Will I ever learn Chinese
Jeanette Sakel
Is it even possibly to learn Chinese? Linguistics professor Jeanette Sakel tried it out, telling us about her successes and failures along the way.
All episodes
Best episodes
Seasons
Top 10 Will I ever learn Chinese Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Will I ever learn Chinese episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Will I ever learn Chinese for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Will I ever learn Chinese episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Making sense of the chaos
Will I ever learn Chinese
09/20/24 • 21 min
Chinese has many homophones: words that sound the same. And when you are only just entering the intermediate stage and are still not very confident when it comes to the different 'tones', there are even more such homophones. What can the learner do to make sense of the chaos? And, what even is a word in Chinese?
What is Chinese and is it difficult to learn?
Will I ever learn Chinese
09/06/24 • 10 min
In this episode I look at what the term 'Chinese' refers to. Mandarin? Cantonese? Why are there so many different terms for Chinese in Chinese itself? I try to investigate whether Chinese is difficult to learn. Well, apparently it is, because everyone keeps telling me so! But is it really? Is my learning doomed right from the start?
Speaking Chinese in China: the real deal!
Will I ever learn Chinese
10/22/24 • 17 min
In this episode I’m talking about traveling to China for the first time and using my newly acquired language in the real world. Wherever I travel, I like to be able to speak at least a little bit of the local language and communicate with locals and to make my own arrangements. Being able to speak more than rudimentary Chinese was key to many of my wonderful experiences. Also, I started to gain new insights into a country I had, admittedly, known very little about before starting to learn the language. It was a whole new world opening up to me, understanding the local geography, customs, dialects and participating in the language ‘for real’.
The Chinese writing system
Will I ever learn Chinese
09/22/24 • 14 min
In this episode I'm looking at the history of the Chinese writing system and why it is so successful that it is still used today. In my own learning, once I knew enough characters and had built up a basic understanding of how the system worked, I was suddenly able to decipher the words (and characters) I came across for the first time.
Language immersion and conforming in another language
Will I ever learn Chinese
10/18/24 • 26 min
In this episode I reflect on my immersive learning approach, surrounding myself by the language and using the language in a lot of different environments. Immersion made a big difference to my learning, it helped me ‘see’ myself as a part of the language community, partaking in everyday life in Chinese, without being in China. What types of immersion are there, and does immersion ultimately mean ‘conforming’, fitting into the society the language is spoken in? In this episode I’m going beyond the mere acquisition, looking at the cultural and other considerations related to language learning.
Intermediate Chinese: all those wonderful tools!
Will I ever learn Chinese
09/28/24 • 38 min
In this episode I explore how I honed my different Chinese language skills: understanding, speaking, reading and writing. I look at all those wonderful tools, most of which are free, that are available to the intermediate learner. In my own learning, Chinese podcasts for learners, as well as Chinese television dramas started to play in increasingly important role. This was time well spent and I was taking in the language in a fun and engaging way to kept me motivated, coming back for more.
Language learning methods and approaches
Will I ever learn Chinese
10/28/24 • 20 min
We’re coming to the end of the first series of ‘Will I ever learn Chinese’. In these last two episodes, I am looking at language learning techniques and summarise my process of learning Chinese. In this episode, I’m looking at different approaches to teaching and learning languages and how these have changed over time. I’m looking at learner profiles and the different reasons for language learning. To me language learning is not just my work, a hobby, my research, but ultimately an act of peace, facilitating mutual understanding and embracing other cultures and worldviews.
Language attrition: the other side of the coin
Will I ever learn Chinese
10/16/24 • 17 min
When looking at language acquisition and learning, we rarely consider the other side of the coin: language attrition. This means a language is disappearing, the speaker can’t speak it as well as before. The speech becomes slow and less complex. Attrition happens, and when a language, even a first language, is spoken less, there are small sign of attrition right from the start. It’s frustrating, especially when one has put in a lot of effort learning a language, for it then to disappear. But: is attrition reversible? What was my experience, especially as I was so immersed in Chinese that I spent less time speaking Danish, Spanish and other languages I used to work in?
Artificial intelligence for language learners
Will I ever learn Chinese
10/12/24 • 13 min
A hot topic in second language learning and teaching circles, artificial intelligence proved to be a game-changer for my learning of Chinese. I suddenly had that ‘friend’ who would happily correct my writing. The results were not always perfect, but usually passable. Then, I realised that I could ask questions about expressions I had only half understood and AI would usually give me good suggestions. It would help me put together examples of grammatical structures I was learning, or help with slang and more formal language. Even the freely accessible AI developed quickly, helping me in ways I had never imagined would be possible.
Accent and dialect
Will I ever learn Chinese
10/10/24 • 18 min
In this episode I’m looking at accent and dialect. Many learners have a distinct foreign accent. Is that inevitable, or are their ways to work on your accent (and if so, is it necessary)? I’m talking about various techniques, such as shadowing and working on individual sounds, as well as how sounds that initially seem familiar may be the ‘problem areas’ where an accent persists, just because the learner does not realise that the pronunciation is slightly different, while totally different sounds may, eventually, be easier to produce. As my pronunciation was getting better, I had to choose whether to copy my teachers’ northern accents, or include other dialectal features in my speech.
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does Will I ever learn Chinese have?
Will I ever learn Chinese currently has 30 episodes available.
What topics does Will I ever learn Chinese cover?
The podcast is about Learning, Linguistics, Chinese, Autobiography, Language Learning, Podcasts, Mandarin and Education.
What is the most popular episode on Will I ever learn Chinese?
The episode title 'Language immersion and conforming in another language' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Will I ever learn Chinese?
The average episode length on Will I ever learn Chinese is 20 minutes.
How often are episodes of Will I ever learn Chinese released?
Episodes of Will I ever learn Chinese are typically released every 2 days.
When was the first episode of Will I ever learn Chinese?
The first episode of Will I ever learn Chinese was released on Sep 2, 2024.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