Helpful Mandarin books and videos

Thanks to the public library, here are a few excellent books you may want to get to learn Mandarin:
  • Beginning Chinese Reader by John DeFrancis (sorry in advance but these are mostly out-of-print but try Amazon for the soft-cover versions. These very much need to be brought back.) Right now, I have an extra Part I hardcover for sale, if anyone wants to buy it.
http://www.yale.edu/fep/catalog/defrancis.html (Have only used the beginner versions - Vols. I and II in hardcopy - found on Amazon and hopefully at a bookstore or library near you.)

These beginner books are extremely useful since they include three translations: pinyin as well as the contemporary and ancient versions. Sorry, no "new" words past 1977. Also, the print for each character is very large and easy to read--hooray!
  • Oxford Chinese Dictionary (found everywhere) - take heart...apparently, even fluent speakers have a damn hard time with this valuable skill. Also, don't know if there are other "larger print" versions out there, but I strongly recommend getting a magnifying glass with the pocket dictionary.

Getting Around in Chinese by Marco Liang (easier to find) - What's interesting about this book is that the English translation is quite poor but who cares! I really like his approach to teach a lot in a short time.

Videos:
  • Learn the Pinyin alphabet in song (simplified Mandarin using Roman Characters). It's adorable and very helpful! Trust me, the repetition will serve you well!
  • Also, a special thanks to Steve Lingo and his YouTube videos. They are awe-inspiring polyglot goodness! His basic advice on how to learn multiple languages is to read and learn as much as you can about the culture. Also, I don't like his LingQ app (and, it's not useful on the iPhone unless you do the paid subscription--meh.) Maybe someday, but right now, will just have fun!
Our Chinese I class starts August 27! Woo hoo! We'll be using these books and I'm still flabbergasted about their organization in relation to the audio CD's. Will figure it out soon.

 1)  Chinese Link: Zhong Wen Tian Di (Beginning Chinese), (Traditional Text) (ISBN 0-205-69198-6) OR
     Chinese Link: Zhong Wen Tian Di (Beginning Chinese), (Simplified Text) (ISBN 0-205-63721-3)
2)  Student Activities Manual  (Traditional Text) (ISBN 0-205-696392) OR
      Student Activities Manual (Simplified Text) (ISBN 0-205-696384)
3) Character Book for Chinese Link: Beginning Chinese, Traditional and Simplified (ISBN 0-205-782981)
4)  Audio CD: Level I Part I (ISBN 0-205-783031)
      Also available at: http://wps.prenhall.com/wl_wu_chinese_link_2nd_edition/

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