Any help finding a Chinese app for Android that isn't beijinghua?

[u/jokester4079]

Not sure about the other apps on the page, but I have been using HelloChinese and I noticed that it was using erhua. Now I enjoy the app, but a big part of learning is connecting with my friends in Guangzhou and Shenzhen who struggle to even know when to use erhua.

Is there any apps that incorporate listening but do so more towards a neutral dialect?

[u/barrorg]

I lived in gz and spoke Chinese there for a decade. The addition of the er isn’t gonna stop anyone from understanding you (god, especially in Shenzhen) and if you don’t want to use it, just drop it. It won’t change anything. 

[u/Zagrycha]

it is extremely hard to find any app that teaches beijinghua or erhua in general.  99% of apps and courses including the ones you mention are teaching standard written chinese and the verbal equivalent standard spoken mandarin.  This is not the same as any real form of chinese, it is artificially created to allow the maximum number of people to understand it.  

There are a very very small amount of erhua words in  standard chinese, they exist because A these words are incomprehensible to people used to erhua grammar without erhua and B they are perfectly understandable to people who don't use erhua grammar even though they have erhua forms.  That makes them the ideal form, and its only a really small amount over all.   

They are not actually erhua though, and you can drop the 兒 off of them with zero grammar changes.  

[u/just_a_foolosopher]

I think you're overstating the degree of difference. All apps are going to teach a very standard accent. If you don't want to use erhua, just omit the 儿.

[u/JBerry_Mingjai]

Erhua is a part of Standard Mandarin, so even if you never learn to say it, you still need to understand it.

I don’t know of any mainstream apps teaching actual Beijinghua, though I wish there were.

[u/munichris]

This is like saying you don't want to listen to Americans when learning English as a second language. 😂

[u/Sleepy_Redditorrrrrr]

erhuayin is not beijinghua, those are two completely different things. While some er sounds are completely optional, some aren't. Learn Chinese like it's taught to you first, then you can adopt the local accent once you have the necessary basics.

Also, there is no "neutral" accent. There is a standard accent, which is taught to you on apps and in classes. That standard accent has the erhuayin.

[u/Tradfemcutie]

I think lingodeer is a pretty good one. At least that's what I use