Re: Dr. Mack Rettosy's Journal: Mastering Mandarin
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2020 2:44 pm
Well, my first language exchange was a disaster. My co-worker initiated this exchange at the end of the work day. I felt cornered and was definitely not prepared. Most of the phrases and vocabulary that I'm able to activate in speech are introductory and observational, which in a conversation would have been trite and redundant since we both already know each other. Furthermore, I think we have different ideas as to what we want from the exchange. He seems to want a back-and-forth between English and Chinese, where he speaks phrases and vocabulary in Chinese, then he will explain it in English (to improve his own speaking). This isn't helpful at all in my opinion. I want a full immersion, where we either choose to speak in English OR Chinese about a topic of interest. The coup de grâce, I ended the exchange in a flustered rush in order to catch my commute. Talk about an awkward parting of ways.
We clearly have some kinks to work through. Initially, this was a very discouraging experience. I basically just sat there dumbstruck at how hard it was to produce language. But now that some time has passed, I'm considering the positives: 1) I could actually understand a lot of what he said. 2) He clearly seems motivated and excited to have these exchanges. 3) Greater motivation to start speaking.
I'm increasing passive listening. Youtube premium is great for this. Features include no ads, downloadable videos, and continued playing while using other apps or screen shutting off. I will likely keep paying for this feature after the free trial ends. I'm getting 30-120 min/day of passive listening. In the past, I haven't included passive listening as total study time count, but this week I started recording 30min for every day I passive listened (which happens to be every day). As I begun to comprehend more of the passive input, I'm working harder to actively listen and understand, so this 30 min credit feels like an appropriate compromise and should keep me motivated to listen.
I found another candidate for shadowing/accent acquisition: director/actor Wen Jiang. He has a deep, melodic Beijing accent and speaks quite simply. As an example, this interview I estimated my comprehension approaching 50%, both the interviewer, Jiang, and the questions at the end! 姜文也是非常男子汉, 大笑
Finally, I spent 4 hours this Saturday transferring my HC immersion and TCB vocabulary libraries to Pleco. Then on Sunday I went through the lists with a preliminary SRS test to assign initial scores. Tested roughly 20% correctly, pretty low considering I had just reviewed definitions the day before. I'm not happy with how this went, there are so many details to work out: how to handle synonyms (complicated by the fact that I'm focusing on pinyin), best flashcard layout, optimizing the review settings, including context from where I learned the card, the list goes on and on... and on...
That's it for now. I have a busy work week with the Holidays coming up. Hope everyone finds their balance with family time and studies!
We clearly have some kinks to work through. Initially, this was a very discouraging experience. I basically just sat there dumbstruck at how hard it was to produce language. But now that some time has passed, I'm considering the positives: 1) I could actually understand a lot of what he said. 2) He clearly seems motivated and excited to have these exchanges. 3) Greater motivation to start speaking.
I'm increasing passive listening. Youtube premium is great for this. Features include no ads, downloadable videos, and continued playing while using other apps or screen shutting off. I will likely keep paying for this feature after the free trial ends. I'm getting 30-120 min/day of passive listening. In the past, I haven't included passive listening as total study time count, but this week I started recording 30min for every day I passive listened (which happens to be every day). As I begun to comprehend more of the passive input, I'm working harder to actively listen and understand, so this 30 min credit feels like an appropriate compromise and should keep me motivated to listen.
I found another candidate for shadowing/accent acquisition: director/actor Wen Jiang. He has a deep, melodic Beijing accent and speaks quite simply. As an example, this interview I estimated my comprehension approaching 50%, both the interviewer, Jiang, and the questions at the end! 姜文也是非常男子汉, 大笑
Finally, I spent 4 hours this Saturday transferring my HC immersion and TCB vocabulary libraries to Pleco. Then on Sunday I went through the lists with a preliminary SRS test to assign initial scores. Tested roughly 20% correctly, pretty low considering I had just reviewed definitions the day before. I'm not happy with how this went, there are so many details to work out: how to handle synonyms (complicated by the fact that I'm focusing on pinyin), best flashcard layout, optimizing the review settings, including context from where I learned the card, the list goes on and on... and on...
That's it for now. I have a busy work week with the Holidays coming up. Hope everyone finds their balance with family time and studies!