Comments on: About opening doors and the paths beyond

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By: Olle Linge

Olle Linge — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:21:48 +0000

@Jacky: It's probably a problem with my computer/browser. I've bookmarked the site anyway, I just wanted to make sure what you thought were the main advantages. Audio is mostly lacking from other dictionaries I use, so thank you very much for the suggestion!

By: Jacky

Jacky — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:27:17 +0000

@Olle Linge
As I said, it’s not the most comprehensive dictionary. Apart from the short answers, it’s also missing far too many words as well, which is why I’m supplementing with Forvo.
It’s unfortunate if the audio doesn’t work, as it’s really the main advantage. Those are wav files, so they shouldn’t cause trouble.

By: Olle Linge

Olle Linge — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:50:14 +0000

@laurenth: It is definitely an inward journey to learn about oneself. I’ve learnt more about myself that about Chinese during the time I’ve studied the language, most things which are applicable to situations outside language learning. It is definitely worth the time to stop and think. There is value in doing things as well, of course, but if we plan to learn Chinese to any level beyond the beginner, we have to stop and think about what we’re doing.

@Jacky: Of course, there are some teachers who teach this, but they are extremely rare. None of the standard textbooks I’ve seen includes discussions about this (and I’ve seen a lot). I don’t mean to say that I do is completely unique, just that it’s quite rare and needed.

I checked the dictionary you suggested and I’m not sure what I think. The audio didn’t work on my computer and the explanations of words were short and not very exhaustive at all. Would you say that the audio is the main advantage?

By: Jacky

Jacky — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:51:39 +0000

I myself do remember at least some teachers covering the topic of how to learn. Of course, they’re very few, and not all students in a class are very willing to learn how to learn.

I’d definitely recommend the following online dictionary:

http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Chinese/search.html

It was down the past three or four days and I’ve been desperately searching for an equal tool. (Forvo is somewhat alike with a good concept, but the quality of many audio files lags behind: http://de.forvo.com/) Basically, Ting is just another dictionary. Until you notice two things: Audio files of multiple native speakers for most words in an acceptable quality; example sentences with said audio files.

It’s not the most comprehensive dictionary, but I find it extremely usefull to include audio files on every single fact in my Anki decks. Doing the reviews, I also repeat every single word, phrase or sentence – multiple times if I feel like it. (repeating only words may, or may not be very helpfull in the long run, but I rarely forget a word’s tones this way)

By: laurenth

laurenth — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:16:42 +0000

Hi,

“most teachers and textbooks hardly mention how to learn, only what to learn”

So true. All the more so as far as learning Chinese is concerned. For me, learning Chinese also means a parallel reflection about how to identify better methods and to tailor them to my needs, my brains, the time I can devote to studying, etc. Thinking about how to learn is not wasted time, it allows to improve your efficiency and, what is more, it is an interesting activity in itself. Pedantic as it may sound, learning how to learn also taught me a lot about myself, about the ways I have to organise myself to get things done, also in areas other than Chinese.

Your site (and Chinese Forum) is an invaluable tool.

Regards,

Laurenth