Research Paper: Efficient Learning Strategy of Chinese Characters Based on Network Approach

[pepper]

Hi all. I have recently discovered a research paper that presents a very intriguing way to (potentially) optimize learning Chinese. Two questions: 

1. what do you think of this approach

2. does anyone know of this work or the current internet location of the resources? 

 

My one-sentence summary: the authors used liu shu to create a directed acyclic graph of 3500 characters, where the work to learn one character is learning all the ones that contribute to it. Fascinating.

 

I would love to know what people think - and if the original resources are not available online, perhaps someone could reach out to the team or perhaps recreate it.  

 

BBC article: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130315-a-better-way-to-learn-chinese

Research paper (link 1): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3749196/#pone.0069745.s001

Research paper (link 2): http://arxiv.org/abs/1303.1599

 

Original paper attached as PDF. 

1303.1599v1.pdf

[Angelina]

Differing from western languages such as English, Chinese characters are non-alphabetic but are rather ideo- graphic and orthographical  

 

What did they just say? This makes no sense. 

 

Speaking- and listening-oriented approach is a reasonable way to learn a phonetic language. However, for Chinese – an ideographic language

 

No. Chinese is not an ideographic language, the Chinese writing system is not predominantly ideographic either. 

[lechuan]

Seems they are applying an algorithm to formalize an efficient learning order, similar to orders McNaughton, Heisig, Hoenig, Matthews, etc have done in their respective books.

Though I'm a bit mystified why they have you learn 的 before learning 白 and 勺.

[Hofmann]

Didn't read, but when your intro has BS as quoted in Angelina's post, the whole thing looks like BS.

[Silent]

 

where the work to learn one character is learning all the ones that contribute to it.

As others mentioned, the idea is not new. I didn't read the links, so maybe they've a very bright new idea. The problem with learning characters in an order that reinforces the learning of other characters is that you learn characters that are not very usefull without a lot of other knowledge. you learn a base character that is probably high frequency and very useful, but then then learning the related characters gives you characters that are likely to be far too advanced for your level.

 

Basically you're interchanging useful for easier to learn. But if it's fairly useless you won't use it making it harder again to learn. The idea in itself is good (and old) but there are more variables and you need to find a balance.

[OneEye]

Yeah, the minute I see "ideographic" and 六書, I pretty much shut down automatically. I read a little further, and they start talking about how 天 has "one" (一) in it. Nope.

 

It's crap. Well-intentioned crap, I guess, but crap nonetheless. There's a tendency for people to try applying new methods to the teaching of Chinese characters (which I'm all for, of course) when they don't even understand the basics of how Chinese characters work. I don't really understand why anyone gives these people the time of day. They blind people with science (statistics! charts!) and somehow that establishes credibility. Or they throw a bunch of data into a computer and accept what it regurgitates back out as gospel without bothering to question if the data they input is reliable in the first place — a trend I've seen on a lot of "character breakdown" sites recently. Needless to say, this is NOT how good research is done.

 

Edit: Then again, it's probably not surprising that I dislike something that's about learning Chinese characters. I'm not entirely unbiased.

[Demonic_Duck]

The BBC article is even worse:

 

With virtually no Spanish, I can figure out in the right context that baño means bath, but that word in Chinese (洗澡) seems to offer no clues about pronunciation, let alone meaning.

 

...what? Pretty sure 氵氵 is a greater clue as to meaning than the fact it happens to contain two of the same letters as an English word (and there are rather a lot of English words that begin with “ba-”... at least 1,205*, according to litscape.com...)

