We started Mandarin lessons last week. They are interesting. The method we are following was developed by a Chinese linguist. She teaches language the way children learn; spoken first and then later we worry about writing and spelling. It is not easy but at least the grammar rules make sense and there aren't a lot of verb tenses to worry about so far. By the end of the second lesson we were asking simple questions and answering them in short sentences. It is challenging to hear the four tones but I have developed a method for remembering how to speak them during the sound drills. The first tone is like a tuning note. It should be firm and not wavering up or down. The second tone is the "Valley Girl" tone. It ends with an upward tilt like a perpetual question. Next is the "valley girl" goes Midwest. It starts then drops but recovers with the lilt. The fourth tone is all downhill. The punctuation mark is downward like one half of a frowning eyebrow. It isn't really an angry tone but it is a downer. Of course there is the "no" tone or the straight phonetic pronunciation of the sound. I never really understood phonics as a kid either. Of course none of this is valuable since the sounds have to be combined in order to make intelligible sentences.

We'll see how it goes.