Producers: Dajuin Yao and Dr. Jerlian Tsao
Distributor: Sinologic Software
Address: P. O. Box 5242, Berkeley, CA 94705;
Tel: (510) 420-0634; (800) 869-9654;
e-mail: info@sinologic.com
http://www.sinologic.com
System Requirements: Macintosh Plus or later, System 6.0.7 or later.

HyperChina is designed, programmed, recorded and produced by Dajuin Yao and Dr. Jerlian Tsao, two former Chinese language instructors in the East Asian Languages Department at University of California, Berkeley. While working on their doctoral degrees in Chinese Art History and Chinese History respectively, they also served as Graduate Student Instructors in the East Asian Languages Department for several years. They have combined their teaching experience, their insightful knowledge of Chinese language and culture, and their deep understanding of the needs of English speaking students to create this collaboratively produced software. It took them more than four years to attain the current product. The result is fabulous. This is a well-thought out, well-designed and effective software for beginners. The producers claim that their approach is to try to place themselves in the users' shoes. They try to see and think through the users' perspectives in the hopes that many common questions will be answered through program, just as if there were a Chinese instructor in the room. Their aim is to teach students in a non-threatening, non-pressured environment. Thus, unlike many other Chinese language-learning software, this program does not put as much emphasis on keeping a score of user performance on tests and drills. Rather, students are nurtured along by the display of correct answers after a short time lapse.

There are altogether three parts to this software, "Language," "Lessons," and "China Guide." The Language section serves as a general introduction to the study and fundamentals of the Chinese language. It is further sub-divided into three parts, "Introduction," "Pronunciation," and "The Writing System. The Lessons section consists of ten topically organized lessons. The last section, China Guide, provides extensive information and interactive practice and entertainment exercises relating to Chinese culture and history. The Language and China Guide sections are meant to supplement the Lessons.

I. Language.

The content of the Language section is as follows:

Introduction:

What is Mandarin
How to Study?
Basics of Grammar

Pronunciation:

The Four Tones and Drills
Difficult Sounds -- (singles out 17 of the most difficult sounds in Chinese and compares them to "false friends" in English)
Sound Tables & Drills
Common Mistakes -- place names, person names, book names commonly mispronounced by foreigners

The Writing System:

Creation of Characters
Radicals
Stroke Order and More...
Poems, Simplified System, Bibliography (including an extensive list of references for further study on the Chinese language)

The above categories are essentially self-explanatory. These units consist of informative texts interspersed with interactive buttons, limited drills and audio enhancement.

II. Lessons.

The content of the Lessons are as follows:

1. Greetings
2. Family
3. Profession
4. Shopping
5. Eating Out
6. Having Fun
7. On the Telephone
8. A Friend's Birthday
9. Getting Around
10. Going Home

The topic of each lesson is quite standard for beginning language lessons. Each lesson is further divided into 8 parts. The eight parts and their purposes and functions are:

1. Overview: provides the users with an English summary of the main dialogue and the grammar points that will be introduced in the lesson.

2. New Words: introduces the new vocabulary. (With pronunciation and recording modes).

3. Dialog: main lesson text. The text is presented in Chinese characters on one side of the screen and pinyin and English translation on the other side. Clicking on the speaker icon, the dialog will by rendered by two voices, one male and one female. The user can listen to the whole dialogue by selecting the speaker icon or can choose to listen to sentences one at a time by clicking on the desired sentence. There is also a mike icon for self-recording and a volume icon for adjusting the sound. Pointing the cursor at the small square in front of each sentence retrieves a box with further grammar points, explained vocabulary usages, or cultural notes.

4. Grammar: explains in detail the grammar points of the particular lesson. This section also supplies general cultural tips related to the topic of the dialogue and other relevant notes. This segment of the lesson is purely a reading text. No interactive features are incorporated into the text.

5. Workshop: Substitution drills and reading passage. A situational exercise is presented on the last card of each workshop segment. No English language translation is provided for the user's response, as the possible variations for these exercises are too numerous to categorize. Users should think of this last workshop exercise as a "take home" project.

6. Calligraphy: the screen is divided into two parts. On the left, the character is displayed with animation of stroke orders as well as stroke numbers; on the right, is a blank space in which the user can try to imitate the proper way of writing the character. To practice writing the user must click on the "Let me try it" button. The cursor can then be used like a pen to copy the character on the left. When the user wishes to clean the slate and try again, he/she can press the "Clear screen" button. At the top of the screen are images of an inkstone, and inkstick and a writing brush, the traditional instruments for writing Chinese calligraphy. Clicking on any one if these pulls up an explanatory text about Chinese calligraphy practice and the tools used for calligraphic writing. By clicking on these icons again, the text disappears.

