Chinese Beginners, Chinese Background Speakers, advice/help (1 Viewer)

Wooz

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My parents are chinese, and i've just applied to do chinese beginners. What is chinese background speakers, the syllabus didnt really define it. Will they make me do chinese background speakers since my parents are chinese and fluent in mandarin even though i dont speak a word of mandarin? Whats the difference between background speakers and chinese for beginners? Do you have to learn how to write in simplified chinese text?
 
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xiao1985

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whether or not u can do chiense beginners depend on whether u speak chinese or eng at home (even a dialect is considered chinese)...

chinese bkspr is alot harder and study alot deeper texts and scaled alot badly... beginners are no better in terms of scaling, but continuers has scaling much better...
 

Dreamerish*~

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If you've attended school in China for more than one year, you're required to take Chinese BG. You won't be forced to take BG if you've been only taught everyday language by your parents.

Chinese BG is very difficult for anyone who is below the high-school level of Chinese. The course was originally supposed to be a more challenging version of Chinese continuers (as many students found it too easy) but because the majority of the BG students have a high level of Chinese, they were forced to make the course more difficult.

I did Chinese BG as an extra subject, and just about everyone in my class did ESL as their English subject. We were required to write sophisticated essays on various issues in society such as feminism, racism, marriage and homosexuality. I came to Australia after completing 3 years of primary school in China, and I totally flunked Chinese BG with 53/100 as my HSC mark (it wasn't counted :p).
 

Wooz

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Grr i can only find places to do chinese background speakers, does anyone know how i can do chinese mandarin beginners? i know OHS dosent offer it is there any way i can do beginners?
 

felixcthecat

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Dreamerish*~ said:
If you've attended school in China for more than one year, you're required to take Chinese BG.



does this mean that as long as you've done only 1 year of school in china, u'd definitely be allowed into Chinese continuers?

..just trying to confirm something for a friend who doesn't want to say anything 'wrong' to a teacher ^^''
 

Dreamerish*~

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felixcthecat said:
does this mean that as long as you've done only 1 year of school in china, u'd definitely be allowed into Chinese continuers?

..just trying to confirm something for a friend who doesn't want to say anything 'wrong' to a teacher ^^''
Yep, one or less.
 

xiao1985

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hmmm ok... it's a whole different story in uni... u have to NOT speak any chinese dialect (ie mandrin/canto/shang/etc) to be able to do beginners...
 

airie

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Dreamerish*~ said:
Chinese BG is very difficult for anyone who is below the high-school level of Chinese. The course was originally supposed to be a more challenging version of Chinese continuers (as many students found it too easy) but because the majority of the BG students have a high level of Chinese, they were forced to make the course more difficult.
I've finished Year 7 in China and only just applied for Chinese BG in a Sat school :p Hmmm. Have I just landed myself in a heap of work? Haha you bet, and great timing too...Now if only I knew to apply for it earlier...Anyways haven't done Chinese for three and a half years, who knows if I can still handle it or not...:(

Btw discussions on homosexuality is boring x.x If only they'd have more stuff on ancient poems and proses...:D
 

Wooz

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Airie, do u know which saturday schools offer chinese beginners? My school only had a list of saturday schools that offered continuers.
 

xiao1985

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Wooz said:
Airie, do u know which saturday schools offer chinese beginners? My school only had a list of saturday schools that offered continuers.
i think authur philip offer either cont or beginners...
ur language coord should know more...

@airie: lol xi yang... what a funny text... =p
 

meLoncoLLie

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airie said:
I've finished Year 7 in China and only just applied for Chinese BG in a Sat school :p Hmmm. Have I just landed myself in a heap of work? Haha you bet, and great timing too...Now if only I knew to apply for it earlier...Anyways haven't done Chinese for three and a half years, who knows if I can still handle it or not...:(

Btw discussions on homosexuality is boring x.x If only they'd have more stuff on ancient poems and proses...:D
Haha they used to have lots of classical poetry and prose in the old syllabus, but nowadays they give you shit texts like the lyrics of 'Descendants of the Dragon'. I entered the classroom on my first day thinking we'd be learning yummy stuff like Tang poetry!

By the way this course is hard as, in my opinion you would need to have completed at least Yr 8 in China/Taiwan to be able to score a band 5. Heck, every single person in my class was a fob (not including me of course...:D) but only a few got over 80. (Or maybe my class just sucked) Don't say I didn't warn you :p
 

craz

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I really pity you guys who do Chinese BS. Fortunately, I learnt Chinese Continuers much easier. BS is full of extra work...they put me in BS and I couldn't cope! Once you get to uni, it really depends on what language they offer..but you can start from scratch so to speak. If you're looking for places..to learn Chinese Beginners you can try some of the Language Schools and Saturday Schools.

oh...and they make everybody do simplified chinese now. No, just because your parents are chinese doesn't mean you automatically go into Backgroud Speakers.
 

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i finished year 5 in china and is doing bg speakers, only because i like my class and i like the topics discussed. i know it won't count, cos nearly everyone else that i'm competing with came to aust last year.
and i can't do esl because i came here in 1999 :(
 

timlay

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haha. i'm pretty confused. i'm doing chinese 'intermediate' atm.

There's an Advanced Background Speakers and a Beginners Class. The intermediate group is with the beginners but are separated. So i don't really know what i'm doing. =/
 

meLoncoLLie

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Um, maybe it's because you're still in yr 10?

edit: you go to SBHS? I think I happen to know someone from your grade... shock, horror!! as I'm already in uni.
 
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xiao1985

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in deed ur meloncollie =p

shocking horry i am already in 3rd year... =p
btw, ur dp is very .... distrubing... o_O
never realised that before
 

xiao1985

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i know... not til recently i realised it's ... well... disturbing =S
 

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