75747 - Chinese Language and Literature I (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The students are going to achieve by the end of this course a basic level of knowledge of the Chinese Language; they shall know also some basic notions of the Chinese literary tradition and will be able to repeat what they have learnt both in writing and orally, besides they shall know how to link each notion to the bibliographic sources chosen by the teacher.     

Course contents

This course will help the attendants face in a positive way the three levels of difficulty inherent in the Chinese language, which are also its main features: 1) the writing system; 2) the four tones; 3) the grammar and syntactical structures that totally differ from our Indo-European languages.

Under the guide of the teacher and the Chinese lecturer, the students will learn 300 characters (and much more words), being able to write, pronounce and use each of them correctly. By the end of the course the attendants can take part in and pass the HSK exam, level 2; they can hold some simple conversations and read short texts as well. They will manage to introduce themselves, ask questions, for instance ask directions, make a phone call, invite someone to dinner, etc. In short, they shall know how to cope with various everyday life situations.

Apart from Chinese characters, pinyin system (the official phonetic transcription system) will be taught. The teacher will insist on the proper way to write each character and will explain the six principles of writing as they were analyzed in the most famous and comprehensive traditional dictionary, Shuowen Jiezi.

The pronunciation, especially the four tones, is as important as the written part. In this regard, attendance to the lessons taught by the mother tongue lecturer is highly recommended.

As for the grammar learning, the structures will be explained on the basis of several concrete, colloquial situations, by studying dialogues and sentences rather than abstract rules.

Lastly, the students will be provided with a basic knowledge of Chinese civilization, since the language cannot be kept separated from its cultural and historical context.

Readings/Bibliography

Language Learning: 

- Abbiati, La grammatica del cinese moderno, Venezia: Cafoscarina (plurime ristampe).

- Li Xuemei: Buongiorno Cina! Vol. 1/I, Venezia: Cafoscarina, 2005.

- Materials and texts provided by the teacher or by the lecturer.

On history of Chinese civilization:

- Gernet, Jacques, Il mondo cinese - Dalle prime civiltà alla Repubblica Popolare, Torino: Einaudi (up to p. 272).

- Edoarda Masi, Cento Capolavori della Letteratura Cinese, Macerata: Quodlibet. 

The students who cannot attend the course should prepare another text chosen by the teacher, in addition to the above mentioned books.

Teaching methods

Attendance is highly recommended, since the lessons most of the time will be interactive, based on a continuous exchange between the teacher and each student. The students are required to take part in all the activities held in class, i.e. the exercises of listening comprehension, writing, pronunciation and conversation.

As for the linguistic approach, the teacher will rely on the methodologies traditionally adopted in China with foreign learners. The lessons will be divided in 4 sections, writing and reading (阅读) - listening comprehension (听力) - oral communication (口语) - grammar (语法), where the last part will always be linked to the practical use of the language.

As for the phonetics, it is fundamental not to miss the native speaker's classes.

Assessment methods

Upon completing the course, students will be taking a written examination (2 hours), without the aid of a dictionary.

The written examination will be only on the linguistic/communicative contents of the course, and on some notions about the history of Chinese Language.

In order to take the oral examination, students must first pass the written examination.

The oral examination will be a Language test, followed by some questions on history and culture from the texts in the course programme.

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS
- Written examination: same as for attending students. 

- Oral examination: same as for attending students for the linguistic/communication part. For history and culture, students will have to present a five-page essay on a subject of their choice, but subject to approval on the part of the teacher.

In the course of the academic year there will be six written examination sessions and six oral examination sessions (January, March, May-June, July, September, January).

EVALUATION CRITERIA: A strong, solid mastery of the linguistic and theoretical notions in all their details won’t fail to be judged as excellent and it is to be awarded with the highest scores.

Besides, the correct pronunciation of the four tones and good reading skills are considered as another fundamental criterion in order to distinguish a good preparation from a sufficient one.

The students who prove to have grasped a basic knowledge of the main contents of this course can pass, while on the contrary a significant lack of understanding in the linguistic or theoretical part will lead to a rejection.

Teaching tools

- PowerPoint

- online dictionaries and links to Chinese websites or video

- Wenlin

Office hours

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