31206 - Chinese Language and Linguistics 2

Learning outcomes

Intermediate Chinese: This course will refine and synthesize students’ previous knowledge of Chinese grammar and vocabulary by focusing on communicative functions. By the end of the course, students should be able to comprehend and communicate in broader and specific situational contexts while using complex grammar.

Course contents

The course aims at developing students' linguistic competence of Mandarin Chinese at an intermediate level. Its focus is twofold: on one hand, it aims at further developing students' linguistic competence; on the other hand, it proposes activities that strengthen their grammatical analysis skills (at a semantic, syntactic and discourse level). Contents include:

• basic sentence structure (semantic, syntactic and discourse level)
• Verb valency and different types of predicates (monotransitivie, transitive and ditransitive)
• topic-comment structures, existence, appearence and disappearance constructions
• Mandarin NPs: internal structure and modification
• Mandarin predication, adjuncts, complements and cognitive motivation of their different position with respect to the verb.
• argument alternations: BA and BEI
• complex sentences: conjunctions and juxtaposition

Readings/Bibliography

• Ross, Claudia and Ma Jing-heng Sheng. 2014. Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar, Second Edition. London and New York: Routledge.
• Antonella Ceccagno, 2010, Il cinese. Tipologia e morfologia. Elementi di grammatica e esercizi, SerendipitÃ
• Antonella Ceccagno, 2010, Tradurre dal cinese all'italiano, SerendipitÃ
• Antonella Ceccagno e Zhai Ran, 2011, Jijiji wawawa. Classici dell'animazione cinese, Serendipità .
• Dizionario italiano-cinese e cinese-italiano: a scelta uno dei seguenti dizionari: GARZANTI, 2012, a cura di Rosa Lombardi oppure HOEPLI, 2009, a cura di Zhang Shihua.
• AAVV, 2001 e successivi, Hanying cidian, A Chinese-English Dictionary, revised edition, Waiyu jiaoxue yu yanjiu chubanshe
• Masini et al., 2010, Il cinese per gli italiani. Corso base, vol II

Also recommended:

• Magda Abbiati, 1996, Grammatica di cinese moderno, Cafoscarina
• Arcodia, Giorgio F.; Basciano, Bianca. 2016. Linguistica cinese. Bologna, Pàtron, vol. 6.

Other material will be uploaded on AMS campus

Teaching methods

Classroom teaching and teacher-led discussion

Assessment methods

The exam is based on the content of the classes held by the teacher of the course and native Chinese language experts. It consists of two components: 1) a mid-term intermediate written test (at the end of the first semester, January-February); 2) the final exam at the end of the course (from May-June).

The final exam consists of two parts: a written test for which the time allotted is 4 hours and a subsequent oral examination. Those who have passed the mid-term written test will only be required to complete the second part of the written test.

As far as the grammar test is concerned, it consists of several questions or exercises to be solved. The content is the grammar explained during the course.

Only after passing the written language exam can students take the oral. Students who pass the written exam components with a score of at least 18/30 may not reject their mark and take the exam again.

Students who pass the oral exam components with a score of at least 18/30 may not reject their mark and take the exam again.

The final mark is the mean of the scores obtained in written and oral exams.

Teaching tools

video, ppt

Office hours

See the website of Anna Morbiato