Tag Archives: learning

PROMPT: Good At

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Daily writing prompt
Share five things you’re good at.
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1.) Changing my mind. This wouldn’t be noteworthy except that there seems to be a stigma attached to adults changing their minds about a thing (even in the face of new, better, or first -time information.) It’s considered “wishy-washy.”

2.) Learning. I love learning and I devote a lot of time to it. Beyond youth, a skill for it requires a capacity for what Shunryu Suzuki called “beginner’s mind” — a state a lot of people seem to run from, rather than toward.

3.) Adopting another’s point of view. Truth be told, I wouldn’t really say I’m good at this, but the bar is quite low.

4.) Operating my body.

5.) Going the places that scare me.

NOTE: I thought I was better at humility, but the fact that I’m willing to answer the question speaks to the contrary.

BOOKS: “Chinese Grammar Wiki BOOK: Elementary” ed. by John Pasden

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Chinese Grammar Wiki BOOK: ElementaryChinese Grammar Wiki BOOK: Elementary by John Pasden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher Site

Confronted with a vast sea of Chinese grammar texts, this is the series I chose, and I’ve been happy with my decision. This, the beginner level grammar guide, is reasonably priced, logically organized, easy to use, and has all one needs without time-wasting excesses.

The core of the book consists of 135 grammar points (40 “A1” level and 95 “A2” level.) For each point there is a clear but simple explanation of the rule, a formulaic statement of said rule [an easy to find timesaver when reviewing,] a number of examples (with Chinese characters, pinyin, and an English translation) and any cautions to consider (i.e. common mistakes, ways Chinese grammar differs from English, and common exceptions to the rule.) The examples used simple and common words and phrases to drill basic and useful vocabulary.

This book is organized to put bite-sized chunks of learning at hand so that one can do more or less, depending upon one’s schedule.

I’d recommend this book for anyone looking for a basic Chinese Grammar text.

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“Beginners” by Walt Whitman [w/ Audio]

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How they are provided for upon the earth,
   (appearing at intervals;)
 How dear and dreadful they are to the earth;
 How they inure to themselves as much as to 
   any -- What a paradox appears their age;
 How people respond to them, yet know them not;
 How there is something relentless in their fate,
   all times;
 How all times mischoose the objects of their 
   adulation and reward,
 And how the same inexorable price must still
   be paid for the same great purchase.

PROMPT: Screentime

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How do you manage screen time for yourself?

Many ways, really: e.g. Go for a walk or otherwise move. Forget it exists. When the WiFi goes down, take it as a sign from the universe. Juggle. Do something productive.

PROMPT: Hardest

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Daily writing prompt
What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself?
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To be an ever-better version of myself. It is relentless, requires engaging fears and weaknesses, and it is worth it.

PROMPT: Grown Up

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Daily writing prompt
When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)?
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In retrospect, I’d say it was when I was on an airplane headed to Basic Military Training. I left a few days after completing high school classes, and a week or so before our graduation ceremony. That would definitely have been the point at which I had to realize whatever transpired, I was on my own. My problems were no longer distributed between myself and parents or myself and teachers, but it was all on me.

That said, I suspect that as a teenager I would have reported moments long before then, like my first solo out-of-state road-trip. I think a general feature of the adolescent condition is feeling grown up before one actually is in any real sense.

BOOKS: “The Story of Chinese Characters” by Fang Zeng

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Languages - The Story Of Chinese Characters: 汉字的故事 (Bilingual Chinese with Pinyin and English - Simplified Chinese Version) - Preschool, Kindergarten (Educational ... Books For Smart Kids: 聪明宝宝益智成长绘本 Book 2)Languages – The Story Of Chinese Characters: 汉字的故事 (Bilingual Chinese with Pinyin and English – Simplified Chinese Version) – Preschool, Kindergarten by Elite Panda book
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher’s YouTube Channel

This story book is apparently perfect for preschoolers and definitely is for someone newly learning Chinese. It is the tale of a man who goes hunting and his mild trials and successes. It’s not a gripping tale, but that’s perfect for those new to the language as it allows simple language and concepts. The language is grammatically and semantically straightforward. This bilingual book presents Chinese characters, pinyin with tone markers, and the English translation all on the same page.

The story teaches a few rudimentary Chinese characters (person, mountain, boat, bird, etc.,) particularly ones that are either pictographic or lend themselves to pictographic memory tricks. (For those unfamiliar with Chinese, it is a common misconception that all the characters are pictographic. In fact, about eighty percent of characters appear as they do because of their spoken sound quality [i.e. they appear similar to another character with the same sound, but often with an entirely unrelated meaning.]) The illustrations not only tell the story but invokes the shape of the character that is under study.

I found this book useful for learning to read in Chinese. A little more separation of the pinyin and characters might be nice so one could cover it up to focus on reading characters, but I was clearly not the intended demographic. I don’t see any reason why the book couldn’t work either way, i.e. for English learning Chinese speakers as well as English speaking Chinese learners.

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PROMPT: Lose Track of Time

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Daily writing prompt
Which activities make you lose track of time?
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Reading, thinking, and learning.

Note to Self [Lyric Poem]

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Allow me to make a
    Socratic suggestion:
 That you pursue the lowly
    Art of the question.

Showing you love knowing
   More than you love learning
 Shows only that you're not
   Discerning, and lack requisite
 Yearning to find the Truth.

BOOKS: “Fluent Forever” by Gabriel Wyner

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Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget ItFluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It by Gabriel Wyner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Website

This is one of the most useful books I’ve read in some time. Wyner proposes a method to learn a new language that both removes some of the drudgery while improving retention. Anticipating the skepticism that I would have myself at this point: no, it is not one of those books that makes ridiculous and unfounded claims such as that you can learn a language entirely in your sleep or that you can develop native fluency in seven days. Instead, Wyner’s method is based on sound scientific ideas.

So, what does this method consist of? A few of the key points are: first, one doesn’t skip straight to basic conversational phrases as many books and courses do, but rather places great emphasis on learning how to hear and say the sounds of the target language. This phase is often given short shrift, presumably assuming that this skill will be picked up automatically in the process, but Wyner’s argument is that not being able to hear what’s correct or not great slows progress in the long run. Second, memorization tasks use the “spaced repetition system” (SRS) method whereby you increase the time between exposure to new knowledge as you learn it until it is firmly entrenched in one’s mind. Third, one seeks to build a more visceral connection to the new vocabulary and phrases, and this makes learning more fun while improving retention. This is principally done by making flash cards that tell a story relevant to one’s personal experience (and / or which uses subject matter such as sex [which tends to produce more indelibility of memories.])

Beyond the method presented by the book, one is also presented with a great number of resources that can be helpful. Some of these resources are a part of the author’s own website, but many are external resources (from Anki [an app that allows one to build flashcards and study them on a SRS schedule] to courses of the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute.)

I’ve started to learn Mandarin and have begun employing a number of ideas from this book. I would highly recommend the book for anyone who is interested in learning another language, no matter what said language might be. (This is a book of “how to” learn, not “what to” learn.)

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