Linguistics

Do you really need to learn to write characters to study Chinese?

Do you really need to learn to write characters to study Chinese?

Hosting solo in this week’s episode, David takes a geeky deep dive into the digital revolution in Chinese language learning in conversation with Chinese language pedagogy expert Matt Coss. 

Audio: A couple of characters talking about Chinese characters

Audio: A couple of characters talking about Chinese characters

David Moser (Beijing Capital Normal University, Sinica Podcast) and Brendan O'Kane (Paper Republic, University of Pennsylvania) join Jeremiah to discuss David's new book, A Billion Voices, the history of language reform and national unity in China, the best way to learn Chinese, and the debate over whether it's okay to hate on Chinese characters.