95470 - Chinese Language and Linguistic Exercises 1 - B

Learning outcomes

The student is competent in all communicative skills in Chinese at the elementary level of the parameters set by the relevant authorities. He/she has a basic knowledge of Chinese linguistics.

Course contents

CHINESE LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS PRACTICAL SESSIONS 1-B will be taught by Dr WEN Yan, a native speaker.
By the end of the course, students will have mastered the vocabulary and linguistic structures found in the short texts contained in the textbook.
In addition to studying the textbook, students will be guided throughout the year in oral and written production through exercises.
Chinese Language and Linguistics Seminars 1-B form an integral part of the Chinese Language and Linguistics course; they are intended for all first-year students. Chinese Language and Linguistics Seminars 1-B focus on learning characters and practising writing. This is a practical module lasting a full academic year. The languages of instruction are Italian and Chinese. All study materials are in Italian and Chinese.


The Chinese Language and Linguistics 1-B seminars follow the activities set out in the adopted textbook at a rate of one unit per week; consequently, there are twenty units over the twenty weeks of the academic year.
In particular, the 1-B seminars will focus on the following activities:
· phonetics exercises;
· reading and learning new vocabulary;
· reading the texts for each unit, oral exercises;
· reading and comprehension of texts;
· concluding exercises at the end of each unit;
· character writing exercises.

Readings/Bibliography

Textbook used for the practical sessions:

Masini, F. et al. (2010). Chinese for Italians. Basic Course, Vol. I. Hoepli.

Recommended dictionary:

Zhao Xiuying (2013). The Chinese Dictionary. Chinese–Italian, Italian–Chinese Dictionary. Zanichelli.

Grammar textbooks used:

Romagnoli, Chiara (2012). Chinese Grammar: The Function Words of Modern Chinese. Hoepli

Paternicò, Luisa M., Varriano, Valeria and Tian Huiting (2021). Grammar of the Chinese Language. UTET.

Arcodia, Giorgio Francesco and Basciano, Bianca (2016). Chinese Linguistics. Pàtron.

Teaching methods

Lectures and language practice exercises

Assessment methods

The examination is based on the content of the lectures given by the lecturer in Chinese language and linguistics and on the practical sessions led by native-speaking lecturers. The assessment is based on two sets of tests:

1) Test of grammatical competence and written production (30 marks). This consists of two parts:

(A) Written test (20 marks, pass mark 11)

(B) Oral test on Chinese linguistics (10 marks, pass mark 6)

(A) The written test is designed to assess the ability to write independently and to use the vocabulary from the textbook appropriately, with particular focus on topics relating to everyday life. The written test is itself divided into two parts:

a) Intermediate written test: the intermediate written test, held during the winter session, is specifically designed to assess knowledge of characters and basic grammar covered in the first 10 units of the textbook; it lasts 60 minutes. The content mirrors the exercises found in each unit of the textbook, such as:

Word formation (组词) E.g.: （ ）欢

1) Filling in the blanks (填空) with options. E.g.: 我（ ）中国人。a) 去, b) 在, c) 姓, d) 是

2) Filling in the blanks (填空) without options. E.g.: 安娜是 ( )人。 她 ( ) 学习英国文学

3) Sentence construction (组句) E.g.: 学习 同学 中国 喜欢 和 去 她 不

4) Forming questions (提问) E.g.: Anna is from Shanghai. Is Anna………?

b) Final written exam: the final written exam consists of a translation from Italian into Chinese and an essay, for which candidates must use at least 150 characters, incorporating a set of assigned words (e.g. 也, 可能, 喜欢, 家, 张, 们, 给) and drawing on the vocabulary from the textbook. The final written exam lasts 120 minutes.

Those who pass the intermediate written exam will be eligible to sit the final written exam. Those who have not passed or have not sat the intermediate exam are required to sit both the final written exam and the intermediate written exam; for the two written exams sat in the same sitting, the total duration is 180 minutes.

N.B. The use of a dictionary is not permitted in any of the written examinations.

The mark breakdown for the written components is as follows:

Intermediate Written Examination Total marks: 5; Pass mark: 3

Final Written Examination Total marks: 15; Pass mark: 8

Final written exam (total) Total marks: 20; Pass mark: 11

In addition, students who, during the academic year, submit character exercise sheets to Dr Wen via Virtuale – up to a maximum of 20 sheets – may be awarded additional marks towards their written examination mark, at a rate of 0.5 marks per sheet, up to a maximum of 1 additional mark.

(B) Theoretical exam in Chinese linguistics: the oral exam for the Chinese linguistics course aims to assess students’ knowledge of the basic concepts of Chinese linguistics and grammar. The examination comprises a series of questions on the syllabus covered, which may include: language policy, historical development and grammar; the presentation of the theoretical part of grammar will also require the analysis of examples, proposed by the student or the lecturer. Rejection of the mark is only possible at the time of the examination.

The final mark for the written examination A) and the mark for the theoretical examination B) are valid for three examination sessions. If the mark for the intermediate written examination has expired, students will be required to sit the full written examination. To reject the mark for the intermediate examination, students must notify Prof. Hu by email in good time. To reject the final mark for the written examination, students simply need to sit the examination again in the next session; in such cases, the most recent mark achieved will stand.

2) Oral Chinese exam (30 marks)

Only students who have passed the written exam may sit the oral exam. The exam aims to assess the ability to express oneself in Chinese on the topics covered in the textbook, with particular focus on everyday life. A mark may only be rejected at the time of the exam. The use of a dictionary is not permitted.

FINAL MARKING

(1) Written tests on linguistic and grammatical competence (A) + theory (B): 10/30 Prof. Pellin + 20/30 Prof. Hu

(2) ORAL: 30/30 Prof. Hu

FINAL MARK: the arithmetic mean of (1) and (2).

Teaching tools

In addition to the textbook, PowerPoint presentations, digital glossaries and Quizlet flashcards will be used.


Online dictionaries and apps:
Pleco Software (for iPhone/iPad and Android), available to download free of charge from www.pleco.com
https://www.purpleculture.net
https://www.archchinese.com/

Students with SLDs or temporary or permanent disabilities: we suggest that you contact the relevant university office ( https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) and your teacher immediately to work together to find the most effective strategies for attending classes and/or preparing for exams.
Any requests for exam accommodations must be made at least 15 days before the date of the exam, by sending an email to the teacher and copying (Cc) the email address disabilita@unibo.it (in case of disability) or dsa@unibo.it (for students with Specific Learning Difficulties).

Office hours

See the website of Tommaso Pellin