Why are pinyin and English letters written the same?

In February 1958, the Fifth Session of the First National People's Congress passed the "Chinese Pinyin Plan." For more than 40 years, the pinyin program has played an important role in my country's socialist construction and education.

When Premier Zhou Enlai announced the "Chinese Pinyin Plan", he pointed out: "As a tool to help learn Chinese characters and promote Mandarin, the Chinese Pinyin Plan should first be taught in normal schools and primary and secondary schools." According to this instruction, the People's Beginning in the autumn of 1958, the Education Press incorporated Chinese Pinyin into primary school Chinese textbooks as an important learning content for first-year primary school students. Over the years, Chinese Pinyin teaching materials have undergone various experiments and reforms, and the teaching quality has been improved through continuous exploration. Chinese Pinyin plays an increasingly important role in primary school Chinese teaching.

Looking back at the history of Chinese Pinyin teaching, it can be roughly divided into five stages.

The first stage is from 1958 to 1962; the second stage is from 1963 to 1966; the third stage is from 1973 to 1977; the fourth stage is from 1978 to 1982, from 1982 This is the fifth stage.

The first stage is the primary stage of Chinese Pinyin teaching. In the autumn of 1958, the teaching content of Chinese Pinyin was included in the first Chinese language textbook for the first grade of primary school. Learn the usage of initial consonants, finals, r and the pinyin method of one sound and one rhyme; the second textbook used in the spring of 1959 arranged the addition and substitution of the initial consonant yw, the omission of iou uei uen and the spelling of j q x and ü, leaving out two words for ü Dots and other rules; the third textbook used in the autumn of 1959 continued to arrange spelling rules to strengthen consolidation.

From the perspective of Pinyin teaching at this stage, it has the following characteristics:

1. The teaching content is numerous and complex. The textbook arranges all the contents of the Chinese Pinyin Plan and maintains the integrity and systematicness of the "Plan", which is a good thing. But the teaching content is too much and the difficulties are too great. In order to reduce the difficulty and disperse the difficult points, the textbook places the four spelling rules in the second semester. This arrangement has caused new problems. Some syllables look one way in the first semester and look different in the second semester. For example, "toy" is taught as "uán jǜ" in the first semester, and is changed to "wán jù" in the second semester. Another example is "tortoise", which is taught as "ū guēi" in the first semester, and is changed to "wán jù" in the second semester. wū guī", after the "e" in uei is omitted, the key signature must be changed to the "i". If there are only a few such syllables, students can still accept it, but if you have to change dozens of syllables, it will greatly increase the difficulty. It takes a lot of effort for students to learn and is easily confused.

2. The teaching requirements are high and difficult. First-grade primary school students are required to learn the initial consonants, finals, pinyin methods and all spelling rules of the "Plan". There are four spelling rules. It is easier to omit the two points on ü when spelling j q The most difficult thing to remember is the usage of y w. Students have to remember 23 syllables that need to be added and replaced, which ones are added with the initial vowels and which ones are replaced with the initial vowels. First grade primary school students must be able to distinguish and remember them. Such demands are too high and too urgent, and are very difficult to achieve.

The compilation of the above-mentioned teaching materials has lasted for five years, and most teachers have reported that teaching Chinese Pinyin is too difficult. Some schools do not teach Pinyin due to insufficient conditions; some schools spend a lot of time and the teaching effect is not good. Difficulties are even greater in dialect areas. Some teachers said: Chinese pinyin is really difficult to teach and takes a lot of time. Not only does it not play a role in helping students learn the language well, but it becomes a burden for students, affects the cultivation of literacy and reading skills, and hinders the development of students. Students' learning enthusiasm. A rural teacher said: "As soon as students entered school, they were faced with Chinese pinyin letters that were complicated, difficult to remember, and boring. They found it very difficult. It was really hard for students to survive this period of time." The general situation is that it takes time. Too much, a lot of effort, poor results, distress to teachers and students, and dissatisfaction to parents.

There are many reasons for this situation. First, the Chinese Pinyin plan has just been announced, and people still lack awareness of the plan and underestimate its role. They think that teaching Chinese Pinyin is superfluous. It is better to use the original phonetic alphabet or not use any symbols and directly teach Chinese characters.

Second, there is no widespread training for primary school teachers in various places. Many teachers are not familiar with the "Chinese Pinyin Plan" and cannot grasp the difficulties and key points of Pinyin teaching. Third, the content of the textbooks requires more, more complete, and more systematic content, and the teaching requirements are too high for teachers and students to adapt to. Fourth, there is little experience in teaching Pinyin. Teachers do not fully understand the editing intention of the teaching materials and cannot control the teaching materials. In short, most teachers are passive.

