I've studied languages my whole life, and been an English teacher for the past 6 years; so I have a pretty good idea about how to learn languages. Specifically, I'm an independent student and therefore have enjoyed the rise of various language learning software and mp3/podcast courses that I can follow at my own pace.
Why software? While books are great for visual learners and classrooms, I find it much more difficult to sit down and study; it is just too easy not to. If you stick with books, then you need to set a time and preferably pay for a tutor or standard classes. But this post isn't about books, so moving on, here are the following high-tech language learning courses to learn Chinese quickly:
1) Rosetta Stone
Rosetta stone is a computer program for learning languages that follows a "pick the right flashcard approach". Surprisingly, this format is very versatile and even fun. It's a little like playing a video game. First, they'll show you each card and you listen to the corresponding word or sentence. Some pictures are repeated, for example, they might show you "a cat", and later "the cat is on the bed", and finally, "the black cat on the bed is smaller than the ugly dog under the chair," etc.
Then, they'll repeat the word or sentence and you pick the right picture. The software will helpfully keep track of your mistakes, and recycle lessons you need to work on. They even have voice recognition software built in that analyzes your pronunciation.
The drawbacks of Rosetta Stone are also it's strengths: it doesn't immediately focus on useful vocab. You learn a lot of trivial stuff, they way you learned your first language naturally, and then build up on it. You might not be able to say anything useful for a long time, and suddenly realize you've learned how to say absolutely everything; therefore if you want to really learn a language well, and can focus for about 45minutes a day (the average time to get through a standard lesson) Rosetta Stone is great.
Unfortunately - at somewhere around $200 if I remember correctly, it's not cheap. Their ad-campaign featuring a poor farmer in love with an Italian supermodel is fabulous if unrealistic; where'd he get the cash to buy not only the program but the computer to run it on? And shouldn't he be working?
2) Sybervision/Pimsleur
Pimsleur has been around for a long time - since the days of cassette tapes. :) My uncle used to run their marketing and so I got several sets to try out when I was a teenager. I used it to learn Spanish, German and French. Pimsleur is, in my mind, the ideal way to prep for a holiday abroad. There a 30, 30 minute lessons; one for each day. The content is very useful and very repetitive. It goes something like this: "Hello." "Ni Hao." Say hello in Chinese. "Ni Hao." Say it again. "Ni Hao". Listen again. Is your pronunciation the same as the native speaker's?. "Niiiiiii Haaaaoooooo." On and on.
It is perfect for absolute beginners and can bring you up to an intermediate level very quickly. (You would need Chinese 1, 2 and 3) to get to intermediate level.
Like Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur comes in all kinds of languages. A huge advantage, however, is that you can now get it on mp3 format (if you search hard enough, you can even find the mp3's for free on sites like Limewire.) This means you can listen to it while driving, while shaving, while painting your house or doing the yard work. It's just so easy. Again, Pimsleur is highly recommended for useful, specific language tools that you would need on a holiday or business trip, like booking hotels, going out for a drink, or dealing with problems.
3) www.chinese-course.com
Worth mentioning is Chinese-course.com. Due to my learning style preference, I enjoy their sentence-based teaching method. They give you a big, long, challenging real world sentence both in English and Chinese characters. You can listen to it being said, and isolate each character. You can add characters from the sentences into your personalized "practice words" and set the sentence frequency to your liking. There is a small charge for higher membership levels.
Chinese course is probably best for an already intermediate student who wants to learn some very useful, general comment-type sentences about life, politics, global warming, appearances and other topics. This is a Taiwan based company so they use traditional Chinese characters.
http://www.chinese-course.com/
4) Chinese Pod
And finally - my current favorite - Chinesepod.com.
Chinese pod offers a bunch of 'podcasts', or mini-mp3 lessons. Each 10 -15 minute lesson (or less) offers a dialogue, story, joke or something else of interest, probably based around a topic. The two commentors then discuss, joke and break down the conversation, isolating tricky vocab and grammar, commenting on cultural background and life in China (they are based in Shanghai) and generally having a good time. What makes Chinesepod so refreshing is that, rather than a boring Chinese lesson, the dialogues are usually useful and interesting, and the commentators are informal and fun to listen to.
