Fascinating tool for #Mandarin tone #learning. Trained on 300h of speech, it uses a 9m parameter CTC on-device model to do the work: simedw.com/2026/01/31/ear-pron…
#Chinese #LanguageLearning #AI #NLP
A tiny on-device speech model to grade Mandarin pronunciation and tones.Simon Edwardsson
Today I learnt that the Mandarin for "comrade" under Communism (同志 tóngzhì) has been repurposed to mean "gay". Awesome work, comrades!
Here's my source, a YouTube interview with bilingual subtitles. youtube.com/watch?v=zHDwOegIVw…
This is an interview video featuring a conversation with a native speaker. Learn authentic Chinese expressions, modal particles, and common filler words. Plu...YouTube
I am so damn tickled to find that the way I've been saying "work" all my life (做工 zuò gōng) refers strictly to physical labour in mainland China, never white-collar jobs.
Singaporeans truly are the descendants of coolies and farmers. 😁
I'm listening to a podcast where two women from China are talking about how *nice* and warm-hearted Singaporeans are compared to people back home. They actually said life here is kind of 单纯, simple or even unsophisticated.
I am gobsmacked.
I've always thought Singapore was a rat race. But I guess I wasn't comparing us with China?
If you're curious, this is the podcast. It's in #Mandarin. pod.link/1539110970/episode/f1…
I had cause to look up the Confucius quote about age today. It's been remarkably accurate for me.
“At fifteen I set my heart upon learning.
At thirty, I had planted my feet firm upon the ground.
At forty, I no longer suffered from perplexities.
At fifty, I knew the biddings of Heaven.
At sixty, I heard them with docile ear.
At seventy, I could follow the dictates of my own heart; for what I desired no longer overstepped the boundaries of right.”
In Chinese: so.gushiwen.cn/mingju/juv_cda7…
子曰：“富与贵，是人之所欲也，不以其道得之，不处也。贫与贱，是人之所恶也，不以其道得之，不去也。君子去仁，恶乎成名？君子无终食之间违仁，造次必于是，颠沛必于是。” 子曰：“贤哉so.gushiwen.cn
Today I glimpsed a unicorn! A white man who founded a company selling Chinese learning products who actually has an excellent Chinese accent!
It's Maayot, by the way. It is ridiculously expensive but the first month costs less than a dollar, so I shall make the most of it. maayot.com
Context is critical. That's especially true when learning a new language like Chinese. Every day, get a bite-size story to study, straight to your inbox.maayot.com
One of the phrases that’s been popular in China this year according to this article: sixthtone.com/news/1014370
For more context, people in China have been assembling plain white bread sandwiches to try to understand how we live in this part of the world, and they are posting through it (the idea of eating anything cold or raw, especially a vegetable, is seen as especially disgusting in the Chinese world, with some exceptions)
theguardian.com/food/2023/jun/…
#Food #China #Language #Chinese #Mandarin
Social media platforms inundated with users amused and bemused by raw vegetables and cold sandwichesRafqa Touma (The Guardian)
Me: I am HORRIFIED by this Qing dynasty primer. It's like a parental version of 1984, complete with thoughtcrime!
Me, later: Actually, maybe it would work as a code of conduct for extreme power exchange. FOR CONSENTING ADULTS.
Wikipedia background with iffy translation: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Di_Zi_…
Better translation, probably not great for screenreaders: tsoidug.org/dizigui_trans_simp…
[time for a #reintroduction! #introductions #introduction]
I'm Flo (he/him), a #queer #author of #lgbtqia #fiction.
Primarily I write #sliceoflife, #comedy, heartwarming & lighthearted, #gay #romance in a variety of settings, such as #hopepunk, #scifi, #fantasy, #steampunk, #horror, #gothic, annnnd the list goes on~ 😅
Some more things about me:
— I'm currently pumped for #NaNoWriMo!
— I like #writing, #reading, #drawing, #art, #gaming, #movies, #books etc.
— I dabble in #learning #mandarin and #tokipona (which i don't tend to talk about here).
— I am #agender, #asexual, #aromantic, (thus #AroAce) #disabled, #ActuallyAutistic, and a #demiguy
— i have a wishlist (mostly full of very, *very* gay books): throne.me/u/drowsy/wishlist
— alt accounts at @ghost@weirder.earth & @floghost
Throne is gifting platform for content creators. Safely receive gifts from any online store while keeping your address hidden.throne.me