To this end, relevant units, especially comrades from the People's Education Press, have conducted extensive investigations and studies on the teaching of Chinese Pinyin. On this basis, great improvements have been made to the arrangement method of Chinese Pinyin teaching materials.

The second stage is a stage in which Chinese Pinyin teaching has been reformed and achieved certain results.

In May 1963, the Central Ministry of Education promulgated the "Chinese Teaching Syllabus for Full-time Primary Schools (Draft)", which clearly stipulates the purpose of Chinese Pinyin teaching. The outline states: The purpose of Chinese Pinyin teaching is to assist literacy and learn Mandarin. According to the provisions of the syllabus, the People's Education Press has rewritten the Chinese Pinyin teaching materials for primary schools and made major adjustments and improvements. The characteristics are as follows: (1) First-grade students only learn initial consonants, finals, tones and pinyin methods. Contents such as capital letters, alphabet, and soundproofing symbols will be scattered in subsequent textbooks. (2) Use flexible methods to avoid the usage rules of yw. y w are taught as initial consonants, and they are used to spell them with the finals, making it easier to remember the spelling as a whole. (3) For syllables with medial sounds, use the method of combining vowels with sound-medial sounds, and teach 13 long finals. (4) iou uei uen directly teaches the elliptical writing form (iu ui un) and the spelling of initial consonants.

The above improvement is successful, and its benefits are: (1) The purpose of pinyin teaching is clear, the teaching requirements are reduced, and it is limited to assisting literacy, correct pronunciation, and learning Mandarin. (2) The teaching focus is on teaching letters and pinyin methods. Pinyin knowledge that is not needed temporarily, such as capital letters, alphabets, soundproof symbols, etc., will be placed in subsequent middle school volumes. The teaching focus will be highlighted and the difficulty will be reduced. (3) The spelling rules (except for the two rules of j q x and ü spelling ü with omission) have been changed, simplifying the teaching content. (4) The alphabetical order is arranged close to the plan, making it easier for students to master the pronunciation rules.

The improvement of Chinese Pinyin teaching materials has been welcomed by teachers and has made the teaching of Chinese Pinyin a step forward. Most schools in the city believe that the improvement of Chinese Pinyin teaching materials is scientific and simple, making it much easier to teach. The average school can complete the teaching in four to five weeks.

However, teachers in dialect areas and in rural and remote areas still feel that the content is complicated and the teaching time is long. According to relevant statistics, 28 of the 40 primary schools in the Danyang Erling area of ??Jiangsu Province do not teach pinyin.

The reasons for this situation are: First, under the current situation, the leaders of the education department, teaching and research personnel, and teachers generally did not focus on teaching research, resulting in some teachers, especially rural teachers, failing to teach. The difficulties in the process cannot be solved well. Second, the improved Pinyin teaching materials still have the shortcomings of having a lot of content and relatively long teaching time. If you use the method of combining vowels with sound-introduction, you can learn 13 less compound nasal finals, but you need to memorize the syllables of combinations with sound-introduction and vowel, and learn more dozens of syllables composed of them and finals.

The third stage is a special stage, a stage in which Chinese pinyin teaching is canceled and gradually restored. Before 1972, the teaching of various subjects was at a stagnant stage, and there were no classes in schools. Even after classes resume, slogans and slogans are still used as teaching materials, and learning Chinese pinyin is out of the question. In the autumn of 1972, under the leadership of the then Ministry of Education, relevant personnel from the People's Education Press organized five provinces and cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Hebei, and Shanxi, to collaborate on the compilation of primary school Chinese textbooks. The content of Chinese Pinyin teaching is arranged in the first-grade textbook. The textbook adopts the improved part of the 1963 Chinese Pinyin textbook produced by the People's Education Press, and further improvements are made to the phonetic pinyin method. Syllables with medial vowels are read in three consecutive spellings. The teaching of Chinese Pinyin has received great attention from teachers, and they have responded favorably to improvements. In addition to the five provinces and cities that participated in the compilation of this set of textbooks, it is also used by more than a dozen provinces and cities.

In 1973, relevant units experimented with "Basic Chinese Pinyin" teaching in some schools. As the name suggests, the basic method teaches the content of the "Plan" in two steps. In the first step (first grade), the most basic content stipulated in the "Plan" is taught (spelling rules are not taught); in the second step (second grade), spelling rules are taught.

