I learn Chinese by that way. Hows about you?

[mareebaybay]

I try to learn Japanese sometimes by watching Anime. Watching Anime can teach you a lot about languages, because it is interesting and it is actually something I will pay attention to.

[linguaholic]

Studying Chinese by listening to Chinese music is somewhat problematic. Why? Well that's simple: Chinese is a tonal language and it is very crucial that you get the tones right as different tones = different meaning. So the problem is pretty straight-forward: while singing, the tones are neglected (obviously) and therefore I hold the view that it is really difficult to learn from Chinese songs, especially if you are a beginner. If your level is intermediate, things look a little bit better and you might be able to  learn some new vocabulary from songs. Still, it is not a very effective method to learn Chinese (at least not in my opinion!).

[Baburra]

I took Chinese classes for most of my childhood, and I learned the language that way. I'm slowly forgetting more bits and pieces of it by the day now, though, since I rarely ever use it, but the basic knowledge is still intact. I think it's alright to learn by songs and movies, but to really get the whole essence of it and to learn the proper structures (i.e. taking it more seriously), it might be best to learn through taking a class. It's a lot more fun and a lot easier when you have classmates to practice and learn with.

[Miya]

Studying Chinese by listening to Chinese music is somewhat problematic. Why? Well that's simple: Chinese is a tonal language and it is very crucial that you get the tones right as different tones = different meaning. So the problem is pretty straight-forward: while singing, the tones are neglected (obviously) and therefore I hold the view that it is really difficult to learn from Chinese songs, especially if you are a beginner. If your level is intermediate, things look a little bit better and you might be able to  learn some new vocabulary from songs. Still, it is not a very effective method to learn Chinese (at least not in my opinion!).

Are the tones neglected all the time or are you referring to a specific singer/song?

I'm not good with tones, but when I listen to Chinese music I can still tell the words apart. Like 想 (Xiǎng) doesn't become 象 (Xiàng) for me. But maybe it's because my native is Cantonese so I have an advantage.

@ kenthoang28 - You know what would help even more? If you follow along the lyrics while you listen to the music. That way, you'll also recognize the characters that show up in the song.

[pandandesign]

I'm not sure about music, but watching Chinese movies sure help you improve your Chinese. For me, I read books in Chinese language, which is the most effectively way to learn Chinese. I remember when I was little, I read a lot of Chinese storybooks, which helped me learn Chinese quicker. I think watching Chinese TV shows is a better option to learn Chinese, as well as learning from the characters.