 

*

ba baa babbitt babble babbled babblement babbler babblers babbles babbling babe babel babes babied babies babingtonite babish babism baboon baboons babushka babushkas baby babydoll babyhood babying babyish babyishness babylon babylonian babys babysat babysit babysitter babysitters babysitting babysized baccalaureate baccalaureus baccarat baccate bacchanal bacchanalia bacchanalian bacchanalianism bacchi bacchic bacchius bach bachelor bachelordom bachelordoms bachelorette bachelorettes bachelorhood bachelorhoods bachelorism bachelorisms bachelorlike bachelorly bachelors bachelorship bacillary bacilli bacillophobia bacillophobic bacillus bacitracin back backache backaches backachy backarrow backbeat backbeats backbench backbencher backbenchers backbenches backbend backbends backbit backbite backbiter backbiters backbites backbiting backbitings backbitten backboard backboards backbone backboned backboneless backbones backbreaker backbreakers backbreaking backburner backcast backcasts backchat backchats backchatted backchatting backcountries backcountry backcross backcrossed backcrosses backcrossing backdate backdated backdates backdating backdoor backdoors backdown backdowns backdraft backdrafts backdraught backdraughts backdrop backdropped backdropping backdrops backdropt backed backend backends backer backers backfields backfill backfilled backfiller backfilling backfills backfire backfired backfires backfiring backfit backfits backfitted backfitting backfittings backflap backflip backflipped backflipping backflips backflow backflowing backflows backgammon background backgrounds backhand backhanded backhandedly backhandedness backhander backhanders backhanding backhaul backhauled backhauling backhauls backhoe backhoed backhoeing backhoes backhouse backhouses backing backings backlands backlash backlashed backlasher backlashers backlashes backlashing backless backlift backlifts backlight backlighted backlighting backlights backlist backlisted backload backloaded 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bamboozled bamboozlement bamboozlements bamboozler bamboozlers bamboozles bamboozling ban banal banalities banality banally banalness banana bananas banausic band bandage bandaged bandager bandagers bandages bandaging bandaid bandana bandanas bandanna bandbox bandboxes bandeau banded banderillero banderole bandicoot bandied bandies banding bandit banditry bandits bandleader bandleaders bandman bandmaster bandog bandolier bandpass bands bandsaw bandsaws bandsman bandsmen bandstand bandstands bandwagon bandwagons bandwidth bandwidths bandy bandying bandylegged bane baneful banefully banefulness bang bangalore banged bangers banging bangle bangles bangs bangup banian banish banished banishes banishing banishment banister banisters banjo banjoist banjorine banjos banjuke bank bankbook banked banker bankers bankfull bankholding banking banknote banknotes bankroll bankrolled bankrolling bankrolls bankrupt bankruptcies bankruptcy bankrupted bankrupting bankrupts banks banktellers banlieue banned banner banneret banners banning banns banquet banqueting banquetings banquets banquette bans banshee banshees bantam bantamweight banter bantered banterer bantering banters bantling banty banyan banzai bap baptism baptismal baptisms baptist baptistery baptistries baptistry baptists baptize baptized baptizement baptizes baptizing bar baratovite barb barbarian barbarians barbaric barbarism barbarities barbarity barbarize barbarous barbarously barbarousness barbary barbecue barbecued barbecueing barbecues barbecuing barbed barbed-wire barbedwire barbel barbell barbellate barbells barbels barbeque barbequed barbequeing barbeques barber barbers barbershop barbet barbican barbie barbies barbital barbiturate barbiturates barbituric barbiturism barblet barbouillage barbs barbule barbwire barcarole barchan bard bardic bards bare bareankled barearmed bareass bareback barebacked bareboat barebones barebreasted barechested bared barefaced barefoot barefooted barehanded bareheaded barelegged barely barenecked bareness barer bares barest barf barflies barfly barfy bargain bargained bargainer bargainers bargaining bargains barge barged bargee bargeman barger barges barghest barging baric baring barite baritenor baritone baritones barium bark barked barkeep barkeeper barker barkers barking barks barley barleycorn barmaid barman barmaster barmy barn barnacle barnacles barndoor barney barns barnstorm barnstormed barnstormer barnstorming barnstorms barnyard barnyards barodynamics barograph barographic barometer barometers barometric barometrograph barometry baron baronage baroness baronet baronetage baronetcy baronets barong baronial baronies barons barony barophobia barophobic baroque baroqueness barouche barouchebox baroucheboxes barouches barouchet barque barques barrack barracked barracks barracuda barracudas barrage barraged barrages barratry barred barrel barreled barrelful barreling barrelled barrelling barrels barren barrenly barrenness barrens barrette barricade barricaded barricades barricading barrier barriers barring barringer barrio barrister barristers barroom barrow barrows bars bartender bartenders barter bartered bartering barters bartizan barton barway baryon baryta barytone bas basal basalt basaltic basalts basanite bascule base baseball baseballer baseballs baseband baseboard baseboards baseborn based baseless baseline baselines basely baseman basement basements baseminded baseness baser bases bash bashara bashed bashes bashful bashfully bashfulness bashing basic basically basichromatin basics basidia basidiospore basidiospores basidium basil basilar basilica basin basing basins basiphobia basis bask basked basket basketball basketballs basketful basketmaker basketmaking basketry baskets basketwork baskin basking basks basophilia basophilic basophils basophobia basophobic basque basques basrelief bass bassa bassalia bassalian bassarisk basses basset bassilac bassinet bassinets bassists bassness basso bassoon bassoonist bassoons bassorin bassus basswood bastarda baste basted bastes bastian bastille basting bastion bastions bastnasite bat batboy batboys batch batched batches bate bateau bated bath bathe bathed bather bathers bathes bathetic bathhouse bathing bathingplace bathmism batholith batholiths bathometry bathophobia bathophobias bathophobic bathos bathrobe bathrobes bathroom bathrooms baths bathtub bathtubs bathyal bathybic bathymetric bathymetry bathyorographical bathypelagic bathyscaphe bathysmal bathysphere batik batman baton batons batophobia batophobic batrachian batrachophobia batrachophobias batrachophobic batrachoplasty bats battalion battalions batted batten battened battening battens batter battered batterer batterers batteries battering batters battery batterypowered battiness batting battle battle-weary battle-worn battleax battled battledore battlefield battlefields battlefront battlefronts battleground battlegrounds battlement battlemented battlements battler battlers battles battleship battleships battlewagon battling battological battologize battology batts batty batwing bauble baubles baud baumhauerite bauxite bavardage bavin bawbee bawd bawdiness bawdry bawdy bawdyhouse bawl bawled bawley bawling bawlingout bawls bay bayard bayberry bayed bayes baygall baying bayldonite bayonet bayonets bayonetting bayou bayous bays bazaar bazaars bazoo bazooka bazookas

