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Hobbies as a language tool


abcdefg

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@ChTTay -- Maybe something you like to do back home is also available here in China.

 

Have to confess that I'm more fortunate than some in that I neither go to school full time nor work full time, thus have the leisure to investigate various hobbies, some of which turn out to be keepers and others of which turn out to be duds.

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Can't agree more, only actual functional use of the language makes you really learn it.

 

 

Not sure any of this would help me pass an exam, but it makes living here more fun.

 

In some cases passing a test may be needed to qualify for a training, job or whatever, tests however tend to be a poor proxy for language skills.  The simple fact that after years of language learning a few test specific training sessions and/or test taking strategy tips can make a big difference in results illustrates this.

 

Unless you have a specific need for taking an exam be it to qualify for something or boost motivation by showing your progress there is little reason to take them.

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I keep meaning to head over to the University and start playing football ("soccer") again but ... Just haven't. Would be a good, free way to meet a bunch of Chinese guys.

I wanted to get into bouldering but have never done it and can't find anyone who can introduce me to it either. There are a few outdoor walls around Haidian in or near the Universities.

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Ping-pong. I started a thread about it.

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/44484-chinese-learning-via-ping-pong/#comment-332679

I made two new Cantonese speaking friends this way (and could make more if I had any more friendship-energy). They now come to my home to play. We go out to eat, etc. Language exchange happens automatically.

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I recall your ping-pong report, @Querido. That was a great breakthrough.

 

Language exchange happens automatically.

 

That's a key point. The learning is not in an artificial environment, such as a classroom.

 

My Tai-chi teacher sometimes arranges for her two young grandsons to show up at the end of class and I practice English with them a little bit in return for her helping me one-to-one. She herself has no interest in learning English, so what we have is "skill exchange by proxy."

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To abcdefg: About odd skill exchanges - one of these Cantonese speaking friends has in mind that our friendship will help her keep her *Mandarin* fresh. !! Wah, can you imagine how potentially gratifying that feels to me?! And, they imagine that our interaction could be helpful to their son (who has has not yet shown as much inclination to study as they hope). They don't know anything about flashcard programs or about any of the materials and methods that we talk about here in the forum. I'll try to live up to their hopes!

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@Querido -- That must be gratifying -- to be considered a Mandarin resource.

 

@SiMaKe -- Thanks, but it was hard to miss out there in the Red Lands. Like shooting fish in a barrel.

 

They don't know anything about flashcard programs or about any of the materials and methods that we talk about here in the forum.

 

Not a soul in China knows these things. Not even university-trained teachers of Chinese as a foreign language. It's as though modern methods were being kept secret.

 

"Hot cutting-edge tips" for learning Chinese are still things like "Practice reading out loud when alone" and "Do the exercises over and over several time instead of just once."

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  • 2 weeks later...

Nah, every day i think of going down to Tsinghua to play football that afternoon. Usually end up taking a nap or reading the news instead.

Might try advertising on wechat.

I tried to find squash lessons (in Chinese) as i can't play but want to learn. I couldn't find anything.

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  • 6 months later...
"Hot cutting-edge tips" for learning Chinese are still things like "Practice reading out loud when alone" and "Do the exercises over and over several time instead of just once."

 

 

 

Really. The first morning I was ever in China back in the 1980s, I got up at 5am to go out running and every Chinese university student was huddled in some corner alone reading aloud, anything that was supposed to be read aloud. 

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