-------------------
This is part four of my 2-Year Journey to Native Mandarin Pronunciation – How I Use Anki/Audacity
Last year in October 2014, the beginner class at Xiamen University started learning Chinese characters for the first time. For the first five weeks in the semester, tests and quizzes had only required an understanding of the pinyin system. This meant two things going forward. Character writing was mandatory for all new vocabulary and all previous vocabulary had to be relearned in character form. As a result, the test in the following week required learning characters for some 200 hundred words (each word has two or three characters).
Needless to say, finding an efficient method of character study became priority number one. The method provided below is a result of many nights spent in the university library preparing for those first few character-only tests. The method is free, allowed me to pass all my classes with flying colors, and even helped to improve my pronunciation quite significantly. This study method is also primary done on phone meaning you can study anytime and anywhere. If there is any downside to this method, it is that it requires a significant investment of time and energy at the beginning of one's study of Mandarin. Flashcards can also be a roadblock to learning for some students who find flashcard review tedious.
Note: If you aren't too familiar with SRS (spaced repetition software) or Anki, I would suggest a quick online search.
Initially, I spent quite a bit of time learning to use the Anki software. A simple mistake required me to rebuild my deck of several hundred cards. Hopefully I can spare someone else that effort. The template provided here is by no means perfect, but I have been using it for over a year now with excellent results. I hope, at the very least, this deck can serve as a stopgap allowing you to study and make progress as you traverse from Anki beginner to having the skills to build your own custom deck(s).
My goal at the start and currently still is mastery of all four language learning areas: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. This flashcard deck is optimized to meet all of those requirements. I have successfully learned and retained about 2000 characters over the past year using this method and can use them with ease in all four contexts.
Learning as you create your flashcard deck
The workflow for creating digital flashcards is demonstrated in the video and then explained in further detail below:
1) Listen to the recording and read the textbook at the same time. When I hear an unfamiliar word or grammar structure, I take that piece of audio and put it into a flashcard. I make sure all my flashcards are sentences from a story. Retaining what you have learned is highly dependent on context. For this reason, I would strongly advise against creating flashcards with single characters or words. I often replay the audio at least once to make sure I’ve selected it correctly and also to practice listening and speaking.
2) When saving the audio file I make sure to use Chinese characters in the file name. This is another opportunity to practice writing and reading.
3) I add a picture from the web if possible. Context is important and pictures are a great way to ensure that vocabulary is retained for as long as possible. Some cards will be too specific to find an appropriate picture. Use Chinese characters to image search online. The results will be better and it is yet another opportunity to practice using your language abilities.
4) I enter an English translation for the flashcard. Most times my translation is not great but I will return later to update some entries (why updating your flashcards is a good thing). When you are first starting out, there will be plenty of similar words that have nuances beyond your current grasp of the language. Just try to make the flashcards as distinct as possible. Over time, these finer differences will make themselves clear to you.
5) Pinyin can be written in two ways. 你好 is ni3hao3 or Nǐ hǎo. The latter form can be produced somewhat quickly by using this application: http://www.pinyinput.net/ (Windows only)
6) The last step for me is to add a chapter tag. If I have any questions about a word later, I can open the book and quickly find further examples.
Note: I use the 发展汉语 (Fāzhǎn Hànyǔ) series of textbooks because we use them in class here in China. Each chapter has a list of vocabulary and a story that includes all the new words and grammar.
Learning from actually studying the deck
How you use the software is just as important as setting up your first deck. Some guidelines are provided below. This template presents the cards backwards and forwards.
1) Forwards
A picture is presented (if one is available) and a hint can be used to show the English. The emphasis is to connect Chinese to an idea and not an English word equivalent. Anki allows screen-writing which allows users to practice character recall. Write down the character(s). Trying to recall full sentences can also help with retaining grammar and correct word usage.
When the ‘Show Answer’ button is pressed, the Chinese characters are shown in ultra-large font. Details of the characters can often be lost in smaller fonts, especially stroke direction. I use Pleco's stroke dictionary for reviewing stroke order but users on Chinese-Forums have also provided a method for these animations to be shown in Anki (see later posts). The native pronunciation is played by default. The student can use the hint button to show the pinyin after guessing the correct tones for the word.
2) Backwards
The Chinese text is presented in ultra-large font. The student can read the sentence aloud to practice pronunciation.
When the ‘Show Answer’ button is pressed, the picture and English translation are shown. The native pronunciation also plays and the user can check their speaking for errors. Pinyin is available by pressing the 'hint' button and can be shown if replaying the audio isn’t enough to identify the tones or phonemes.
Here is the sample Anki deck that you can play around with: Beginner Anki Deck
Enjoy!
Chinese-forums post : http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/49949...
(Remember, keep all discussion and comments on the forums. I won't reply here. Edit: comments are now disabled)
