Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere - Chinese Proverb
Learning Chinese is a worthwhile pursuit. Learning a new language takes effort, practice, willingness and effort. Learning Chinese will take several hours of your time practising to speak and understand it. You will have to spend several hours learning to read Chinese characters.
Despite the Chinese language being considered one of the not-so-easy languages to learn, more and more Nigerians are interested in learning it. Many students in Nigeria want to study it because it's one of the world's most common languages and belongs to one of the world's biggest economies.
When you think of doing business in Nigeria, China comes to mind. Now, imagine being able to speak the language of the people you want to start your importation business. It sounds cool, right?
Students in Nigeria are usually encouraged to learn a foreign language from their secondary school education. It is why several foreign languages are part of the curriculum for students to choose from, especially in the private school sector. Students at school can learn the language in their primary, secondary or university level of education in Nigeria.
However, if your school does not have it as part of its curriculum, there are several other ways students can still learn Chinese while in school.
So how can you learn Chinese at school?
We'll take you through the journey of how you can learn Chinese at school or several other ways you can learn the language.
Essential Things To Know About Learning Chinese
Learning Chinese in our world today will open doors for you internationally and business-wise. The time and resources you will spend learning the language will be worthwhile at the end of the day. Having it on your CV in Nigeria will make companies interested in employing you, giving you a competitive advantage over others that cannot speak the language.
There are some essential things to know about learning Chinese.
Chinese is a tonal language: Understanding the correct tones is essential in learning Chinese. You could be speaking and interpreting it wrong if you do not understand the tonal concept. The change in these tones equates to a change in meaning.
Chinese characters: There are over 50,000 Chinese Characters. It shows that you will have to take time to practice and understand most of it. Knowing the characters will aid you in reading texts, like how tones help to formulate sentences.
Have a purpose: Knowing why you want to learn the language will help your learning process. Determine if it is to speak, write, read or do all. For example, If you want to learn how to write or read the language, you will have to focus more on the Chinese characters.
Identify how you want to learn the language: You have to decide if learning will be in a formal or informal setting. Learning the language could be at school, with a private tutor, at a language school, with online materials or whichever way you desire. Identifying how you want to study it will help you.
Immersion: Immersion helps a lot while learning a new language. It is an opportunity for you to be in an environment where most of the people you interact with speak the language. Immersion will make learning Chinese faster.
Materials: Get the best Chinese learning materials. Do your research before purchasing one to ensure you will be getting value for your money, and most importantly, it will help your learning journey. You can get an English to Chinese dictionary. It will help.
Once you find a method of learning that helps you, stick to it.
Tips For Learning Chinese
Here are some of the tips that can help your learning process at school in Nigeria
- Make a learning schedule. It will help you manage your time when it comes to studying the language.
- Find activities that combine listening, reading, speaking and writing, like watching Chinese movies, listening to Chinese songs, talk shows or podcasts.
- Ask questions. Always ask your Chinese instructor questions while learning it at or outside school.
- Make friends with people who speak Chinese so that you can practice with them.
- Immersion can be the fastest way to learn Chinese. Travel on vacations or further your studies abroad.
- Learn Chinese greetings. As with learning any other language, the ability to greet and introduce yourself should be your priority.
- Learn about their culture and food. It will make you comfortable while learning other aspects of the language.
- Practice, practice, practice! You have to practice when studying a new language talkless of a language like Chinese that is not easy to learn as a beginner.
Learning To Speak Chinese At School in Nigeria
Students can start learning Chinese from their primary school education in Nigeria. Though it is not a popular language at the primary school level, some private schools offer it as part of the curriculum alongside some of our indigenous languages.
Students can study the Chinese language at all stages of education in Nigeria; primary, secondary and university.
At the primary or secondary level, students will be taught an introduction to some basic Chinese grammar, phrases and Chinese characters, use the Hanyu Pinyin system for romanising Standard Chinese and familiarise students with the four tones employed in Chinese speaking.
Since Chinese is now a course at the university level of education in Nigeria, more and more students interested in learning a foreign language are now getting their bachelor's degrees in Chinese. Understanding the Chinese language is an added advantage for a Nigerian who wants to do business with the Chinese.
People who don't want to learn the language at the primary, secondary or university in Nigeria can also learn by registering with a language school. We have several language schools that teach Chinese across the 36 states of Nigeria and the federal capital city, Abuja.
Registering with a language school asides from learning at school is also a sure way of learning Chinese. You would be taught in stages and given a certification that you can use to boost your resume and prove to the world that you have learnt Chinese in a formal school setting.
There are also Confucius Institutes in Nigeria where students and the Nigerian people can learn Chinese. These Confucius institutes teach and promote and teach Chinese culture and language in Nigeria and across the globe.
Learning Chinese Outside of A School Environment in Nigeria
There are several other ways students can learn Chinese outside the school environment in Nigeria. You do not necessarily have to attend a school teaching the language before you can learn to speak and write it.
You can learn Chinese by hiring the services of a private tutor, get a native speaker to teach you or learn Chinese online thanks to resources like YouTube channels, blogs, and websites.
Additionally, you can attend Chinese conversation classes, practise with another beginner, or do an online Chinese language exchange where you chat in Chinese with a native speaker for half of the time and then help them with their English for the other half.
Lastly, you can take classes online with schools in Nigeria and abroad that offer online lessons for interested Chinese learners. That way, you will be in a school setting from the comfort of your home while learning with other students.
You can get one of the best Chinese tutors on Superprof to come to teach you at home or online. They can help you learn to speak, read, write, and understand Chinese while tailoring the class to exactly what you want.
The cost of learning with a tutor on Superprof is usually between 1000 NGN to 5,000 NGN. Most of the tutors offer the first hour of their classes for free.
Why not go check it out for yourself?
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