7. Drills: A) Vocabulary Drill: the user is given the choice of self-testing by sound or by sight. When the user selects the Listen button, a word or phrase is uttered. A time lag is provided in which the user can test him/herself on the meaning, pinyin or characters for the vocabulary. Several seconds later the Chinese characters, pinyin and English for the vocabulary item appear on the screen for comparison. Choosing the Read button follows the same steps but in reverse, the text appear first to be followed by the sound. B) Sentence Drill: same as in A, with the substitution of sentences for vocabulary. C) Translation Drill: A sentence appears in the top window of the screen. The user must choose the correct answer from four different English or pinyin translations. This drill can test Chinese to English, pinyin to English or English to pinyin. Each test is composed of ten sentences. When the user has completed all ten questions, a performance score is provided. D) Word Order Drill: words are arranged randomly in a box at the top of the screen. The user must rearrange them into a sentence in the space provided below. Once the characters have been rearranged, the user can select "CHECK" to verify the answer. If the answer is correct, the user can move on to the next problem. If the answer is wrong, the user can choose either "HINT" or "ANSWER." Hint provides the English translation for the target sentence. Answer configures the proper sentence for the user.

8. Game: the game, Hou Yi ¦Z¬ý, the Great Archer, is designed to test character recognition and listening comprehension. The premise of the game is an ancient Chinese legend in which Hou Yi, a skilled archer, saved the world by shooting nine extra suns out of the sky. Here the user gets to play the part of Hou Yi and shoot vocabulary "suns" out of the sky.

III. China Guide.

The contents of the China Guide section is as follows:

1. Map: an interactive map of China. Clicking on any of the place names on the map retrieves a simple explanation of the place and notes on pronunciation. The Chinese pronunciation of the place is read and characters and pinyin equivalents are provided. The speed with which the names are read can be adjusted for user preference and self-recording is available. This is a very useful cultural and language lesson.

2. Numbers: users have the option to choose from a random drill of any combination of numbers or, to type in any number they want to know how to say or read in Chinese. The drill can be set up for continuous reading of random numbers or the user can listen to the pronunciation of one number at a time. The "SHOW RULES" icon provides a lengthy text explaining how Chinese numbers are formed and spoken. The speed with which the numbers are read can be adjusted for user preference and self-recording is available.

3. Currency: This segment introduces the vocabulary for Chinese currency units, useful phrases related to money, a drill similar to the Numbers drill above, and a currency conversion program. Through this program, students can type in an amount in US dollars and have the computer convert it into RMB (Mainland China), NT (Taiwan) or HK dollars. The conversion process can also be run in the opposite direction, from RMB, NT or HK $ to US $.

4. Date and Time: other than including common expressions for dates and time, there is a Talking Calendar and a Talking Clock to teach how students to say date and time in Chinese.

5. Small Talk: includes everyday simple greetings. Like the dialogues in the lessons, by pointing the cursor at the black square next to the Chinese phrases, the user can access grammar notes. The speed with which the names are read can be adjusted for user preference and self-recording is available.

6. Etiquette: basic phrases to show politeness. The speed with which the names are read can be adjusted for user preference and self-recording is available.

7. Restaurant: In addition to supplying the basic vocabulary used in Chinese restaurants and cooking, the cards explain how to decipher a Chinese menu and pointers on Chinese food etiquette and information about culinary art in China. The speed with which the names are read can be adjusted for user preference and self-recording is available.

8. Signs: introduces vocabulary and phrases used on important and commonly encountered signs such as though for parking, men's and women's toilets, etc.

9. Music: One of the most delightful features on the software, this unit provides a history and culture lesson on Chinese music including everything from Chinese opera to early pop music (ca. 1930s & 1940s) to contemporary folk pop. The users can listen to sample digitized clips of recordings of the musical artists introduced (complete with characters, pinyin and English translation of the lyrics). While space limitation preclude incorporating recordings for the more recent pop singers on China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, suggestions for interesting tapes are given along with the musicians' biographies.

10. Dictionary: This unit provides a Chinese/English and English/Chinese word and character dictionary for all of the vocabulary used in the software. Several search methods are possible and audio reinforcement is available by clicking on the pinyin or characters in the dictionary. Traditional and simplified versions are given for all of the characters listed in the dictionary. Choosing "GO BACK TO STUDY" from the menu on top of screen, or just press Command-B will bring you to the study mode; conversely choosing "Go to Dictionary" or press Command-D will bring you to the dictionary mode.

