CHINESE LANGUAGE 2
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Full programme
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
Prerequisite for taking the Chinese Language 2 course is having taken the Chinese Language 1 course or having otherwise achieved a proficiency level in Chinese language of A1.
Student assessment is divided into two different modalities depending on whether students attend classes regularly or not.
Attending students have the option to take two partial exams, one at the end of each semester. For these students, the final exam during the official exam sessions will consist only of an oral exam.
The structure of each partial exam is comparable to that of the complete written exam (described below), but tailored to the content covered during each semester. Each partial exam is graded on a 30-point scale, and the average of the two scores serves as the basis for the oral exam.
If a student passes the first partial exam but either does not take or fails the second one, they must take the complete written exam covering the entire syllabus during the regular exam sessions.
The complete exam (both for non-attending students or attending students who choose not to take or do not pass the partial exams) consists of both written and oral components, taken in a single sitting during the official exam periods. The written exam includes:
- A listening comprehension section;
- A dictation section, in which students must provide: the transcription in simplified Chinese characters, the Italian translation, the pinyin transcription with accurate tone markings, and the identification of the radical used to categorize the character in standard simplified character dictionaries (e.g., Xiandai Hanyu Cidian, 7th edition). Students who also provide the traditional character forms for all simplified characters will receive up to 3 bonus points (out of 30).
- A section on the transcription in regular script (kaishu) of a sentence provided in cursive script;
- A grammar and vocabulary exercise section;
- A translation section of sentences from Italian to Chinese;
- A translation section of a business e-mail from Chinese to Italian;
- A translation section of a text from Chinese to Italian;
Dictionary use is not allowed.
For all students, the final grade may include up to 3 additional points (1 to 3 out of 30), awarded for participation in extracurricular activities relevant to Chinese language study and for participation in in-class dictation sessions. However, these extra points must be substantiated during the oral exam, which is decisive in determining the final grade.
To access the oral exam, students must have passed the complete written exam (or both partial exams).
The oral exam can raise the written exam score by a maximum of 3 points (out of 30), and passing it is mandatory in order to pass the course as a whole.
The course aims to provide a solid foundation for learning the spoken and written Chinese language. During the second year, the primary goal is to increase the basic vocabulary by an additional 1,000 characters (chosen from the most frequent ones from the HSK lists), and by an additional 2,000 vocabulary words, thus bringing the basic corpus to 1,800 characters and 3,000 high-frequency words. This is to rapidly progress to A2 level and prepare the ground for the transition to B1.
Participation in the month-long summer study trip to China organized at Northwest University in Xi'an, to which two to four weeks of travel through China, an ideal complement to the second-year teaching experience, is highly recommended. Second-year students are invited to participate in the HSK IV exam preparation course offered by faculty at the Confucius Institute of the University of Milan, where they will take the exam for the relevant certification by the end of the second semester at the latest.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of the Chinese Language II course, students will be able to:
- successfully take the internationally recognized Chinese language proficiency exam (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi - HSK) Level IV;- write correctly in Chinese (both in Chinese characters and using pinyin alphabetical transcription), memorizing about 1,800 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;
- recognize, translate and use in written composition a basic stock of about 3,000 vocabulary words;
- understand the general outlines of basic Chinese grammar;
- express themselves orally and in writing in a simple but correct manner;
- read and understand simple or simplified texts designed for HSK levels III-IV;
- 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 A1-A2 to B1.
The second-year program involves expanding the reference vocabulary to the first 3,000 high-frequency vocabulary words that complete the beginning level of the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards and are a prelude to achieving the first stage of the intermediate level (HSK IV).
Complex sentence grammar is addressed, further consolidating proficiency in the basic grammatical rules of the Chinese language.
Additional course contents are:
- learning the proficient use of Pleco software, including the systematic use of flashcards according to the method of deferred repetition (Spaced Repetition System);
- learning about 2,000 new vocabulary words and idiomatic expressions, with examples of their use in different conversational contexts;
- translating intermediate-level texts from Chinese to Italian and from Italian to Chinese;
- studying the basic grammar of the modern Chinese language, with special emphasis on the complex sentence, verb aspect and the main complements;
- learning how to read and understand Chinese cursive script;
- starting the study of the vocabulary, rules and conventions peculiar to business Chinese.
The exercises with the Chinese mother tongue teacher will synchronously follow the progress of the lectures from the textbook.
The course is structured as an integrated course that consists of the following modules:
1. Study of the main grammatical structures of the complex sentence, from the conversational and reading units offered in the textbook (Masini et al., Communicating in Chinese, vol. II).
2. Guided study and 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 fine comprehension and learning the peculiarities of Chinese syntax.
7. Recognition of cursive Chinese writing.
8. Study of business Chinese.
During the second year, students will practice more reading aloud and conversation in Chinese with the teacher, gradually increasing the amount and complexity of comprehensible input from written and oral sources. Active memorization of characters and reference vocabulary will be monitored with regular dictation. In-class correction of composition and translation exercises done at home will provide a better understanding of Chinese language morphosyntax and basic grammar rules. The use of audio-visual aids will reinforce listening and comprehension of the spoken language.
Office hours will be communicated to the students by the the teachers, who can be reached at the following e-mail addresses:
daniele.cologna@uninsubria.it;
chiara.bertulessi@uninsubria.it; chaohui.jin@uninsubria.it