`pinyin_drill` open-source command-line pinyin drill program

[trevorld]

If you are a fan of practicing their pinyin, open-source software, and the command-line then you may be one of the select few interested in a new pinyin drill program I recently wrote.  `pinyin_drill` is free/libre software released under a GPL (version 2 or higher) license available for download (and forking) at Github.com:  https://github.com/trevorld/pinyin_drill

 

Compared to some other pinyin drill programs I've seen ``pinyin_drill`` has a very rich set of filtering options to allow you to fine-tune what pinyin you want to practice.  It also has some support for drilling erhua and interjection syllables.  It allows you to use your own hand-picked Mandarin audio or alternatively I've assembled a couple "Collective Works" of Creative Commons licensed Mandarin audio you could download and use. 

 

There are several audio filtering examples available at https://github.com/trevorld/pinyin_drill#examples but here is a taste of the kind of pinyin drills supported by `pinyin_drill`.

 

For example if you only want to drill the recognition of x, q, sh, ch initials used in single syllables you would use:

bash$ pinyin_drill --initial1=x,q,sh,ch --nsyllables=1

If you like to drill your pronunciation of the zhi, chi, shi, ri in single syllables you would use:

bash$ pinyin_drill --display_pinyin_first --pinyin1=zhi,chi,shi,ri --nsyllables=1

The above request could alternatively be written by:

bash$ pinyin_drill --display_pinyin_first --final1=r --nsyllables=1

If you want to drill the pronunciation of dian versus dianr (in any syllable) you would use:

pinyin_drill --display_pinyin_first --pinyin=dian,dianr

If you only want to drill the recognition of u, ü, u, and ü finals in single syllables you would use:

bash$ pinyin_drill --final1=u,v,un,vn --nsyllables=1

If you want to drill the recognition of the tones in two-syllable combinations you would use:

bash$ pinyin_drill --nsyllables=2

If you want to drill producing two-syllable combinations starting with a second tone and ending in a first tone you would use:

bash$ pinyin_drill --display_pinyin_first --tone1=2 --tone2=1 --nsyllables=2