Workshop – Discover Chinese – Introduction to Mandarin Chinese

1 Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Material: Distributed
Instructor:  Viveca Kwan
Location: Taught online via Zoom. An invitation and explanations on how to join the meeting will be sent to registered students.
Price: $50
Date: 02/11
Deadline to sign up: 2/06

Do you know that 1/5 of the planet speaks Chinese? That 875 million people speak Mandarin Chinese as their first language?

From its beautiful calligraphy and intriguing sounds to understanding its 5000 year-old culture, visiting the many countries where Chinese is spoken or simply reading Confucius in the original version, the reasons for wanting to know a bit more about the Chinese language abound.

But the task may appear daunting and you may want to have a bit more information before you decide to commit – or not – more time and resources to learning the language.

If you find yourself in this situation or simply want to learn the very basics of Mandarin Chinese, this workshop might be for you!

In this workshop, we propose to give you a sufficient understanding of how the language works and sounds to satisfy your curiosity and at the same time whet your appetite! In broad strokes, we will paint an overview of the countries that use Mandarin Chinese, discuss how the language evolved and traveled, and shed some light on the mysteries of Mandarin Chinese and the various Chinese dialects.

Among other takeaways, you will leave with a few fundamental skills in Chinese calligraphy, the basics of the Chinese writing system, and some conversation starters (hello, how are you, what’s your name, etc.) for a first encounter with a Chinese speaker. We will also recommend how to treat yourself to a more tangible taste of the Chinese culture…

Who knows… you might decide to sign up for a weekly class after all!

If you need assistance to determine if this class is right for you, we would be happy to help. Please contact us.