The right way to Learn Chinese Characters Simply and Efficiently
Chinese language is an unfamiliar territory for many whose first language use an alphabetic system such as English. Instead of combining letters to form words, Chinese language uses strokes to form characters. The commonly used Chinese characters alone contain 3000 words. Not only that, Chinese is one more tonal language with four different tones, commonly marked with accent marks, many years . unmarked represents the neutral tone. The accent marks are only available unfavorable PinYin to represent the pronunciation. The word sh for instance, can have different meanings depending on its tone. The first tone sh can mean poetry or wet or teacher. The second tone sh can mean ten or time or true. The third tone sh can mean history or to start or to cause. The fourth tone sh can mean yes or room or matter. In essence, are usually many similar sounds with assorted meanings. As a few fact, a Chinese linguist in the 20th century Zhao Yuanren composed a 10-line classical Chinese poem using only the sound shi.
Next, it isn’t always possible to guess the pronunciation of a character. The character for wood, for instance, is pronounced mu. The character for forest, which usually composed of two-character for wood, is pronounced lin. Although in this example the pronunciation can’t be related, the concept of the characters are able to. On the contrary, when the pronunciation can be related due to similar root character, the meanings aren’t necessarily related.
PinYin itself, although alphabetized, is not pronounced the same way as the alphabetic sounds. There are unfamiliar sounds because u with an umlaut () that sounds like a plan of I and u. Like all things unfamiliar, it will result in uncertainty and are worried. Thus, knowing the challenges learners face is the actual step in devising effective learning strategies that directly affect their language accomplishments.
The Strategies Would once Learn Chinese Characters
Prof Ko-Yin Sung of Chinese Language Study from Utah Expenses hikes conducted a search amongst non-heritage, non-Asian Chinese language learners and uncovered interesting results which could help future learners in forming a complete study plan. Her study revolves all through most used often Chinese character learning strategies and how those strategies affect the learners’ ability in understanding and producing the sound and the writing on the Chinese characters.
The study finds that among greatest twenty most regularly used strategies, eight regarding are related to when a personality is first introduced to learners. These include:
1. Repeating the character several times aloud or silently.
2. Writing the character down.
3. Noting how the is utilized for context.
4. Noting the tone and associating it with pinyin.
5. Observing the character and stroke order.
6. Visualising the element.
7. Learning the explanation of the character.
8. Associating the character with previously learned design.
The next six strategies are used to increase learners’ understanding belonging to the newly introduced character.
9. Converting the character into native language and finding a similar.
10. Looking in the textbook or dictionary.
11. Checking if brand new character is used above.
12. Trying to discover how to say hello in chinese they are used in conversation.
13. While using character in sentences orally.
14. Asking how the character could provide in lines.
However, learning strategies come to diminish beyond those two learning portions. There are only three strategies moved to memorising newly learned character.
15. Saying and writing the character at the same time frame.
16. Saying and picturing the character in mindset.
17. Given the sound, visualising the character shape and meaning.
And hard work only one strategy applied in practising new characters.
18. Making sentences and writing them out.
And new characters are reviewed truly worth two strategies only.
19. Writing the characters many years.
20. Reading over notes, example sentences and the textbook.
Of the twenty strategies mentioned above, four are only to be most significant in increasing learner’s skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing of the new characters. The four strategies are:
Writing the characters down
Observing the stroke order
Making association with a similar character
Saying and writing the character repeatedly
Discussion
A research by Stice in 1987 showed that students only retained 10% of back as they learned from what they read, 26% from what they hear, and 30% from what they see. When learning modes are combined, an essential improvement to learn retention is noted. Learning retention jumped to 50% when seeing and hearing are combined, and even higher at 70% when students the materials are generally learning, and learning retention is in the highest at 90% when students the materials considerable learning as they quite simply do anything. Simply reading the characters are not enough. Learners must associate the sound with the characters, make a connection that isn’t characters to create them memorable, and practice recalling the newly learned characters.
Study shows that recalling new characters learned improves learning retention and reinforces learning. One way to practice this will be by using an app for instance The Intelligent Flashcards. This specific unit flashcard app is designed for the New Practical Chinese Reader textbooks, making it convenient to review characters based on chapters. Simply does it show stroke order animation, it is also accompanied by native speaker sound files, making this app the more convenient that another app with regard to Anki. With Anki, although user can add personal notes on it, the sound file is not available and should be imported through another app.
Another important learning strategy to incorporate is observing the actual characters tend to be in situation. This can be practiced by observing real-life conversations to supplement the textbook and audio tracks conversation. Usually interesting to remember that learners studied the particular abovementioned research were unwilling to adopt the educational strategies recommended by the instructors, because watching Chinese TV shows or listening Chinese song selections. There could be many reasons for this. The style of the shows or songs can not appeal into the learners.
Use of this program is not quite as convenient. Also if the shows could be accessed online, rarely real estate agent subtitled in either both Chinese and English which will make the shows more employed to beginner learners in getting the language. Also, most of this very popular Chinese Tv fall in the historical genre, which is often a favourite one of several Chinese, for instance The Empress of Asia. However, the language spoken in this type of TV show is a bit more complex compared contemporary spoken Chinese.
