CHINESE LANGUAGE 1
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Full programme
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
No prerequisites are required. However, students who have already taken Chinese language courses in junior high school or experienced student exchange programs in China (AFS/Intercultura, etc.) are undoubtedly at an advantage in learning. In addition, it is preferable to have good language skills in the English language, as the reference teaching and lexicographic materials use English as a vehicular language (e.g., the important smartphone app Pleco, a digital reference dictionary for students).
The examination for the first year is conducted in two different ways for attending and non-attending students.
Attending students have the option of taking two partial exams, one at the end of each semester, so that the final exam during the regular exam sessions for them is only oral.
Non-attending students and students who choose not to take or fail the partials, on the other hand, take the final written and oral examination in one go at the regular examination sessions.
This examination includes, as far as the written part is concerned, a test consisting of:
- a dictation of six sentences, for which it is necessary to provide, in addition to the transcription in simplified Chinese characters and the translation into Italian, also the transcription in Latin alphabet according to the pinyin system with the correct indication of the tone, as well as the indication of the radical with which that character is catalogued in the reference simplified character dictionaries (e.g. Xiandai Hanyu cidian, 7th edition). The dictation section is worth a maximum of 12/30, but for students who indicate the original forms for all simplified characters there is an additional award of 3/30.
- a section of grammar exercises worth a maximum of 8/30;
- an Italian-to-Chinese translation section worth a maximum of 6/30;
- a Chinese to Italian translation section worth a maximum of 4/30.
The final grade will be summarized by an additional score (1/30 to 3/30 depending on performance) for participation in extracurricular activities relevant to the study of Chinese language and participation in in-class dictation tests. However, this additional score will have to be defended in the oral test, which is diriment for the formulation of the final grade. The oral test may improve the grade of the written paper by a maximum of 3/30 and its passing is in any case decisive for passing the overall examination.
The course aims to provide a solid foundation for learning the spoken and written Chinese language. During the first year, the primary objective is to introduce and consolidate the proposed learning method, which assigns equal importance to both learning the correct pronunciation of Chinese phonemes and the correct writing of characters (first 800 basic characters), as well as the correct use of the basic vocabulary (first 1000 words) in the context of the simple sentence and some types of complex sentences. This is about making rapid progress to the A1 level and preparing the ground for the transition to A2.
Participation in the month-long summer study trip to China organized at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, with the accompaniment of experienced student members of the White Tiger Student Association, an ideal complement to the first-year teaching experience, is highly recommended.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of the Chinese Language I course, students will be able to:
- successfully take the internationally recognized Chinese Language Proficiency Examination (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi - HSK) Level III, but will be encouraged to prepare rather HSK IV during the first semester of the following year;
- write correctly in Chinese (both in Chinese characters and using pinyin alphabetical transcription), memorizing about 800 of the most frequently used Chinese characters, both in the original forms (for which only passive recognition is mandatory for characters learned during the course) and in simplified forms;
- recognizing, translating and using in written composition a basic stock of about 1,000 vocabulary words;
- understand the general outlines of basic Chinese grammar;
- express themselves orally and in writing in an elementary way;
- read and understand simple or simplified texts designed for HSK levels I-III;
read complex texts independently, assisting reading with the use of the Pleco app or a paper dictionary: the expected result is a gradual reduction in the reading time required to comprehend such texts due to the expansion of basic vocabulary and familiarity with more complex grammatical structures;
- listening to and understanding conversations on common topics related to everyday life, as well as beginning to grapple with understanding news broadcasts and videos related to current topics: students will be able to practice these skills in free in-class conversations monitored by the native speaker tutor;
- writing under dictation (active mnemonic recall) sentences and short texts modeled on the content of the textbook units studied throughout the year: testing of this skill will be constant, with dictations every week;
- active production of written texts in Chinese, either in the form of exercises monitored by teacher and tutor, or in the form of short summaries or essays corrected by the native speaker tutor;
- actively memorize learned vocabulary through the technique of deferred repetition (Spaced Repetition System) using Pleco flashcards;
- converse freely in Chinese using increasingly complex constructions through in-class exercises with the native speaker tutor, who will monitor the gradual transition from A0 to A1.