I like to 'let it run' and listen to about 10 in a row. They have I think at least a couple hundred lessons for each learning level (beginner, intermediate, advanced etc.), so you could really learn all sorts of great stuff without running out of materal.
I love having my hands free to do whatever I need to be doing, and playing Chinese pod in the background. (I've been in Taiwan six years without breaking into the 'upper intermediate' level; and yet alternative forms of study haven't been attractive enough to stick with them. All my books are gathering dust.)
Go check them out - I believe they also do other languages as well and I can only assume that they're great as well.
Chinesepod.com.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
No sheets in Taiwan
I give up. I went to bedding stores looking for regular, western style sheets. White ones. They don't exist. In Taiwan you buy a big bedding set, but they are all patterned. White sheets are just used for hospitals.
I did find a single fitted sheet for about $40, but that's more than I'd like to spend.
At any rate, I've decided to buy online from Amazon and get them sent.
I did find a single fitted sheet for about $40, but that's more than I'd like to spend.
At any rate, I've decided to buy online from Amazon and get them sent.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Christmas Trees in Taiwan!
Amazing - for the first time ever, Taiwan is selling real Christmas trees. Even more exciting, they're from my home state, Oregon! You can pick up a 2 meter fir tree at B&Q for 2000nt.
Sweet!
Sweet!
Links to CafePress Products
The following are my CafePress pages - you can order prints or cool stuff with my paintings on them.
I love Taiwan!
I'm ecstatic. My life in Taiwan is a dream. Today I edited for a couple of hours; easy, at home work listening to music and having a leisurely lunch. The weather is beautiful. I can hear the meditative sound of running water from the carp pond in my garden. Two hours work (around $50) a day gives me enough money to live comfortably here. In the afternoon I went shopping for furniture at 2nd hand stores - I have a huge loft on the 3rd floor of my house and am going to turn it into a home theater. Yesterday I'd found a set of three couches for $200, but today I did better. I'm deciding between a black, floral L-shaped set that looks like it came from a dance club, or a pair of large red leather sofas. I could get either set for about $125. In the same store, I found a brand new foosball table (my favorite game!!) and will buy that tomorrow. They will deliver the furniture and carry it up to the 3rd floor for no extra charge. There was also a beautiful hard wood antique table (the kind that you can extend to make larger), also for $125 - it's a steal but unfortunately I don't have anywhere to put it.
On the way home, I stopped for an hour-long Chinese foot massage ($20), a box of rice and veggies, and a beautiful new Sony Ericsson phone because my phone was out of batteries.
I've been shopping for a projector but have decided to wait until Chinese New Year. That will give me time to finish my thesis... in the meantime I have plenty to do with fixing up the house, preparing my research, editing and painting for my exhibition in April.
On the way home, I stopped for an hour-long Chinese foot massage ($20), a box of rice and veggies, and a beautiful new Sony Ericsson phone because my phone was out of batteries.
I've been shopping for a projector but have decided to wait until Chinese New Year. That will give me time to finish my thesis... in the meantime I have plenty to do with fixing up the house, preparing my research, editing and painting for my exhibition in April.
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Evolution of Taiwan Pirate
Derek Murphy has gone corporate. I've spent the last month making some new websites, which can be found here:
www.derekmurphyart.com
www.holyblasphemy.net
www.paper-perfect-editing.com
They aren't perfect, but they're unique and look pretty good and give me a platform from which to cast my more professional ideas. I don't, however, have anywhere to talk about cool personal things like searching for treasure in Taiwan, so I think I'll keep this blog on the side.
In the news the other day, somebody from (somewhere in Europe? I'm too lazy to double-check) found a bunch of old gold and silver coins from about 100bc. That's fantastic. How much was the cache worth? A couple hundred thousand. However, he warns that metal detecting is a hobby and not likely to every make one rich. My thoughts exactly. It's all too easy for me to dream of treasure in Taiwan, and I'll still keep looking, but Taiwan has seen so much construction and recontruction that the ground is full of old machine parts and such.
