Hello, my learning project is to learn how to speak another language. The language I want to learn to speak is Mandarin which is the second most spoken language in the world. My starting point is that I only know how to say hello and count the numbers 1-10 in Mandarin.

One of the main reasons why I wanted to learn how to speak Mandarin is that I have been working with Luther College High School in the residence department in which I lived with students. I would like to connect with them more and be able to communicate with them even just a little bit in their language. I would also like to communicate with their parents as a way for me to meet them where they are as some of them are also trying their best to learn English.

I have always been fascinated with Chinese Culture also which is why I wanted to learn Mandarin. Coming from the Philippines, Chinese culture has their special place in the Philippines given that we also have long historical ties with our neighbour country,  China. Lastly, I have always been told that China is a beautiful country and so I have the intention to visit there someday and so I would like to treat this learning project as a preparation for me before going to visit China.

I understand the challenge this poses on me as the Language itself is not only one of the most widely spoken but also one of the hardest language to learn. I am excited to take up this challenge and I hope you are too so below is the outline that I want to follow to help me learn Mandarin.

Learning Mandarin Project Outline

1. Basic Vocabulary Building
   • Basic Greetings (Good Morning, Good afternoon, good Evening)
   • Expand Number vocabulary to 1-100.
   • Common Everyday words (Thank you, please, yes, no)
2. Focus On Pinyin and Pronunciation
   • Study Pinyin (Official Romanization system for Standard Mandarin)
   • Master Correct Pronunciation and tones for each Pinyin syllable.
   • Practice speaking and listening exercises.
3. Grammar FundamentalsLearn Essential sentence structures and word order in Mandarin
   • Understand basic grammar rules such as subject-verb-object order, sentence particles, and negation.
4. Practical Communication Skills
   • Practical conversational phrases for various everyday scenarios such as introductions, shopping and dining out.
   • Role-play dialogues to enhance speaking and listening abilities.
   • Engage with Mandarin speakers through language exchange or online communities to practice real-world conversations.
5. Reading and Writing
   • Start  learning Chinese characters (Hanzi) gradually, beginning with simple characters and commonly use radicals.
   • Practice writing characters stroke by strokes to improve my handwriting
   • Try reading simple text in Mandarin to enhance my reading comprehension. and vocabulary.
6. cultural immersion
   • talk to my dorm students more.
   • watch mandarin shows and songs
   • watch mandarin anime
7. Consistent Practice and Review
   • Practice with free apps and youtube videos.
   • practice with my dorm students.