R. S. Maclay, C. C. Baldwin and Samuel H. Leger

“ There is room for considerable difference in methods of learning the written language. Probably most would agree that it should be begun as soon as possible. By starting with the colloquial character, the student will be able more quickly to make use of what he has learned, he will for the most part avoid the confusing classical pronunciation, and most of the characters he learns will be equally useful later on in the classical. After a few months of the colloquial character he will want to add some easy Wenli and simple Mandarin style, leaving the old high classical to the last. ”

“ A fair knowledge of the written language gives one an opportunity for contacts on equal terms with educated people, and makes it possible to understand their ordinary conversation and perhaps to join in it. One is not limited to “cooly talk.” (7) A good knowledge of the written language will cut in half the time necessary for acquiring a working knowledge of Mandarin, which can be sued in all parts of China. Meanwhile a pen or pencil will enable one to communicate with educated Chinese or Japanese.
There are three kinds of Chinese literary style in common use in Foochow. ”

“ In trying to learn the tones and first phrases, the teacher should say them over several times before the student attempts them. The ear should be trained to hear correctly before the student is confused by the use of western symbols which are apt to mislead. Few of the Romanized symbols which are used accurately represent to the Western ear the desired sound, so it is probably best not to use the Romanized at first until one has learned the sound from the Chinese teacher directly. If desired, the Foochow Phonetic Script might be used, thus avoiding the western association of the Romanized. ”

“ You can read your own letters and if necessary send a line in reply without waiting until your teacher comes. You are not so easily imposed upon, as you can read price marks in shops, get current market prices from newspapers, and get current items of interest for yourself. (3) Your vocabulary is constantly growing in quantity and accuracy and you are in touch with new terminology and modern ideas in the same way and at the same time as your Chinese friends. This is especially important when all sorts of ideas from every nation are being introduced into China. ”

“ In the dialect regions where Romanized has been more extensively used, missionaries have too often contented themselves with the Romanized, perhaps without realizing that lack of ability to read Chinese Character cuts them off from the other parts of China and from life outside of the immediate church circle. Many have had an exaggerated idea of the difficulty because of the experience of the pioneers. It is not necessary to learn as many characters as formerly. The style is no longer so far removed from the ordinary colloquial. ”

“ The principle of association means that each new character is to be connected in the mind of the learner with something that is already known. If each separate character is learned as an unrelated unit, it is an almost impossible memory feat to memorize the four or five thousand characters needed. Having learned two or three hundred characters without making use of this principle of association, the student may fail to realize that each new character learned makes easier the learning of still others by enlarging his system of associations. ”

“ You have opened up to you one of the great cultures and literatures of the world. It is both ancient and modern, and certainly means at least as much to the world as the culture of ancient Greece or Rome. ”

“ While the spoken language comes first in importance, there is every reason for urging an early start on the written language. There is a limit to the amount of time that can profitable be spent in listening and vocal drill, and for the average student five hours a day is probably a maximum. An early start on the written language need not therefore interfere with rapid progress in the spoken language.
Most of the early missionaries took it for granted that they must learn the Chinese written language. ”

“ Foochow colloquial character is used in the commonest version of the Bible, in simple tracts, and in some of the (often vulgar) novels which circulate among the common people. Its basis is Wenli or classical insofar as that is used in common speech. In style and diction it is the same as the spoken language. Characters have been borrowed or invented to represent purely colloquial terms, so books written in this style are only partially intelligible to people from other parts of China. ”

“ Others may secure variety by wide rapid reading skipping new characters for the time being, merely finding and identifying old friends on the way. Whatever method is used, however, drill is essential, and if the student can make a game of it keeping track of the increase of vocabulary, it will assist him to learn more rapidly. The old Chinese method of studying out loud has a good deal to commend it also. ”

“ Discouragement and despair at this stage have cut short the language study of many a student after the battle has been half won. The building up of a system of associations depends largely on the analysis of characters into radicals and primitives discussed above.
The principle of use simply means that it takes time and persistence and repetition to learn written Chinese. There are, however, some methods of drill that are more economical than others. It is important, for instance, to put ht drill where it is needed. ”

“ The language itself has been continually growing and although a few new terms have even been added while proof reading, it has not been possible to bring the work as a whole entirely up to date. For example the early part of the work was printed before the Nationalist Movement with its new terminology came to Foochow. Nevertheless there are nearly twice as many phrases as in the second edition. The reviser is probably more conscious of mistakes and faults than most other readers, and can only hope that the book may be useful in spite of them. ”

