The Tibetan Phrasebook | Amdo Multimedia

Amdo Multimedia

In learning a language there are few methods as effective as watching films and listening to radio in the target language, therefore, The Tibetan Phrasebook will make a concerted effort to gather as many of these resources as possible.

A YouTube playlist of every single Amdo Tibetan dialect clip that we could find on and off the interwebs. As noted above, the Tibetan Phrasebook is perpetually looking for more and more resources of this kind, to help make learning Amdo more efficient, fun and engaging.

This link, also a YouTube playlist, is a compilation of clips in Amdo Tibetan dialect but without English subtitles. Some clips have Chinese subtitles, or Tibetan, or even both, and some have no subtitling whatsoever. These resources, though lacking English subtitles, are still very useful for even the beginner, as certain clips have simple enough plots that can be ascertained without full comprehension of the dialogue. In this way, the learner is able to increase his or her exposure to the spoken language in the context of natural speech. In mimicking the natural language learning process, listening is the first step to making neurological sense of various phonologies and their patterns. This crucial stage is too often under-appreciated by older language learners.

The Qinghai Tibetan Radio and Television website is especially useful to those wanting to access what Amdo radio and television those living in Qinghai are able to enjoy. According to one of the staff working there, all of the radio and television that is broadcast in Qinghai is accessible through this website. So, though there is no other-language support, this is a particularly precious resource for Amdo students!

The Tibetan Network is also a useful resource for Amdo learners. It has a less exhaustive collection but some of the clips are of higher quality than those on the website above. This resource also includes some Chinese language programs broadcast on the channel, which the Qinghai Radio and Television Website does not provide.

The Amdo dialect radio and video broadcasts from RFA may prove a little easier for Westerners to follow, given that the content is more familiar.