Lonely Planet Mandarin Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Mandarin Phrasebook)

Rating:
Summary: A disappointing revision
Review: For some reason Lonely Planet decided to abandon China's romanized pronunciation system, known as Hanyu Pinyin, in this new edition. They have come up with their own system in an attempt to make pronunciation of Mandarin Chinese easier; however, this is not the case. Hanyu Pinyin is easy to learn and, as a romanized system, does a very good job at describing Mandarin pronunciation. Trying to learn a new system that is used by no one is a waste of time and likely to cause confusion.

Except for some areas, such as Hong Kong, Hanyu Pinyin is the standard romanized pronunciation system for China. It is taught in schools, and many Chinese people I have come across know it, especially if they are educated. You can also chat with it on the Internet (don't even try chatting with this book's system!), and it can be very helpful in improving vocabulary. I have been living in China for more than a year and Pinyin has worked well for me.

However, learning correct Chinese pronunciation cannot be achieved by reading a book. Many sounds in English and Chinese are simply not the same. Not only that, Chinese sounds vary from region to region. The best method for learning correct Chinese pronunciation is to learn Hanyu Pinyin and have native Chinese people help you refine your speech.

I gave this book two stars and only two stars because while it does provide useful information, there are many other books that provide useful information without abandoning China's standardized pronunciation system. For example, Lonely Planet's previous edition (4th edition - April 2000) is a good book (although it does have some typos) that has helped me a lot. Unfortunately, it is becoming hard to find and expensive. If you decide on a different book, make sure it uses Hanyu Pinyin.


Rating:
Summary: Yeah...
Review: I agree, they really should have done it in Pinyin. However, I do like picture on the cover...

Rating:
Summary: Disapointing, I agree
Review: I have to agree with Preston's review. I have just bought the fifth edition and was very dissapointed to find that it was not using pinyin. I used the fourth edition recently and found it wonderful. Its a pity they have made this mistake. I Better find a copy of the fourth edition before they are all gone!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing for LP
Review: Lonely Planet miscalculated on this one. In this Fifth Edition, they decided to "improve" upon the rather intimidating Pinyin system for Romanizing Chinese by creating their own pronunciation system that is more natural for English speakers than Pinyin.

Unfortunately, Pinyin is the official Romanization system in the PRC: street signs, highway signs, shop signs, and maps use Pinyin. Readers of this book may be good at pronouncing the words in it, but they will not be able to handle the Romanized Chinese they see on the street.

I've located a used copy of the Fourth Edition (2000), which uses Pinyin, and I'll toss my Fifth Edition. Others seem to be doing the same, since used Fourth Editions are now selling at 2-3 times the price of new Fifth Editions! Too bad, because the Fifth Edition otherwise has a modern, attractive layout that is a genuine improvement.