Question

I want to learn and speak Chinese language. Can anyone guide about how good this MIT course and is it helpful to make you a good Chinese speaker?

Answer 1

I only briefly listened to some of the audio clips. They are accurate and reflect native Chinese. The only problem I can see is I am not sure how you can follow the MIT's course (>_<)" Like, it seems like you should have certain Chinese background already and use that site as a supplement.

Answer 2

Hi Hali, I've been living in China for 9 months and have been using this course to learn Chinese. It saying it is helpful to learn Chinese is an understatement.
I've met many foreigners struggling to learn Chinese, which is supposedly one of the most difficult languages to learn. I think a lot of the reason these stories exit is due to the vast amounts of poorly designed Chinese curriculum, which can actually be counter productive to language learning. Picking up a mispronounced sound or an inaccurate grammatical notion can be very difficult to correct later on.

To use this course well, you will be best to set yourself up with someone that can speak Chinese very well. You can record audio on www.soundcloud.com of yourself reading the Chinese and get feedback that way, or even better, finding a Chinese person to skype with. I suggest using QQ to do that. (QQ is like the Chinese version of skype and facebook combined) You will easily find native Chinese speakers that want to improve their English.

From there, make sure you can pronounce each syllable properly, including the tones, and then you will soon be on your way to efficient self study.