Summary

Level:

Absolute Beginners only. People with some knowledge of Mandarin will NOT be allowed to take this module. Please note, final year students are not normally permitted to take non-accelerated beginners modules.

Main Objectives:

To enable students to acquire simple sentence patterns and ways of expressions, develop basic skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing in a range of predictable everyday situations and gain a general insight into Chinese culture. Simplified Chinese characters will be taught and assessed.

Credit:

This 30 CREDIT module is also available for 24 CREDITS.

Teaching:

3 hours language class each week for 21 weeks.

Students are reminded that 1 credit = 10 hours of study, therefore the minimum expected amount of study is 240 hours, which averages over 10 hours per week. A substantial amount of independent study is therefore required.

Tutors:

Zhiqiong Chen

Core Texts:

• New Practical Chinese Reader, Textbook 1 (Units 1-11), Liu Xun. Beijing Language University Press, 2002. (ISBN: 7-5619-1040-1)
• New Practical Chinese Reader, Workbook 1 (Units 1-11), Liu Xun. Beijing Language University Press, 2002. (ISBN: 7-5619-1042-8)

Additional Materials:

• Oxford Starter Chinese Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 2000. (ISBN: 0198602588)
• Basic Chinese: A Grammar and Workbook (2nd Edition), Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington, Routledge, 2009. (ISBN:0-415-47215-6)
• Yufa ! A practical guide to Mandarin Chinese.

Course Description:

Based on an interactive approach, the module will focus on grasping speech sounds and tones, acquiring essential listening and speaking skills, and practising basic reading and writing techniques in characters. The stimulus material (aural, written and visual) not only provides an introduction to the language but also offers students an insight into Chinese culture. The text-book provides written text in both characters and pinyin, together with an underscored English translation. The workbook, however, gives greater prominence to characters. There are homework and online resources which consolidate and assist classroom learning. Please note, final year students are not normally permitted to take non-accelerated beginners modules.

Syllabus:

Communicative functions

• Greetings and general courtesy
• ordering drinks and food
• identifying people and getting personal information
• finding one's way around
• talking about one's major and one's university
• talking about one's family
• making an appointment
• celebrating one's birthday
• talking about one's likes and dislikes
• shopping

Grammatical content

• word order in Chinese sentences
• basic sentence structures
• different forms of questions
• attributives expressing possession
• some commonly used adverbs
• numbers from 1-100 and numeral-measure words as attributives
• prepositional phrase
• sentences with double objects
• sentences with serial verb phrases

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

• communicate orally in simple Chinese in a range of predictable routine situations
• obtain general information from short audio materials on daily topics
• gather required messages from short Chinese texts
• compose notes and short paragraphs in characters

• Important Notes
• 
• Speaking Examinations Information for Students
• Test/exam marks in the Language Centre
• Grammar Skills

• Important Notes
• Languages@Warwick online support
• Speaking Examinations Information for Students
• Test/exam marks in the Language Centre
• Grammar Skills

 

Assessment Scheme:

Exam summary and skills weighting: Assessment beginners

Marking criteria (written): Marking criteria (written) Chinese/Japanese levels 1/2

Marking criteria (oral): Marking criteria (oral) Chinese/Japanese 1/2