The advantages of basic teaching are: (1) The content of the first step is simplified, without being exposed to complex spelling rules, and it is easy for students to accept. (2) Pure Pinyin sentences and Chinese characters appear early in the textbook, which can arouse students' interest in learning. (3) The texts are in the form of Chinese characters with pinyin, which solves the problem of difficulty in compiling textbooks for lower grades and short and shallow texts. The disadvantages are: (1) About 67 of the syllables learned in the first step are irregular and can only be changed to the correct ones after learning the spelling rules in the second grade. During the year, students have become very accustomed to using it. If it is changed to another way, it is not easy to accept it, and it is preconceived and easy to confuse. (2) The syllables learned in first grade are different from the prescribed forms. Students at this stage cannot read phonetic readings and cannot effectively consolidate pinyin. (3) Premature appearance of Chinese characters distracts attention from learning Chinese Pinyin. (4) Students who have not learned Pinyin well in texts with Chinese characters and Pinyin cannot read them into sentences; it is not conducive to the development of reading ability.

The "Basic Form" is based on the two-step teaching method in the Pinyin textbooks of the People's Education Press from 1958 to 1962. The starting point is good, it is to disperse the difficulties and reduce the learning burden of students. However, experiments have shown that the use of irregular syllable spelling has caused difficulties in teaching in the second grade. The second grade is the golden stage for learning Chinese characters. If students spend part of their energy learning spelling rules and correcting irregular syllables at this stage, it will inevitably affect the development of literacy and reading skills.

The fourth stage is a period of steady progress and outstanding achievements in Chinese Pinyin. In 1976, the "Gang of Four" was crushed. Under the care of Comrade Deng Xiaoping, in July 1977, the Central Ministry of Education organized outstanding teachers and textbook writers from all over the country to compile a nationwide primary and secondary school syllabus and textbooks. The "Full-time Ten-year Primary School Chinese Language Teaching Syllabus (Trial Draft)" was promulgated in February 1978. The requirements for Chinese Pinyin teaching are: "Learn Chinese Pinyin to help literacy and learning Mandarin." The requirements for each grade are also clear content of Pinyin teaching. That is, the first grade students learn the most basic content of Chinese Pinyin to be able to read and learn Mandarin with the help of Pinyin; the second grade students learn the Chinese Pinyin alphabet and capital letters.

According to the requirements of the syllabus, the comrades who compiled the teaching materials conducted a special investigation on the teaching of Chinese Pinyin, carefully studied it, summarized the experience and lessons learned in the teaching of Chinese Pinyin in the past twenty years, and designed a more practical compilation plan.

The characteristics of the Chinese Pinyin part of the first primary school Chinese textbook that was trialled nationwide in 1978 are: (1) The content is simplified. The first step is to focus on teaching initial consonants, finals, tones and pinyin methods in 15 lessons. Be able to spell and pronounce syllables. In the second step, review and consolidate to achieve proficiency in spelling. (2) Use flexible methods to teach the use of y w, the omission of iou uei uen and other spelling rules. (3) The rules for spelling ü with j q x and ü can be mastered in the process of learning syllables. (4) Syllables with medial vowels are read in three consecutive spellings, reducing the need to learn 13 compound nasal finals. (5) Combined arrangements of initial consonants, finals, and overall recognition and reading of syllables. For example, when learning z c s zh ch sh r, learn to read the syllables zi ci si shi chi shi ri as a whole; when teaching the final ie üe in ing, learn to read the syllables ye yue yin ying as a whole. This reduces steps, makes difficult tasks easier, and facilitates memory. (6) Use the method of using final tones to overcome the pinyin method of counting the four tones from the beginning, and accelerate the ability to master syllables. (7) Use pictures to help pronounce the sounds of letters, remember the shapes of letters, and learn pinyin methods. For example, the picture of "a" is a little girl with pigtails asking the doctor to check her throat. The little girl opens her mouth and pronounces the sound "a". The little girl's head and short braid are shaped like a. Another example is that the illustration of "an" is Tiananmen. Students learn the sound of "an" by looking at the picture and pronouncing the sound of "an". When teaching pinyin methods, I drew two children pushing letter cards to show that initial consonants and finals can become syllables when put together. (8) After concentrating on learning the most basic content, move to the "pinyin literacy" stage as soon as possible. While learning Chinese characters, read the syllables that represent the meaning of the words to help understand the meaning of the words and consolidate the pinyin. For example, when learning the word "月", the following syllable is yuè liang. When learning the word "口", the syllable "shù kǒu" is used to illustrate the picture and meaning of the word.

