3 ms·
> I see a lot mnemonic tricks, apps, etc. for foreign language learning. For some reason, a lot of focus on Japanese, specifically (never seen a post about lear
by _hao 5y ago
> I see a lot mnemonic tricks, apps, etc. for foreign language learning. For some reason, a lot of focus on Japanese, specifically (never seen a post about learning Spanish on Hacker News). My opinion of these apps and techniques is, by and large, very low. If you want to be proficient, you should be reading and writing as much material as possible, and you can remember Chinese characters mostly with rote memorization, with maybe a little bit of mnemonics to help you get started. Only a small percentage of Chinese characters are pictograms. Once you get into the 500-1,000 character range, you’ll be making guesses at character meanings from context and radicals.
> Coming up with better mnemonics, or better ways to introduce mnemonics, is a low-value activity. You can go through an entire book of mnemonics that teaches you 1,000 Chinese characters and retain none of it.
That's not my experience at all. Please see my link detailing my own experience with the Heisig method.
- klodolph 5y ago> That's not my experience at all. Please see my link detailing my own experience with the Heisig method. Did you forget to post the link? Heisig’s approach to break down the characters into components is indeed useful, I just doubt the usefulness of the “stories” that Heisig provides.
- _hao 5y agoSorry, I posted the link in a top level comment before answering you. In any case here it is again - https://underscorehao.net/2020/05/learning-1500-chinese-characters-in-a-month-heisig-method-review/ https://underscorehao.net/2020/05/learning-1500-chinese-char... His stories weren't really useful to me either and I made my own since that's what the method is based upon. The stories he provides are a guideline for the method, but making your own stories is the key. I've done that over a year ago and I've finished the second tome too since then (albeit with a slower pace than what I did for the first).
- klodolph 5y agoHow well are you able to read? It looks like the article is about memorizing characters, which is useful, but I’d imagine that the end goal is reading comprehension.
- _hao 5y agoYes, the end goal is reading comprehension. I'm getting there. Since I've finished the books I've been actively listening/reading while attaining vocabulary. I still have a long way ahead, but not being worried about the characters or how to write them is a big boost.