Learning Chinese Riffs
There have been a number of interesting responses to my recent post at Lost Laowai that asks this question: does location within China matter when attempting to learn Mandarin?
My view, unsurprising for a Yunnan resident, is that it does not. There are exceptions, of course- parts of rural Xinjiang or Tibet would present few opportunities to practice the language. Otherwise, even smallish cities in Yunnan- thousands of miles from Beijing- are fine.
To paraphrase what I wrote in the comments of the LL post, the people I know who speak, read, write, and understand Mandarin best are the ones who worked at it the most. While some people have a natural knack for languages that facilitates smooth learning, these people are the exception, not the rule.
Read the whole post- and especially the comments that follow.
