torah study - Reading Mishnayos without understanding

Is it considered Talmud Torah if one just reads mishnayos without understanding what he's saying?

Answer

It appears from the words of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav that one does not although the Chida suggests one does fulfill the mitzva if one exerted himself to comprehend the words even if he did not succeed in understand the meaning.

Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Laws of Torah Study 2:12-13) writes that

Whereas one who studies the Oral Torah without understanding the words has fulfilled no mitzva, one who studies the Written Torah without understanding still fulfills the obligation of talmud Torah.

R Yosef Dov Soloveitchek had also commented on this (see here)

for that reason, the Brisker Rav suggested there is no concept of Oisiyos Machkimos (reading the text makes one wiser) regarding Torah SheBaal Peh.

R Tzvi Sinensky writes

We might explain the logic for this view as follows: the primary value of the Oral Torah is to understand the halakhot [...] Thus, one who does not understand the words fails to fulfill one’s obligation. However, study of the written Torah is qualitatively different; the very encounter is significant [...]

However the Chida (Maris HaAyin, Avodah Zara 19) qualifies the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav

This [...] only applies if one did not make a sincere effort to understand what he is saying. However, if one exerted himself to comprehend the words, he fulfills his mitzvah of learning Torah, even if he did not succeed in understand the meaning.