Three Meaningful Mini-Conversations to Learn Mandarin Chinese

Last time, I wrote about learning (and teaching) Mandarin through meaningful conversations, not through parroting. I found the Kico Chinese website and found some meaningful flashcards. I would like to share the flashcards. I really criticized the way old Chinese education was done. Yes, those old Chinese textbooks that I passed through can't be used to teach Mandarin (read why here). Instead, we can use this method to start learning Chinese vocabulary using conversational methods. This is where the memorization of the answers to the bon toi (question) can become more meaningful.

The three are sample flashcards for the memorization of the answers to the bon toi. However, it would be necessary to actually discuss vocabulary. One of the biggest constraints of memorization of bon toi was for people with no Chinese background or not fluent in Hokkien. I confess that my Hokkien isn't fluent and I got labeled as "huan-a gong". Huan-a is often used for Filipino though it was also used to refer to Taiwanese aborigines. Speaking of which, a DNA test of the Amis tribe proves that the Taiwanese tribes are linked to Malaysian and Indonesian. Most Filipinos are either of Malaysian or Indonesian descent.

However, as Mandarin Chinese becomes more and more important in the world market, accessibility is very important. No one can learn Chinese by just memorizing what can't be understood. That's the main reason why I hated Chinese language class and having been born ethnic Chinese in the Philippines. Looking at these flashcards, old schoolers can say, "Well, you're just spoiling people!" Not quite, since a difficult task should be cut into manageable phases. Building a house is difficult but don't make it difficult for the sake of difficult. The proper tools are needed. The same goes for learning another language. Don't make the task too difficult. That's why I even am in favor of abolishing Zhuyin entirely in Taiwan.

This might be a good way to start learning Chinese. Of course, take time to dissect the vocabulary and the grammar. That would make memorization of bon tois far more meaningful.

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