Would learning the Pinyin table be the best place to start learning Chinese?

Answer 1

Hi! Actually, it depends on if you use Chinese as a communication tool or you take Chinese as a subject at school. Generally, it is always good to start with pinyin, just like those Chinese 1st graders students. They wanted to learn the basics and then go deeper into poems and articles, but of course, they know how to speak Chinese in the first place. You can of course start with basic words in Chinese like 你好， 谢谢. I wouldn't suggest you do that because it is hard to remember words without pinyin, more than 90% of Chinese people like me choose to type with pinyin instead of writing bored(ALSO, YOU DO NOT HAVE WRITING TOOLS ON LAPTOP). After all, it is still your choice:)

Answer 2

It depends on your purpose of learning Chinese. If you just want to communicate with the others, then it is okay not to learn Pinyin. But if you want to study Chinese literature deeply and become a writer, pinyin is very necessary. This is equivalent to the foundation. For example, If we want to do make up, we have to apply foundation first. You can also apply eye shadow and lipstick directly, but it is best to lay the foundation first. If pinyin is not important, Chinese people will not learn pinyin from an early age. We start to learn pinyin in the first grade. The pronunciation of students who learn pinyin is completely different from that of students who don't learn pinyin. After learning pinyin, you will speak more standardly and more like a native speaker. Besides, pinyin is not that hard.

Answer 3

I think teaching student the difference between pinyin and English pronunciation can be a good start. Then students can speak good Chinese without the bother from their native language.

Answer 4

I don't think so. I've started teaching Chinese directly without pinyin for last two years.

The students first need to learn how to read and write Chinese characters for fun. Then they will have more confidence and interest to move on. Step by step they will naturally pick up pinyin during the learning process.