Evaluation:

The HyperChina software is imaginative, complete and effective as an introductory computer-assisted Chinese language course. The lessons are both pedagogically well-designed and entertaining. The sections on background information and cultural lessons are also very worthwhile. Aesthetically speaking, the software is pleasing to the eye, and the visual and audio features are appropriate to the subject, they help to create an environment conducive to the study of Chinese. In this regard, the producers have paid particular attention to maintaining this Chinese mood even down to the tiniest details of designing the control and instruction panels to have both English and Chinese. To illustrate with just one example, when the user exits the program, the icons on the pre-exit screen, normally given as "Quit" and "Cancel," are instead written in pinyin as "Zaijian" and "bu." It is the accretion of these kinds of carefully thought out and executed details that, in part, makes the HyperChina program feel so right. Students who choose to use this software will come away feeling that learning Chinese is enjoyable and interesting. This is a testament to the producers' success in achieving their avowed goals through HyperChina. In terms of presentation of grammatical patterns and structure, this software is not as extensive as some of the other programs available on the market, but perhaps because the producers do not try to bite off more than they can chew, the lessons that they do present are accurate and easily approachable by the novice Chinese language learner. Below I enumerate with more specificity the highlights and drawbacks of this software.

Special Features:

• This program is intelligent and easy to use.
• Easy to install.
• This is not just a user friendly program; it is downright friendly. It exudes a personal touch. The software allows the user to study at his or her own individual pace. The program emphasizes learning, but not testing, thus reducing the stress level of the beginning language learner.
• The producers have pre-empted many of the problems beginning students often encounter in learning Chinese by their thorough explanations and well-designed drills.
• Each lesson has a «ç»ò»¡¡S (zenme shuo/how do you say it?) exercise in which the user is asked to use his or her own creativity and newly acquired language skills to create an essay or dialogue. This, of course, can not be reviewed by the computer, but it is good in that it stimulates the user to think imaginatively and then to move beyond the computer to evaluate the results. This is the only software I have reviewed that includes this kind of a practice.
• The calligraphy practice part of the lessons is the best of the character writing programs I have encountered. Particularly useful is the placement of the demonstration character next to the writing practice blank space. This side by side placement allows for immediate comparison of the model character with the students' try.
• The cultural lessons, in general, are extremely clever and well-designed. In particular, the units on Chinese music, the map, numbers and currency exercises and the restaurant supplement are very well done.
• The bibliographic references in the Language section of the software provide an important supplement to the internal grammar explanations. It is a good idea to make the bibliography such a central component of the program.
• The user's manual is complete, lucid and easy to follow.
• There is a Web site support for the courseware. Not only is the Web site content an integral part of the course, but also the publisher is planning to issue UPDATED LESSONS from the Web site, so that users will be able to download new or updated lesson modules from the Web and put them on the hard drive and use them just as another lesson from within the program.

Suggestions for Improvement:

Design Problems:

• The voice recordings are given in natural voice in the vocabulary and dialogue portions of the program. In the drills, however, because Dr. Tsao's voice has been digitized to allow for substitution practice, the results are rather choppy. The flow of the voice is not always natural or idiomatic sounding, and more problematic still, the computer is unable to capture the tonal changes that occur in some compound words and phrases. In particular, the program is unable to effectively render the neutral tone in the drill exercises.
• The Reading Passage section of each lesson has no accompanying voice-over. In addition, there is no way to look up individual characters in the reading passages. Although the "Show English" button provides a full translation of the texts, the beginning student may not be able to figure out how the Chinese comes to mean what it does without individual character look-up help.
• The video game, Hou Yi, the Great Archer, is too monotonous and predictable in its current version. The user very quickly catches on to the fact that the order of the position of the words to be shot at never changes. Once the student realizes this, the game is no longer challenging, and it no longer effectively tests character and sound recognition.

Linguistic Problems:

• While there are many drills for vocabulary items, there are fewer exercises that require the user to recognize or put together a longer sentence. In future, perhaps more extended sentence games and lessons could be incorporated into the software.
• While few and far between, there are occasional mis-translations and errors in pinyin. For instance, in the reading passage section of the "Eating Out" lesson, the phrase, §Ú­n¤F¤@­ÓÂû, is translated as "I ordered a chicken." While not technically wrong, in this context, the phrase is probably better rendered as "I ordered chicken."

Overall, in spite of the few criticisms noted above, this is an innovative and magnificent piece of software for beginners. Dajuin Yao and Jerlian Tsao have spent more than four years assembling HyperChina, and not a single minute of their effort has been wasted.

Copyright © 1997 Cecilia P.Y. Chu - All Rights Reserved

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