At any rate - I'll keep looking so keep checking back for a blog post that looks like this one:
"$100,000,000 worth of gold bars discovered in by expat in Taiwan!!"
www.derekmurphyart.com
www.holyblasphemy.net
www.paper-perfect-editing.com
They aren't perfect, but they're unique and look pretty good and give me a platform from which to cast my more professional ideas. I don't, however, have anywhere to talk about cool personal things like searching for treasure in Taiwan, so I think I'll keep this blog on the side.
In the news the other day, somebody from (somewhere in Europe? I'm too lazy to double-check) found a bunch of old gold and silver coins from about 100bc. That's fantastic. How much was the cache worth? A couple hundred thousand. However, he warns that metal detecting is a hobby and not likely to every make one rich. My thoughts exactly. It's all too easy for me to dream of treasure in Taiwan, and I'll still keep looking, but Taiwan has seen so much construction and recontruction that the ground is full of old machine parts and such.
At any rate - I'll keep looking so keep checking back for a blog post that looks like this one:
"$100,000,000 worth of gold bars discovered in by expat in Taiwan!!"
Thursday, November 6, 2008
New editing and proofreading site.
I've migrated my site after discovering my host 247-host is almost always down. My new editing site is mypaperperfect.com.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
America is second pig!
Friday, June 6, 2008
What is linguistics? The ruination of the English language
I've mentioned before that I don't like linguistics, but as my feelings towards the subject are once again enflamed, and there is no other outlet than this blog, I'll continue on the subject.
What is linguistics? In general, it is the study of sounds, signs and signifiers that make up language. It is the study of language (ie vocal communication) in and of itself. Not an actual language per se - not grammar or spelling, but processes that make language possible.
Linguistics is a pretty recent field. Its increased popularity is due to the internationally recognized need to communicate in a global society. English is becoming the 'international language', and many countries, hoping to speed up their English-learning-programs, are focusing on linguistics - studying why and how students make mistakes, for example, in order to help them avoid those mistakes. This may seem like a smart move.
It is not.
Languages have been learned for hundreds of years. There are many ways to learn a language, but sustained immersion is the way to go (repetition, listening, speaking, etc.) It is a natural human faculty to learn languages. Learning linguistics (a field of study about languages) will not improve your ability to learn one specific language.
Because of the exciting trend - linguistics is a popular field, students abroad are studying it instead of English! These are non-native speakers, who rather than study English and improve their own pronunciation, writing or communication, do 'scientific studies' of linguistic phenomena. In Taiwan, for example, students and professors study whether Taiwanese students who study Spanish and then English make certain mistakes because their L2 influenced their L3. This may be interesting. It may be fascinating. But who cares - outside of the linguistics balloon that is self-sustaining.... the research does not make their students learn English better or faster. Awareness and understanding of the influence of L2 on L3 does not allow teachers to teach with enhanced subtlety. Actual teaching remains more or less the same, and is almost never done by the linguistic majors! Instead, linguistic majors get degrees in 'applied linguistics' and teach 'applied linguistics' to others.
Studying education or classroom management - and equally important, polishing your English to the point where you actually can speak it fluently - are so much more important. If Taiwan or Japan wanted to encourage their English, they should have government funded English schools (rather than the cram schools) and send their teachers for training overseas.
Parents who want their kids to learn English should send them to English summer camps. (2 months in a summer would be more effective than a whole year screaming and playing games in cram schools in Taiwan - well...maybe).
I - elitist that I am - am studying classics and philosophy. I will teach literature courses and not be able to apply for the best jobs because I didn't study applied linguistics. And that's sad and wrong.
What is linguistics? In general, it is the study of sounds, signs and signifiers that make up language. It is the study of language (ie vocal communication) in and of itself. Not an actual language per se - not grammar or spelling, but processes that make language possible.
Linguistics is a pretty recent field. Its increased popularity is due to the internationally recognized need to communicate in a global society. English is becoming the 'international language', and many countries, hoping to speed up their English-learning-programs, are focusing on linguistics - studying why and how students make mistakes, for example, in order to help them avoid those mistakes. This may seem like a smart move.
