Blog Roundup - November 29, 2009

• Ben Ross' Blog - Ben talks about the benefits of learning Chinese from TV shows.
• Bruce Humes - Bruce lists some of the best-selling books in China in October 2009.
  
• Kyoto Foodie - The Foodie samples some delicious imo mochi (芋餅), a traditional Japanese candy made from sweet potatoes and pounded sticky rice.
  
• On the Fringe - Globalgal talks about her recent visit to Kashgar (喀什) in China's Xinjiang Province (新疆).
• Send Me to Korea - Hyunwoo shares a recipe for bibim mandu (비빔만두).
• Shizuoka Gourmet -Dragonlife shares a recipe for vegan agedashi tofu (揚げ出し豆腐).
  
• Speaking of China - Jocelyn shares some tips for ideal gifts for Chinese relatives or friends.
• Wandering Taiwan - Micki and Kristen explore the magical world of Taiwanese hand puppetry (布袋戲).

That's all for this week. The next blog roundup will be on December 6, 2009.

Blog Roundup - November 29, 2009

Blog Roundup - November 22, 2009

• Ben Ross' Blog - Ben examines the reasons why proficiency in Mandarin does not necessarily lead to better career opportunities.
  
• Fili's World - Fili talks about the fishing town of Tai O (大澳), Hong Kong.
  
• Fukuoka Dreaming - Learn how to cook sukiyaki (すきやき).
• How to Japonese - Daniel highlights the differences between American and Japanese resumés (履歴書).
• Hungry for Words - Maki talks about himono onna (干物女).
  
• Japan Blog - Maki explains why President Obama's bow to the Japanese Emperor has sparked such controversy.
• Korean As It Is - James explains why he believes listening skills are vital for developing one's proficiency in the Korean language.
  
• Pinyin News - The author reviews Google Translate's new pinyin function.
• Rainbowhill Language Lab - Some helpful tips for JLPT examinees.
• Shizuoka Gourmet - The author talks about tempura (天ぷら) and the various ways it can be served.
  
• Sinosplice - John explains the concept of aspect in Chinese grammar.
• The China Beat - Maura reflects on President Obama's recent visit to the PRC.
• Tsukublog - Avi talks about the origins and traditions associated with Japan's Shichi-Go-San (七五三) festival.
• Wandering Taiwan - Micki and Kristen take a stroll through Tamsui (淡水).
  
• Wichmann Stories - Tina and Mark visit the northeastern city of Harbin (哈尔滨).
• Xinjiang : Far West China - Josh's thoughts on the spread of H1N1 in Xinjiang Province (新疆).

That's all for this week. The next blog roundup will be on November 29, 2009.

Blog Roundup - November 22, 2009

Slow Chinese

Readers looking for Chinese podcasts to help them develop their listening comprehension skills may be interested to know that there's a new podcast on the block : Slow Chinese (慢速中文). I came across the podcasts on iTunes last night and saw that you can find transcripts to all of the podcasts on the author's blog.

The Slow Chinese podcasts cover a wide range of topics, including the Wu dialect (or language, if you prefer), the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics and traditional Chinese festivals. The podcasts are exclusively in Mandarin but the presenter speaks at a slower pace than normal, which will allow students to get used to the sound and rhythm of spoken Mandarin. You can listen to the podcasts via the blog or iTunes or you can download the MP3 files and save them on to your MP3 player.

I've listened to a number of the podcasts and feel that they are geared towards intermediate students. The transcripts are ideal for those learners who, like me, need visual aids and text in their language learning.

Do check it out if you're looking for a way to spice up your Mandarin language learning.

Slow Chinese

Using Twitter in Your Language Learning (Japanese)

A few months ago, I wrote a series of blog posts on my language learning blog, Aspiring Polyglot, on how Twitter can be used for language learning and practice. The posts can be found here, here, here and here.

I've been searching for Twitter accounts which may be useful for those of you who are learning Japanese. People who don't have a Twitter account can still access all of the links listed below, so there is no need to rush off and create an account if you don't want to. Here are some of the accounts I've found so far :

• http://twitter.com/learnkanji
• http://twitter.com/japanesebot
• http://twitter.com/societyJapanese
• http://twitter.com/japanlanguage
• http://twitter.com/ADV_JPN_GRMMR
• http://twitter.com/japanesepod101
• http://twitter.com/JapaneseVocab
• http://twitter.com/kotoba_app
• http://twitter.com/japanese_words
• http://twitter.com/JVocab
• http://twitter.com/1day1kanji
• http://twitter.com/kanjireadable
• http://twitter.com/kanji_oneisan

Some of these accounts are not updated regularly but they are still worth a look. ADV_JPN_GRMMR hasn't been updated since July but the archives contain some useful information about Japanese grammar. Students aiming for JLPT Levels 1 and 2 should consider adding kanjireadable, kanji_oneisan and kotoba_app to their bookmarks.

If you know of any other accounts which may be useful for anyone who is learning Japanese, feel free to leave a comment.

Using Twitter in Your Language Learning (Japanese)

Bilingual : Keye's Point

I stumbled upon a fantastic bilingual resource for those of you who are learning Japanese : Bilingual : Keye's Point. This column of the The Japan Times Online website is written by a foreigner living in Japan, Michael Hoffman.

While there are only 8 articles available on the website, they are jam-packed with vocabulary and expressions which learners won't normally come across in dictionaries and textbooks. Learners can learn such useful vocabulary as 不倫の恋 (furin no koi : extramartial affair) and 清貧の誓い (seihin no chikai : vow of poverty).

Bilingual : Keye's Point

Hiragana Megane

Hiragana Megane is an excellent online tool for those of you who enjoy reading Japanese news articles and blogs but struggle to remember the readings of every kanji you come across. All you have to do is :

1) Enter the URL of the website or blog you want to add furigana to. Click on the Go button.


2) And, hey presto! The website/blog will now show furigana above all of the kanji in the text.

Of course there are other alternatives, such as the Mozilla plug-in Rikaichan, and the slow-and-tedious method of copy/pasting unknown kanji into an online dictionary but I personally find Hiragana Megane quite useful. Feel free to add it to your bookmarks!

Hiragana Megane