Sentence Mining for Chinese learners
Another way to Learn Chinese
In a previous article I introduced my 5-step framework to master the Chinese language.
Today I want to introduce a technique I use for step #3 to find new characters, words or sentence patterns to learn: sentence mining.
What is Sentence mining ?
Sentence mining is about finding, collecting and studying sentences to learn a language. I recommend it for Chinese learners who have already learnt about the basics of the Chinese language (step #2 in my framework) and are looking to expand their knowledge.
The best way to explain what sentence mining is is to take the opposite approach of learning using Vocabulary Lists.
Sentence Mining vs. Vocabulary Lists
Many students learn Chinese by focusing on vocabulary lists. A standard vocabulary list has Chinese characters, pinyin pronunciation and translation in another language.
This approach is used by many people. It is almost always used in class or when preparing for an exam.
The most commonly vocabulary lists used by Chinese learners are HSK lists.
Vocabulary lists have some advantages. It is a well-known way to quickly increase your vocabulary on a specific topic. It gives you a feeling of being guided and having a clear objective, like mastering the 2500 words of HSK 5.
Most Chinese textbooks are based on this approach, using texts focusing on a specific topic combined with vocabulary lists and exercises.
However, I think it is not the best approach for long-term success in mastering the Chinese language. I’m not saying vocabulary lists are bad, but rather than it is best not to rely too much on this approach.
The Many Limits of using Vocabulary Lists
They are boring. Learning Chinese should be fun. And going through a list of words is not fun (at least for me).
It’s a passive approach. You find a list (or your teacher gives it to you), and you learn it. You consider information as given.
The words are out of context. And some words might not be so useful.
It makes you believe that each word in Chinese has an equivalent in your own language, which is not necessarily true.
It’s not the natural way to learn a language.
Why Sentence Mining is Awesome
It’s fun. You hunt sentences that you like or find interesting.
It’s an active approach. You create your own collection of sentences.
You learn words in their context. This has a double advantage. Not only do you learn how they are used, but you also know with which other words they are often combined.
You develop a feeling for the language (语感) instead of relying on your own native language.
It’s the natural way to learn a language. Consider how children learn their mother tongue. With repetitions, they make a link between ideas and word in their native language. To become fluent, you want to be as close as this process as possible.
Become a Sentence Miner !
#1. Chose your favourite resource.
Chose the format, topic and level you like. My favourite resources are books and conversations with Chinese people. Find yours.
#2. Look for interesting sentences.
The sentences I like to pick up are sentences featuring new words or expressions that I want to learn, new ways of using a word or expression I already know, or a cool sentence that I like for its meaning.
#3. Collect sentences wherever you like.
I used to write everything in a notebook but it was hard to maintain. Recently I started posting sentences on Twitter and I realised I am not the only one to do so.
One last step is incorporating your sentences in your favourite review system. But this is more about step #4 of my framework (=review), so I won’t develop this point here.
I used Anki and ZDT around 2011. These two softwares are free and used by many Chinese learners. Yet I gave up on them because of their poor user interface at that time and limited relations between sentences and words. Recently I’ve been developing my own system (ChineseMe), which will be introduced in a future article.
You know that you’re a Sentence Miner when…
- You become addicted to hunting new sentences.
- You are able to guess the meaning of new words in sentences thanks to the context or the other words in the sentence.
- You use some words in Chinese without even knowing their translation in your own language. In some cases you don’t even feel the need to know the exact translation of a word as you already feel what it stands for.
I hope this can be useful for Chinese learners and I wish pleasure and success to all Sentence Miners !
I’m creating the world’s most effective course in Mandarin Chinese. Have a look and help me improve it! ChineseMe
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