To sum up, the Pinyin part of the newly compiled general textbook not only streamlines the content, designs novel pictures, strengthens the image and intuitiveness of letters, but also achieves simple explanations, which is in line with children's needs. Understanding the rules is an ideal pinyin teaching material. The "Teaching Methods of Chinese Textbooks for Primary Schools" (1981 Edition) compiled by Nanjing Xiaozhuang Normal School writes: "The newly compiled Chinese Pinyin textbook for the first grade currently in use is the simplest one ever. It adopts a new plan and includes review. There are 16 lessons in the program, focusing on teaching the most basic contents such as initial consonants, finals, tones and pinyin methods. "The "Primary School Chinese Teaching Method" (1979 edition) compiled by Hunan First Normal School made this comment on the Chinese Pinyin textbook. Evaluation: "This is a reasonable arrangement that has simplified the content and occupied more appropriate class time since the teaching of Chinese Pinyin began in 1958. The textbook is cleverly and inspiringly designed with Pinyin illustrations, which can arouse students' interest in learning. It is very useful for students. It is extremely beneficial for students to master correct pronunciation and distinguish letter shapes. "The newly compiled Chinese Pinyin teaching materials have made new reforms based on the summary of past teaching practices, streamlined the content, reflected the spirit of speed, efficiency, and strengthened the teaching of Pinyin. It is visual and conforms to the rules of children's understanding of things. It is an ideal pinyin teaching material."

From the perspective of teaching practice, urban and rural primary schools find it not difficult, and most teachers can complete it within four weeks. Some experienced teachers can complete teaching tasks in 2 to 3 weeks. Concerns about teaching Pinyin have been eliminated in rural primary schools. In dialect areas, there has been a trend of using Chinese Pinyin to learn and use Mandarin.

The pinyin part of the general textbook has not been significantly changed since 1978. Some regions or schools have used this set of Pinyin teaching materials to train students in their ability to pronounce syllables directly, and the results have been good. In short, everyone is paying more and more attention to the teaching of Chinese Pinyin, and the quality of Chinese Pinyin teaching is constantly improving.

The fifth stage is the stage of widespread application of Chinese Pinyin. In 1982, Heilongjiang Province first carried out the "Phonetic Literacy, Reading and Writing in Advance" teaching experiment, which expanded the role of Chinese Pinyin teaching. It is not only a tool to help literacy and learn Mandarin, but also uses Chinese Pinyin to help reading and writing.

The pinyin teaching of the "Note·Ti" experiment is centered on mastering syllables and combined with language training. After a period of training, students are required to have the ability to pronounce syllables and spell syllables proficiently. First-grade students can read texts or reading materials in pure Pinyin or Chinese characters with Pinyin; they can write diaries or short essays in pure Pinyin or Chinese characters with Pinyin.

The role of Chinese Pinyin in reading has been recognized by people and accepted by teachers. The "Chinese Teaching Syllabus for Full-time Primary Schools" piloted in 1986 pointed out: "Chinese Pinyin is an effective tool to help literacy, reading and learning Mandarin. The role of Chinese Pinyin must be fully utilized." "We must learn Chinese Pinyin and be able to spell it accurately and skillfully. Read the syllables (if possible, you can gradually call the syllables directly) to help literacy, reading and learning Mandarin. "This requirement has promoted the teaching of Chinese Pinyin and promoted the reform of the entire primary school Chinese teaching.

In 1988, the State Education Commission formulated the "Nine-year Compulsory Education Full-time Primary School Chinese Teaching Syllabus (Preliminary Draft)", which put forward further requirements for the teaching of Chinese Pinyin. That is to say, "when junior students write, they can also use Chinese pinyin to replace Chinese characters that they cannot write."

According to the spirit of the syllabus, the People's Education Press and other units have successively compiled compulsory education primary school Chinese textbook. The Chinese Pinyin part of the first volume of the newly compiled primary school Chinese textbook for compulsory education (People's Education Press Edition) was compiled on the basis of summarizing the experience and lessons learned in Pinyin teaching for more than 30 years and absorbing fresh teaching reform experience. It implements the requirements put forward by the syllabus, and also pays attention to reducing the burden on students and reducing the difficulty of teaching materials. For example, in the first stage, you first learn 108 common syllables, and then learn more syllables and consolidate the syllables you have learned in "Reading Pictures and Pinyin Literacy". Strive to enable students to learn Pinyin well in a short period of time. The textbooks also include Chinese Pinyin in the entire lower grade textbooks, which effectively consolidates Chinese Pinyin and helps students in dialect areas learn to speak Mandarin while cultivating students' reading and self-study abilities.