“ It was in general the standard of pronunciation used in the first edition of this dictionary. In it the commonly used characters are systematically arranged according to their sounds. Each simple word has three elements, an initial sound, called cê-tàu 字頭, a final sound called cê-mō̤ 字母 and a tone. With two exceptions all words in the Foochow dialect are made up of an initial combined with a final, inflected into one of the eight tones. These exceptions are ng which is used separately without a final, and ngiau which uses two finals. ”

“ For those whose experience in language study consists chiefly of school Latin or French learned largely from text-books and by rules of grammar, it is necessary to emphasize the fact that learning to understand and speak a language is primarily a matter of drill. The problem is that of making new nerve connections and making them accurate and habitual. Ideas which the adult student already has must be connected with certain vibrations of the auditory nerve on the one hand, and with certain muscular reactions of the organs of speech on the other.. ”

“ The eighth tone (leading) is pronounced in Foochow like the fifth tone (leading) . In some country districts it is emphasized and pronounced like the first tone (leading) .
METHODS OF LANGUAGE STUDY There are many ways of learning a foreign language, because individual minds work differently in the acquisition of knowledge. While it is hoped that this Dictionary may be of assistance to the language student no matter what method is used, a few practical suggestions are offered embodying the results of the experience and observation of a number of competent students of the language. ”

“ If the students will learn to recognize the forms here given and gradually add others as he meets them, an ordinary Chinese letter will soon have no terrors for him.
7. The students should by no means confine himself to his books and teacher, but should mingle with the common people and observe carefully their modes of speaking. The union of study and observation will help to form a style, alike removed from coarseness and excessive refinement, while exclusive study with a teacher will tend to the formation of a bookish style, not fully or readily understood by the people at large. ”

“ Additional meanings are sometimes found under the phrases below. Additional Romanized words in parenthesis either after the single characters or after the phrases are to be taken as cross references. They may mean another word or phrase of equivalent or related meaning, or merely an important expression found elsewhere in which this character appears. All such cases are to be decided by looking up the expression in its proper place in the dictionary. Where no character is available, a circle takes its place. All such words are of course purely colloquial and limited to Foochow. ”

“ For many of the remainder, where the radical is either in combination, or the character is formed of two or three radicals as 相, 聾 or 現 practice will soon give the necessary facility in finding. In counting the number of strokes in a character, the radical is not counted. After becoming familiar with the radicals themselves, and having a general acquaintance with the primitives, the number of strokes can be quickly ascertained by inspection. ”

“ Those you know quite well may perhaps safely be allowed to rest for some months; others not quite so familiar can be kept usable by a look at them once a week; those you are just beginning with need to be seen in different contexts several times the first day. ”

“ They have different meanings, as shown by their different radicals. Comparison of the meanings as given in the dictionary is suggestive. Often the clue to the sound thus given is far from exact as the same primitive may be used to represent different tones or even different Romanization.
In short a radical may be a separate character or part of a character; a primitive likewise. The typical Chinese character is, however, made up of one radical and one primitive, the one giving an inexact clue to meaning and the other an inexact clue to sound. ”

“ When the student is ready for the visual representation of the sounds, however, the regular Romanized script which is used in this Dictionary will be found better than any system a new student could work out for himself.
3. Tone drill should be used with discrimination, emphasizing the difficult sounds. It should be supplemented at an early date by drill on tones in combination, which require special attention since they involve important changes in sound. Definite drill on phrases and short sentences repeated after the teacher are equally important. ”

“ The third tone is what elocutionists call the rising third is heard in English on the emphatic word in a direct question, as ‘Does it rain?’ where the voice turns upward through the interval of two notes of the octave. ”

“ The sound of the tones can only be learned from the living voice of the teacher. The following brief descriptions and diagrams on the musical staff are taken with slight modification from the Second Edition of the Dictionary. ”

“ Great care should be taken to correct these inaccuracies as rapidly as possible, or bad habits will result. Once accurate, they require a considerable amount of sheer drill before they become easy and natural. Wise drill used with discrimination where it is most needed, is the secret of rapid progress in the use of language.
2. Read carefully the material on pronunciation and tones, noting the description of the sounds of the initials and finals and tones. The first week’s work should be largely listening. ”