It is not.
Languages have been learned for hundreds of years. There are many ways to learn a language, but sustained immersion is the way to go (repetition, listening, speaking, etc.) It is a natural human faculty to learn languages. Learning linguistics (a field of study about languages) will not improve your ability to learn one specific language.
Because of the exciting trend - linguistics is a popular field, students abroad are studying it instead of English! These are non-native speakers, who rather than study English and improve their own pronunciation, writing or communication, do 'scientific studies' of linguistic phenomena. In Taiwan, for example, students and professors study whether Taiwanese students who study Spanish and then English make certain mistakes because their L2 influenced their L3. This may be interesting. It may be fascinating. But who cares - outside of the linguistics balloon that is self-sustaining.... the research does not make their students learn English better or faster. Awareness and understanding of the influence of L2 on L3 does not allow teachers to teach with enhanced subtlety. Actual teaching remains more or less the same, and is almost never done by the linguistic majors! Instead, linguistic majors get degrees in 'applied linguistics' and teach 'applied linguistics' to others.
Studying education or classroom management - and equally important, polishing your English to the point where you actually can speak it fluently - are so much more important. If Taiwan or Japan wanted to encourage their English, they should have government funded English schools (rather than the cram schools) and send their teachers for training overseas.
Parents who want their kids to learn English should send them to English summer camps. (2 months in a summer would be more effective than a whole year screaming and playing games in cram schools in Taiwan - well...maybe).
I - elitist that I am - am studying classics and philosophy. I will teach literature courses and not be able to apply for the best jobs because I didn't study applied linguistics. And that's sad and wrong.
Monday, April 7, 2008
I'm a bird without a nest.
Yesterday, I put my pants on. They were wet. We'd turned on the AC late at night because the weather has turned stiflingly hot, and shut the door to the patio - forgetting that we'd just gotten a cat and the litterbox was outside. The cat had peed in my pants. Nearly 12 hours later, when we were rushing to pack some things for the moving truck I'd demanded we call (Funky wanted to wait so we could pack things more carefully) we discovered that the cat had also pooped in Funky's bag. She'd just had a wisdom tooth pulled so all in all, a bad weekend for Funky.
The cat, incidentally, has temporarily replaced the dog I've been wanting to get. A foreigner had her and she needed a home asap... we saved her from being put to sleep. She's not a bad cat, but dogs are better.
Today I locked myself out of my apartment, and the spare key isn't hidden like it should be. In the past I've gone up to the top floor, climbed across the roof and landed on the upstairs balcony to get in. I tried this again, but the people who live in the upstairs apartment were there. They thought I was a prowler and chased after me. I couldn't convince them that I really did live there and had forgotten my keys. I was carrying a load of stuff to take to my new house and they thought I'd stolen it. I managed to get away... but I'm still keyless, my cellphone is inside as well, so I'm just waiting until I can hopefully meet up with my roomate and get him to let me in.
I do have a paper due tomorrow, and I did bring my laptop and the sources I need, so I'm at a nice cafe where I can work on it.
I've been awfully busy. I went to the dentist again today - she's been trying for weeks to finish up a root canal (the nerve is deep...makes the place under my nose feel funny). I also went to the hospital to finish the health check I need for the part-time job I'm going to start. I was there for an hour, running around, talking to a dozen people, before finding the two important people with the special stamps that I needed stamped. (One behind the cashier counter, and one in the mail room.) I hate that place.
Did I mention its really hot? The new house doesn't have any AC's yet...I'll have to buy some. It is looking better though.
The cat, incidentally, has temporarily replaced the dog I've been wanting to get. A foreigner had her and she needed a home asap... we saved her from being put to sleep. She's not a bad cat, but dogs are better.
Today I locked myself out of my apartment, and the spare key isn't hidden like it should be. In the past I've gone up to the top floor, climbed across the roof and landed on the upstairs balcony to get in. I tried this again, but the people who live in the upstairs apartment were there. They thought I was a prowler and chased after me. I couldn't convince them that I really did live there and had forgotten my keys. I was carrying a load of stuff to take to my new house and they thought I'd stolen it. I managed to get away... but I'm still keyless, my cellphone is inside as well, so I'm just waiting until I can hopefully meet up with my roomate and get him to let me in.
