Chinese Easy Corpus: An Effective Tool for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language

Abstract

[EN] The Chinese Easy Corpus (CEC) is a resource developed to support teaching Chinese as a second language (CSL). CEC simplifies the use of corpus tools to promote the widespread use of corpora and the implementation of data-driven learning (DDL) in CSL classrooms. DDL engages learners with authentic language examples from corpora, enhancing vocabulary acquisition, grammatical mastery, and long-term memory retention. However, when corpora are applied in teaching environments, large general corpora are often criticized for their less intuitive interfaces and for providing sentences that are not well-suited for learners’ needs, which can overwhelm both teachers and learners. To address these issues, CEC draws insights from effective corpus tools like SkELL and Learner’s Sõnaveeb, creating a more user-friendly and pedagogically appropriate resource. It incorporates Good Dictionary Examples (GDEX), which selects suitable example sentences based on metrics such as sentence length and word difficulty. Additionally, CEC improves Chinese word segmentation, enhancing the reliability and ease of sentence retrieval. With its streamlined interface and refined data retrieval, CEC caters to the specific needs of CSL teachers and learners, reducing technical obstacles and encouraging the use of DDL. Future efforts will focus on refining CEC’s functions, user interface, and GDEX algorithms, guided by feedback from practical applications in DDL courses.