Like many eager language learners, I once fell under the spell of Duolingo. As a complete beginner venturing into Mandarin Chinese, after some initial, scattered classes, I was on the hunt for that magical app that promised to whisk me away to fluency. Duolingo, with its gamified approach, seemed like the perfect solution to Learn Mandarin Chinese in a fun and engaging way.
A friend, who had already made significant strides in learning Mandarin and whom I had met during a trip to China, recommended a free app for vocabulary building and sentence structure practice. Around the same time, I was researching online, trying to understand just how long it takes to learn Mandarin Chinese and stumbled upon claims that Duolingo users progressed as fast as university students. Intrigued, I downloaded the app and was quickly drawn into its addictive learning loop.
Duolingo transforms language learning into a simple, game-like experience. Courses are structured by topic, starting with basic introductions and advancing to more complex themes like business and travel. Each lesson introduces new words and short, context-isolated sentences related to the topic. To progress, you must complete various challenges, such as arranging words to form sentences and translating Chinese sentences into English. The ultimate goal is to complete the entire ‘tree’ of hundreds of courses.
That summer, I dedicated myself to the app, diligently completing the Duolingo Chinese tree. The app’s competitive features constantly reminded me of my friend’s progress, fueling my drive. On days I missed my lessons, DuoLingo’s owl mascot would send emails expressing its digital disappointment, lamenting its sour mood until I returned to my studies. This gentle, guilt-tripping tactic often worked, motivating me to squeeze in lessons whenever I had a moment. However, despite my summer immersion in Duolingo, fluency remained elusive. My spoken Mandarin proficiency remained at a basic elementary level, or A1 – the lowest level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
This experience came back to mind recently when a friend, a Spanish beginner and Duolingo enthusiast, shared an article where Duolingo’s creators defended the app against criticism. Language learning forums are rife with humorous mockery of Duolingo, with users sharing bizarre, nonsensical sentences they’ve encountered.
The article, titled ‘How silly sentences can help you learn’, argues that these odd sentences are actually beneficial, making them more memorable. Sentences like “The Tuesday is similar to the Monday,” though unlikely in real conversations, act as ‘grammatical anchors,’ aiding in remembering key grammar concepts for effective communication. Communication, the authors remind us, is about “learning rules and flexibility.”
However, I disagree with the notion that learning Mandarin Chinese grammar effectively revolves around isolated rules, and even more so that unnatural sentences are a good way to acquire it. Memorability is irrelevant if a sentence is unnatural and not how native speakers communicate. The focus should be on repeated exposure to and comprehension of thousands of sentences – ideally relevant to your own life – in natural contexts, until grammatical structures become internalized.
Years after my Duolingo summer, studying the methods of highly proficient Mandarin speakers revealed a more effective path: internalizing grammar through extensive comprehensible input. This involves consuming a large volume of Mandarin content you can understand, using sentence mining to extract useful phrases and structures for daily life, and actively practicing these in real situations.
Resources like graded readers are far more effective than Duolingo for grammar immersion. Graded readers are specifically designed to allow learners with limited vocabulary to engage with extensive reading, rather than translating isolated, random sentences. No matter how quirky Duolingo sentences are, they lack the engaging power of compelling stories and interesting articles.
Shortly after finishing Duolingo, I discovered Mandarin Companion graded readers, starting from a mere 150 words. LingQ also offers mini-stories tailored for Mandarin beginners. Had I known about these resources earlier, I would have abandoned Duolingo sooner. Ultimately, it was these tools, combined with consistent speaking practice, not Duolingo, that propelled me towards fluency in Mandarin Chinese.
Duolingo does have a limited role to play, primarily in initial vocabulary building for Mandarin Chinese beginners. It can introduce basic phrases, such as how to say hello in Mandarin. Learners with a vocabulary of fewer than 150 words might struggle with beginner-level books or articles, and Duolingo can bridge that gap to more meaningful content like graded readers and Mandarin novels.
However, even for vocabulary, Duolingo alone is insufficient. Reading Mandarin effectively requires learning to read Chinese characters. Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS) flashcards are far more effective for character memorization and recall. While Duolingo includes some character tasks, they are not enough for effective retention. Therefore, learners using Duolingo for vocabulary should supplement it with character flashcards or gamified SRS tools like Ninchanese.
Furthermore, while Duolingo introduces Chinese tones, its approach falls short of providing a solid grasp of them. After completing the Duolingo tree, my tone accuracy remained limited. I later had to dedicate significant time and effort to correcting my tones.
Looking back, while I wouldn’t entirely regret my Duolingo experience, I do regret the obsession and the naive belief that it would lead to fluency. If I could rewind, I would use it more realistically – for a shorter period, alongside flashcards and other vocabulary tools, until I was ready for authentic Mandarin content. Then, I would move on to more effective methods.
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Mischa Wilmers
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