How to learn words before using Anki

[Friday]

Until it closed down, I was using the Web site Lingt to study vocabulary, which worked very well. Now that I've switched to Anki, I find, it isn't designed to help me learn the words then remember them, it seems only oriented toward students who have already learned the word, but want to retain it. I'm getting to the point where most vocabulary is far more difficult to remember. So, what is your advice for learning the words? And is there a way to setup Anki that is more efficient for initially learning them?

[T-revor]

Nothing has been better for me than lots and lots of reading -- and noting the new words that I see often but don't remember. It's not very sexy, but it works. For me, reading news articles of the same section of the newspaper works well. Like reading sports for a month, you'll see a lot of vocab that you don't know but that's repeated in every article.

Also, I'm not familiar with Lingt. What was it and what made it good?

[Friday]

Lingt was a Web-based SRS program specifically for Chinese. You could study a pre-assembled list for your textbook, or create your own word lists. Key differences from Anki:

1) It had awards to encourage daily study habits.

2) You could compete against others to study more words more quickly, to get on the Web site's top 10 lists.

3) Each word list you made was linked to other lists, so vocabulary wasn't usually repeated (unless their was a bug).

4) You could quickly add photographs to your lists directly from Flickr or use photographs others had already selected. This helped remember the meaning of the words.

5) It cycled through a short list of 5 words for you to study at a time. Once you succeeded in getting the word correct 3 times by recall, recognition, and typing, that word would drop from the 5-word list and be replaced by another. So, if you got a word wrong, it would appear again much sooner.

6) When you typed pinyin as ni3 hao3, immediately after typing 3 it would replace the words with tone marks, making it easier to remember the tones.

It was highly buggy, and I think bought by Dictionary.com. Not sure what they will do with it. After using it to learn 2,000 words in a very short period of time, it closed, much to my frustration, so I think I'll stick with software-based programs from now on.

[gougou]

Have you tried using Anki for learning new words for a while? I was very skeptical in the beginning as well, but it seems to be working better than expected.

[abcdefg]

I first use ZDT. Then when I have the new words down pretty well, I load them into Anki in batches of 30 or 40.

[jasoninchina]

I like to learn the words initially from a wordlist. You would find this in a text book in its most basic form. I'm not sure what the rule is regarding links to other blogs, but there is a very well known technique for wordlists. Its very much like you described lingt as, except you use a piece of paper instead of a program. You take on 5 or so words at a time and so on. I'm sure you could google this method if you'd like. The method that I use personally is to learn words first from a list then I use anki for the words that don't stick. You mentioned that you have already learned 2000 words. From here on out, many new words that you come across will utilize those same characters, so they'll be much easier to pick up. That has been my experience. I use Anki more for harder words and characters I'm not familiar with.

[Shelley]

Hello,

I have just started using anki after studying for the last 25 years or so, and I didn't like it. I have also been using Pleco and I much prefer it. I can take with me and do bits when ever I like and it has writing input. the best way I have found for remembering characters is to write them out over and over again. You realy only need some squared paper and a pen but Pleco makes it fun and more portable. Good luck with what ever you choose. Shelley

[gougou]

I'm using Anki on my Android phone, so it's portable and it's got writing input as well. There also is an app for the iPhone, but that was pretty expensive by what I heard.

[Friday]

I like to learn the words initially from a wordlist. You would find this in a text book in its most basic form. I'm not sure what the rule is regarding links to other blogs, but there is a very well known technique for wordlists. Its very much like you described lingt as, except you use a piece of paper instead of a program. You take on 5 or so words at a time and so on. I'm sure you could google this method if you'd like. The method that I use personally is to learn words first from a list then I use anki for the words that don't stick. You mentioned that you have already learned 2000 words. From here on out, many new words that you come across will utilize those same characters, so they'll be much easier to pick up. That has been my experience. I use Anki more for harder words and characters I'm not familiar with.

Can you tell me the name or link? I don't have enough information to find it.

[jasoninchina]

http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16959&PN=1

Iversen has a number of videos and whatnot describing this method. Many people have found success with this method and modified forms of it. Its designed for learning large quanities of words. I don't use it as such, mainly because I don't usually learn 100 words a day, but its there for those who find it useful.