fatdragon (UK)

Mandarin is so, so difficult. And yet Chinese toddlers learn it. My brain was trained to respond to western tones in language such as those that indicate sarcasm, a query, enthusiasm etc. I do not hear the tones used in mandarin where tones can denote as many as 6 totally unrelated words from one spelling. We have enough trouble with English words achieving a consistent pronunciation that represents the written word but pinyin just does not interface with western languages. Not that most of China uses pinyin. The other criticism that I routinely encounter is that if you take 6 Chinese people they will all pronounce a Chinese word VERY differently even though they are from the same city.

Students of Staten Island Academy make paper lanterns during Mandarin class to celebrate Halloween.[Photo/IC]