In 1992, the State Education Commission promulgated the "Nine-Year Compulsory Education Full-time Primary School Chinese Teaching Syllabus (Trial Version)" to further emphasize the role of Chinese Pinyin. In the past primary school Chinese syllabus, there was only one paragraph about Chinese Pinyin, and it was written in the "Literacy and Writing" section.

The Chinese Pinyin content of the syllabus promulgated this time has its own section, which is proposed as an important content in language training. It is clearly stated: "Those who have the conditions can gradually reach the point of directly calling syllables", "lower grade students can use syllables to replace unlearned Chinese characters when writing", "understand soundproof symbols", etc.

In the autumn of 1993, the People's Education Press launched the first volume (trial version) of Chinese language textbooks for compulsory education primary schools. The Chinese Pinyin textbooks were also improved, and Chinese Pinyin teaching continued to move forward.

Hanyu Pinyin has received unprecedented attention, but some areas have inappropriately increased teaching content and put forward higher requirements. As a result, the burden on students has increased. This phenomenon has attracted the attention of relevant departments. To this end, in 1994 the State Education Commission proposed adjustments to the syllabus promulgated in 1992. The reference to "lower grade students can use syllables to replace unlearned Chinese characters when writing" has been deleted. Deleting this sentence lowers the requirement and avoids the high requirement of dictating syllables.

In 2000, the Ministry of Education (formerly the State Education Commission) promulgated the "Nine-Year Compulsory Education Full-time Primary School Chinese Teaching Syllabus (Trial Revised Version)" to continue to reduce the requirements for Chinese Pinyin: from "Proficient in spelling syllables" to In order to "accurately spell out syllables", the function of "helping reading" and the requirement of "recognizing soundproof symbols" have been deleted. As a result, Chinese Pinyin is limited to helping literacy and learning Mandarin.

In 2001, the Ministry of Education launched the "Chinese Curriculum Standards for Full-time Compulsory Education (Experimental Draft)", which classified Chinese Pinyin into the literacy and writing parts, and clearly stated that the teaching goal of Chinese Pinyin is to be able to recognize Chinese Pinyin with the help of Chinese Pinyin. Read Chinese characters. Recognize capital letters, memorize the "Chinese Pinyin Alphabet" by heart, and be able to use Chinese Pinyin to look up the dictionary.

As a result, many units, publishers and individuals are writing primary school Chinese textbooks, with different understandings of Chinese Pinyin and different approaches. Some still attach great importance to Pinyin, and arrange the main content of Pinyin in the first volume of the textbook before learning Chinese characters; some arrange it in the middle of the first volume of the textbook, first learn the characters, and then learn Pinyin; some arrange it in the second volume or second grade, first listening to it Learn to read by listening to dictation, then learn Chinese pinyin, and then learn to look up in a dictionary.

The requirements for teaching Chinese Pinyin are very arbitrary. Some have high requirements, some have low requirements. Some do not review and consolidate after teaching, and the phenomenon of rebirth is serious. In some remote villages, due to limited conditions, it is impossible to teach Chinese pinyin and directly teach Chinese characters. In short, there are still many problems in the teaching of Chinese Pinyin.

Looking back at the history of Chinese Pinyin teaching, it has followed a long, tortuous road of continuous development. Since Chinese Pinyin was included in primary school Chinese textbooks in 1958, it has been valued by experts and leading departments. It has always been included in the primary school Chinese teaching syllabus and has always been an important content of primary school Chinese teaching. More than 40 years of teaching practice have proven that Chinese Pinyin plays an important role in learning Chinese. Use it to help with literacy and speed up literacy; use it to correct pronunciation, which is beneficial to the promotion of Mandarin; use it to annotate texts or extracurricular readings to facilitate students' self-reading, which helps improve students' reading ability and expand their knowledge; Using it to look up the dictionary can cultivate students' self-study ability. Using it to play computers gives students a pair of advanced wings that speed up reading and writing. The application range of Chinese Pinyin is getting wider and wider. Because it was produced with the advancement of the times, it is a scientific phonetic symbol that has been studied by many experts, and is recognized by everyone as an effective tool for learning Chinese.

In the future, with the development of the times and the advancement of science, its application scope will become wider. Chinese Pinyin teaching will also receive more attention, and teaching methods will be continuously improved to effectively improve the quality of Chinese Pinyin teaching and allow Chinese Pinyin to play a greater role.