The tiger list

The tiger economies are roaring, while the jellyfish economies are foundering. Some people got the memo on that. Some others never will.

For those wanting to learn a tiger language, Mandarin Chinese is certainly a tempting option. It’s a common topic in e-mail from Saipan Tribune readers. So common, in fact, that I have rounded up a couple of Chinese teaching experts who are going to offer some wisdom in this space within the next few weeks. I’m still pulling that article together, so stay tuned.

But in the meantime, you’re stuck with the opposite of an expert. Namely me. However, there’s in that, given that the experience of being a newbie is still fresh in my mind. For all my problems with the language, I’ve managed to do one thing right, and that’s what I am going to mention today. This might interest those of you who are going to tackle a new language, be it Mandarin or something else.

First, some context: I’ve taken three semesters of Mandarin. I’m on the fence about taking a fourth semester. I can’t “speak Chinese,” three semesters alone is not nearly enough for that. But I can, sometimes, manage to accomplish the simplest of things, like ordering some items in a restaurant, or giving people a basic idea of my profession and where I come from, and stuff like that. I can catch the gist of some store and street signs, but not of others. Overall, I am still a total beginner in this language, there’s no doubt about it.

I knew it was going to be a challenge from the start, so the one thing I did right was to diligently list every word I learned. This helped keep wind in my sails when all else was veering off-course.

As for software, OpenOffice Writer proved to be the perfect tool for the list. It lays out tables well, and they are easy to sort and edit. The list is 74 pages long, I buy three-hole pre-punched paper to print it on, and I put the paper into a half-inch (ring diameter) binder. That’s the sweet spot for binder size, by the way, just big enough to hold the list with room to spare, but small enough to travel with.

In one of the binder pockets I keep a handwritten list of words I want to learn, and in another I keep a few sheets of paper with grids on it so I can practice writing those words. When I finally beat a few of them into my head, I fire up the computer and add them to the list, along with my notes on how the words are derived and other stuff that will help me remember them better. I’m not saying it’s the best system in the world, but at least it’s a system.

It has been a laborious process, due largely to my clumsy efforts with Chinese word processing, as I cut and paste back and forth to my Writer document.

I later expanded my list to incorporate summarized notes on grammar, about 50 key points, which got pretty difficult for me, so I got a native speaker to review and edit that material.

Meanwhile, I’ll note that there have been a lot of words we were supposed to learn in class, but I learned them just long enough to pass the test, and I never put them on my list. By contrast, there are words on the list that we never learned in class, but which I needed to learn anyway, so they went on the list.

So, what did I get for my efforts? Overall, I like having everything boiled down to one reference, it just gives me a clearer frame of mind for studying. It’s also very easy to back up, of course, so when I inevitably lose my texts and books, I’ve still got all the juice. And a computerized list makes it easy to make computerized flash cards.

Right now, I’m not forging ahead in my studies. I’m merely trying to improve my recall of stuff, and, of course, the list is perfect for that.

I don’t know your frame of mind for such things, but I sure know mine, and I know that I would not have even started this list if I had to play catch-up and face a mountain of material that needed compilation. So, for me, the only thing that made it practical was that it was an ongoing process from my very first day, which kept pace with my classes and studies.

Anyway, that’s the one thing I did right. If you want to roar with the tigers, then a vocabulary list might be worth its stripes.

Visit Ed Stephens Jr. at EdStephensJr.com. His column runs every Friday.