How does Zhuyin work?

[Player01]

I only learned Pinyin before so I have no idea how Zhuyin works. How do they clarify the differences of the tones? How do you type them on computers?

[jessiejin]

Pinyin can tell you how to read these words.

something about the tones.you can treat it as five levels.tones change like this."ā" is 5-5."á" is 3-5."ǎ" is 2-1-4."à"is 5-1.

if you want to type it on computer.you can use word.chose "insert"-"special symbol"-"pinyin".I do it like this.

good luck!

[Hofmann]

...

[xiaotao]

I think it's very helpful to know both zhuyin and pinyin. I know that there are keyboards that have zhuyin input. My Taiwanese electronic dictionary has zhuyin input. I still do all pinyin input. Zhuyin fuhao is for those who are learning to reading traditional characters. It is especially helpful for kids.

[jbradfor]

@Player01, after reading the article Hofmann linked to, do you have any specific questions?

Zhuyin fuhao is for those who are learning to reading traditional characters.

Pinyin works equally well for traditional as it does for simplified. And one could certainly use Zhuyin for simplified. [Although since only Taiwan uses Zhuyin, and Taiwan uses traditional, you probably won't find any, but that doesn't mean it can't be used.]

Pinyin can tell you how to read these words.

Zhuyin does as well, once you learn it.

[Player01]

I have nothing to say. mm... improve my googling skill? lol thnx for all the replies anyway

[Ness]

I learned Pinyin first for a couple of months and wanted to stick with it, but was forced to switch to pinyin. Took me a lot longer to get used to pinyin.

[Player01]

sorry to dig up this thread but am i suppose to put space between each word?

[roddy]

I have no idea, but two weeks old isn't 'digging up' around here - you need to go back at least two years before we start wondering if you're working your way through the archives . . .

[Player01]

I searched the archives and turned out you do add space

[sujisol]

Zhuyin is useful if one is:

-aware which sounds are connected with which Traditional Chinese Characters

-as well as the tone connected in the context of each ideogram

-conversant with BFMF phonetic combinations

-knowledge of stroke and radical indexing to locate characters

Drawbacks:

-time consuming [page up/down folio menu] to find characters

-multigram selections only in the Taiwan based traditional Chinese idiom

-many key taps in the row above QWERTY make it an eye hand coordination struggle

Additionally:

-Recent adaptations have seen a rapid zhuyin system that allows one key character for each of the phonetic sounds in Guo Yu. The output is understood in the syntax and multigram order. The young Taiwanese seem to use it with great facility. However, for learners it's prohibitive, and for traditionalists its thought of as a degradation of the mother tongue!

[jbradfor]

@sujisol: the OP was asking about pinyin- vs zhuyin- based IME; doesn't pretty much everything you say apply to any phonetic-based IME?

[sujisol]

RE: jbradfor: Yes and no! I have not yet used Shuangpin, which has a more ergonomic layout. Also I know that Mainland China stenographers use a phonetic layout on the Yawei machine,in which the stenographer creates her own phonetic mnemonic data base.

.....But at the more negative domain of entry you have to face the nightmare of trying to keytap BPMF, or ABC for that matter, on digital devices such as cell phones, and handheld dictionaries.

.....Then there is always the future of keytapping in Chinese Coded Shorthand.see: sujisol@blogspot