The first-year program includes detailed study of the 800 highest-frequency Chinese characters (original and simplified forms), including identification and explanation of the radical, analysis of graphemic components, original and simplified form of each character. Pronunciation(s) and tone(s) will be worked on for each morpheme/character, memorization cues and examples of mnemonics will be offered, as well as guidance on correct stroke composition and order. The goal is passive (knowing how to recognize and read aloud correctly, original and simplified forms) and active (knowing how to write under dictation or compose from memory, limited to simplified forms) mastery of the characters studied.
Additional course contents are:
- learning to consult a Chinese dictionary from the character or its phonetic transcription in Latin alphabet according to the pinyin system (official in PRC and international standard recognized by the United Nations);
- learning the competent use of Pleco software, including the systematic use of flashcards according to the method of deferred repetition (Spaced Repetition System);
- learning about 1,000 vocabulary words and idiomatic expressions, with examples of their use in different conversational contexts;
- first approaches to the translation of elementary texts from Chinese to Italian and Italian to Chinese;
- the study of the basic grammar of modern Chinese language, with emphasis on the simple sentence, nominal group, predicate mode and aspect, with gradual introduction of the main complements;
The exercises will synchronously follow the progress of the lectures from the textbook.
Teaching is structured as an integrated course that consists of the following modules:
1. Study of the main grammatical structures of the simple and complex sentence, from the conversational and reading units proposed by the textbook (Masini et al., Communicating in Chinese, vol. I).
2. Study and guided experimentation of the intensive reading method, systematic review and memorization (deferred repetition) of newly learned vocabulary making use of the Pleco app.
3. Constant improvement of writing skills, including under dictation, Chinese characters, oral production and written production of simple texts congruent with the vocabulary and grammatical repertoire associated with the topics covered throughout the year.
4. Continued parallel learning of the original and simplified forms of Chinese characters. Students will gradually become accustomed to reading whole texts written in original characters.
5. Reinforcement of listening and oral production skills with the native speaker exerciser from conversational units modeled on the examples provided in the textbook. Both the teacher and the exerciser will also make use of facilitated audio-visual aids (cadenced oral production, graded vocabulary, etc.) to gradually enhance spoken language comprehension.
6. Strengthening skills in the field of Chinese to Italian translation, an exercise aimed mainly at the comprehension and acquisition of the peculiarities of Chinese syntax.
The teaching approach moves from the specifics of the Chinese language and the difficulties it poses to the native speaker student. Particular attention will therefore be paid to both the study of correct pronunciation and the acquisition of a systematic method for studying and memorizing Chinese characters. Even in a course that places a robust emphasis on conversation and on the adoption of specific phrases/vocabularies dropped into everyday Chinese sociality - paying due attention to the expressive, socio-cultural and behavioral codes, including non-verbal ones, that play a very important role in it - the structured study of basic Chinese characters will indeed prove essential, monitored with regular dictations, the purpose of which will be not only to place students in a position to read and write what they can say, but also to provide indispensable mnemonic "anchors" to the learning of new vocabulary, given the abundance of homophones typical of the Chinese language.
Exercises with the native speaker will enable students to work in an intensive and guided manner on acquiring the correct pronunciation and intonation of Chinese phonemes, as well as to prepare structured short speeches and conversation blocks that are fully assimilated so that they can be fluently reproduced and facilitate gradual access to free conversation. General introduction to the history, morphology, phonetics, tonal system and writing system (both characters and pinyin alphabet) of the Chinese language.
Reception days, places and times will be agreed upon with the students by the the teachers, who can be reached at the following e-mail addresses:
daniele.cologna@uninsubria.it; lorenzo.loiudice@uninsubria.it; chaohui.jin@uninsubria.it