 

Edit: On the other hand, the fact a sensationalist article is written about it by a “reputable” news website doesn't necessarily invalidate a study. And the fact that the theory behind something is a load of crap doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't work (cf. acupuncture). For me, what's potentially interesting about this is how they weight the characters. If this method really does outperform the competition (remains to be seen), then perhaps a similar weighting could be applied to more scientifically-grounded character breakdowns in order to design better teaching materials.

[roddy]

That's not the BBC's news site, it's a commercial (ad funded) magazine site run by the BBC's profit-making BBC Worldwide venture. I wouldn't be surprised to see something similar popping up on BBC news proper, but in this case it's not...

[Shelley]

I really like the character map on page 3 Fig 2. of the PDF if you zoom 6400 times you can see the detail and the connections are very interesting. Not sure about the rest of the item.

[Angelina]

 

"ideographic" and 六書

 

No comment. 

 

 

Only a few clicks away from that BBC Worldwide article 

 

http://pinyin.info/readings/texts/ideographic_myth.html

 

The Ideographic Myth, from The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy by John DeFrancis 

[renzhe]

I'm a bit disappointed that a bunch of people, some of who are computational linguists and most of who are Chinese would write some of that stuff.

But, that said, it's an interesting experiment. As others have pointed out, people have been trying to figure out an "optimal" sequence for learning characters, with mixed results. These guys saw it as a computational problem and found a sequence which is probably better than others.

At the end of the day, though, the same caveats that apply to any character learning method will apply to this: people willing to invest time and effort will learn characters either way, and people flocking to this looking for an easy way to learn without effort will not learn anything.