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Chinese Number Websites

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Re: Chinese Number Websites

#11

Post by rch »

manifesto wrote: post #7

One reason why Chinese have less difficulty remembering and using these numbers than the western fellows might be the difference in pronunciation. In Chinese, all single digit number has the same structure: a consonant plus a vowel. For example, 7, in Chinese is pronounced as [ch-i:], while in English is pronounced as [ˈsɛvən]. Also, every digit takes the same time to pronounce. For example, a string "123456" is [yi:…

Most people I know have several bank account and credit card numbers memorized. It's the same for me, and I also remember my phone number from when I was 4; but not the area code!

I think there is a cultural bias in the U.S. against remembering numbers, but that people are generally able to do so. Memorization tends to happen naturally through use: it's easier for me to remember a bank account number after making deposits over a few months than by purposefully memorizing it, for instance.

Re: Chinese Number Websites

#12

Post by cynix »

ytch wrote: post #2

When talking about QQ, does anyone remember ICQ? QQ uses number as ID mainly because it's a knockoff from ICQ at beginning

It was even called OICQ (OpenICQ) when they first started, even though there was nothing "open" about their service.

Re: Chinese Number Websites

#13

Post by wodenokoto »

w1ntermute wrote: post #9

But why is this phenomenon restricted to China? I haven't observed it with, for example, Japanese sites, even though they too use a non-Latin alphabet.

There's a few things things that contribute to this:

Market powers in Japan chose early on to advertise their websites not through URLs but through search keywords.

They will literally ask you in advertisement to enter certain phrases in a search engine to let you find their web property.

Japanese internet usage is traditionally based around cellphones, which traditionally were centered around portals. This is changing with smartphones.

Japanese numbers don't lend themselves as easily as Chinese to these double meanings. Japanese words are quite long compared to Chinese ('wo', is Chinese for 'I', the Japanese equivelant is 'watashi')

Re: Chinese Number Websites

#14

Post by raverbashing »

w1ntermute wrote: post #8
manifesto wrote: post #7

One reason why Chinese have less difficulty remembering and using these numbers than the western fellows might be the difference in pronunciation. In Chinese, all single digit number has the same structure: a consonant plus a vowel. For example, 7, in Chinese is pronounced as [ch-i:], while in English is pronounced as [ˈsɛvən]. Also, every digit takes the same time to pronounce. For example, a string "123456" is [yi:…

Memorizing the times tables (up to 12·12) is standard in American schools.

Yup (but sometimes up to 10x10)

Of course, we would only need to memorize (10-x) items for the x table, except 1x anything, which is trivial

so, know 2x2, 2x3, 2x4, 2x5, 2x6, 2x7, 2x8, 2x9 from 3, you can begin at 3x3, then 3x4, etc

to be more advanced you only need to know up to 5, and do the rest with math... 97? easy peasy. (5+4)(5+3) = 55 + 53 + 45 + 43 -> 25 + 15 + 20 + 12 = 72

(there are other tricks you can do)

Re: Chinese Number Websites

#15

Post by DanBC »

manifesto wrote: post #7

One reason why Chinese have less difficulty remembering and using these numbers than the western fellows might be the difference in pronunciation. In Chinese, all single digit number has the same structure: a consonant plus a vowel. For example, 7, in Chinese is pronounced as [ch-i:], while in English is pronounced as [ˈsɛvən]. Also, every digit takes the same time to pronounce. For example, a string "123456" is [yi:…

Memorizing times tables used to be common in UK schools. They stopped because it doesn't appear to help children understand what multiplication actually is.

It is probably going to come back because of our current minister of education's liking of memorization.

Re: Chinese Number Websites

#16

Post by w1ntermute »

raverbashing wrote: post #14
w1ntermute wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Memorizing the times tables (up to 12·12) is standard in American schools.

Yup (but sometimes up to 10x10) Of course, we would only need to memorize (10-x) items for the x table, except 1x anything, which is trivial so, know 2x2, 2x3, 2x4, 2x5, 2x6, 2x7, 2x8, 2x9 from 3, you can begin at 3x3, then 3x4, etc to be more advanced you only need to know up to 5, and do the rest with math... 9 7? easy peasy. (5+4) (5+3) = 5 5 + 5 3 + 4 5 + 4 3 -> 25 + 15 + 20 + 12 = 72 (there are other tricks you…

Well, that's an example of the time-memory tradeoff, right? It takes a lot longer to calculate 9·7 that way than it does if you've just memorized it. The real question is where to draw the line with respect to diminishing returns on memorizing products for larger and larger numbers.

Re: Chinese Number Websites

#17

Post by w1ntermute »

DanBC wrote: post #15
manifesto wrote: post #7

One reason why Chinese have less difficulty remembering and using these numbers than the western fellows might be the difference in pronunciation. In Chinese, all single digit number has the same structure: a consonant plus a vowel. For example, 7, in Chinese is pronounced as [ch-i:], while in English is pronounced as [ˈsɛvən]. Also, every digit takes the same time to pronounce. For example, a string "123456" is [yi:…

Memorizing times tables used to be common in UK schools. They stopped because it doesn't appear to help children understand what multiplication actually is. It is probably going to come back because of our current minister of education's liking of memorization.

Similar education fads regularly sweep through America: http://www.vox.com/2014/4/20/5625086/the-common-core-makes-s...

Personally, I find them to be a distraction from the much more important issue of changing the cultural outlook on education, particularly regarding parental involvement and supervision. Trying to optimize pedagogy is analogous to curing a disease rather than preventing its occurrence in the first place.

Re: Chinese Number Websites

#18

Post by w1ntermute »

wodenokoto wrote: post #13
w1ntermute wrote: post #9

But why is this phenomenon restricted to China? I haven't observed it with, for example, Japanese sites, even though they too use a non-Latin alphabet.

There's a few things things that contribute to this: Market powers in Japan chose early on to advertise their websites not through URLs but through search keywords. They will literally ask you in advertisement to enter certain phrases in a search engine to let you find their web property. Japanese internet usage is traditionally based around cellphones, which traditionally were centered around portals. This is changi…

> They will literally ask you in advertisement to enter certain phrases in a search engine to let you find their web property.

I have noticed this on occasion, and found it very surprising. They're basically handing control over access to their site to the search engine. That seems like a very bad idea.

Re: Chinese Number Websites

#19

Post by walshemj »

Kiro wrote: post #4

Great article but I don't understand why the American friend refused to communicate with people whose email addresses consist of numbers.

well I can remember cix using numeric id's and Prestel (an early viewdata system) used to use nine! digit numbers for your mailbox id eg 018222211

Re: Chinese Number Websites

#20

Post by nether »

manifesto wrote: post #7

One reason why Chinese have less difficulty remembering and using these numbers than the western fellows might be the difference in pronunciation. In Chinese, all single digit number has the same structure: a consonant plus a vowel. For example, 7, in Chinese is pronounced as [ch-i:], while in English is pronounced as [ˈsɛvən]. Also, every digit takes the same time to pronounce. For example, a string "123456" is [yi:…

This is Malcolm Gladwell nonsense and not backed up by the fact that Chinese-Americans who learn English first (e.g. Nobel laureate Steven Chu) do just as well as their Chinese counterparts.
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