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Old 2009-03-07, 06:43   Link #1743
ZephyrLeanne
On a sabbatical
 
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Wellington, NZ
Age: 43
Quote:
Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf View Post
Unless you speak and read Chinese, I'd call bullshit.
HOLD IT THERE. I've studied both. Chinese in Singapore at HCL level, Japanese in Japan at what I'd call at best, JL(B) [Japanese Language (Basic)] level.

Quote:
For the complex use of any language, not just Chinese or Japanese, you have to know its literature and history to understand some of its deeper, more subtle, nuances. I happen to have been an English literature student, which is why my understanding of English is very different from most people in my country. But that doesn't prevent them from becoming fluent in the language and, in fact, many of them are.
Aha. But first, the writing system. Then the phonetics of Chinese/Japanese.

Quote:
Chinese is easier than Japanese, in my opinion, because its grammar is far simpler to master. For a start, you don't have to worry about tenses in Chinese. That alone makes life so much easier — you don't have to worry about stupid tense conjugations, like you do in Japanese or English. Yes, you're right about how some Chinese characters also have different pronounciations depending on the context, but the difference lies in frequency — there are far fewer such instances in Chinese than there are in Japanese.

And then, there is the practical matter of keigo, which is an everyday concern in Japanese. While highly classical, esoteric forms of Chinese do exist, those forms are no longer used in vernacular speech today — their use is highly specialised and mainly limited to niche literary circles. But that is far from the case in Japan, where you have to watch how you say your words depending on who you're addressing, or you'd come across as being rude, a major social taboo.
True. But remember, Chinese also has its chengyu and ciyu which does make it a tad more difficult.


Quote:
So, nope, I don't believe I'm "trying to emphasise how difficult Japanese is" by comparing it to Chinese. It really is a very difficult language for a non-native to master. Sure, Chinese is difficult too, especially for Westerners, but I don't think I've oversold its "simplicity" either. Hell, even I struggle with my mother tongue, so of course I understand the pain of studying Chinese.
Still. always start with Chinese before Japanese. I did tne reverse, and suffered for it.
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