I do have a paper due tomorrow, and I did bring my laptop and the sources I need, so I'm at a nice cafe where I can work on it.
I've been awfully busy. I went to the dentist again today - she's been trying for weeks to finish up a root canal (the nerve is deep...makes the place under my nose feel funny). I also went to the hospital to finish the health check I need for the part-time job I'm going to start. I was there for an hour, running around, talking to a dozen people, before finding the two important people with the special stamps that I needed stamped. (One behind the cashier counter, and one in the mail room.) I hate that place.
Did I mention its really hot? The new house doesn't have any AC's yet...I'll have to buy some. It is looking better though.
Monday, March 17, 2008
painting
I’m doing a whole slew of painting, drinking black label whiskey, listening to hard rock music, and getting sweaty with a brush in my mouth and one behind my ear. Damn I’m cool. You can see my progress on my blog. http://derekmurphyart.blogspot.com/
Apartment hunting
Now that I’ve got two empty rooms in my 4 bedroom house, I’m thinking of moving again. It sucks to pay all the extra, and even though it would be a pain to move, I don’t really like my apartment that much anyway. The FengShui is terrible and the ceilings in my room are too low. Plus its just too huge to clean and I’ve accumulated a lot of crap...moving is easier than dusting. The best find today was an old Taiwanese house for 4,500nt (about $150 usd). The 2nd floor apartment is ugly, but the third floor was pretty neat. Strange, but with a couple big rooms, lots of light, and a bizzare little bungalow with a ladder, like a barn loft. It would be too scary to sleep there but I need a lot of storage. As I may be out of Taiwan for months at a time next year (Japan, Korea, Mexico, Peru....) a nice cheap place would be great. The drawback is that whoever lives on the top floor has to cut straight through the 2nd floor apartment, which is kind of wierd for whoever’s living there, and there’s no door to separate the top floor which means its wide open for somebody else to come snooping.
However, its fun to look. For about 7,000 ($200usd) I could get a big place with a couple bedrooms, maybe rent one out. For 10,000 ($300usd), I could get a massive-pimped-out-shiny-new-kickass place. I could rent one of the extra bedrooms and I’d be paying as much as I would in the small one. So.... that’s what I’m leaning towards. It’s still better than what I’ve got now, which is over $500usd (17000nt)...sure it’s a deal when I’ve got all the rooms rented out, but I end up eating the extra bills or rent when someone moves out.
However, its fun to look. For about 7,000 ($200usd) I could get a big place with a couple bedrooms, maybe rent one out. For 10,000 ($300usd), I could get a massive-pimped-out-shiny-new-kickass place. I could rent one of the extra bedrooms and I’d be paying as much as I would in the small one. So.... that’s what I’m leaning towards. It’s still better than what I’ve got now, which is over $500usd (17000nt)...sure it’s a deal when I’ve got all the rooms rented out, but I end up eating the extra bills or rent when someone moves out.
200 ghosts
Funky's mom has a hurt knee. The doctors couldn’t do anything so she went to a spiritualist. He told her that she’s being haunted by 200 ghosts of her deceased family members. Apparently, she somehow found the grave of one of them and moved them to a better grave. Now, all the rest of them have come to her house, too. The ’doctor’ says she needs to go find and dig up the 200 bodies and move them all - but a shared burial plot is OK, just as long as they’re recognized. What a pain in the ass! Apparently, however, ghosts won’t follow you if you have to a foreign country. You’re "off the radar". Sweet!! So I’m ghost free I guess.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Terrible Hit and Run Video
This is the world's worst hit and run video....shocking and disturbing; not only because the woman flies through the air, but more importantly, because she is ignored and left for dead by others who witness the accident.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Shelley Clark Fan Club
I'm in Taiwan watching a spelling bee on ESPN - and there's a girl from Tigard Oregon named Shelley Clark. Shelley, you rock! Don't feel bad about getting out on that last one, I couldn't have spelled it either.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)