CHINESE LANGUAGE 1 MOD.1

The Chinese language module 1-1 is one of the courses characterizing the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Languages, cultures and societies of Asia and North Africa. It aims to provide students with the first tools and skills in the language and translation fields. The goal is to make them possible to start applying their language skills and abilities in simple communicative situations, as well as in reading and understanding easy texts, so as to make it a key tool to acquire, over time, a solid knowledge of Chinese culture and society.

Achieve a level of language proficiency equivalent to level A1 of the CEFR (Common European framework of reference for language proficiency). In particular:
1. Knowledge and understanding
• Know the sounds of the standard modern Chinese language and how they are made up in syllables.
• Know Hanyu pinyin, i.e. the transcription system in Latin letters of the sounds of the standard modern Chinese language.
• Know the key sentences necessary to interact in basic communicative situations.
• Know the principles that regulate the Chinese character stroke order and be able to identify the most common pianpang, fundamental components of the characters.
• Know the basic aspects of the modern Chinese grammar concerning nominal groups, sentence fundamental structure, prepositional groups, different types of sentences and verbal groups.
• Know the principles on which the main bilingual Chinese dictionaries are based in ordering Chinese characters.
• Master a lexicon of about 350 words and 300 characters (active competence).
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
• Be able to correctly articulate the sounds of the standard modern Chinese language.
• Be able to properly use the Hanyu pinyin.
• Be able to correctly use the key sentences necessary to interact in elementary communicative situations.
• Be able to write characters correctly.
• Be able to use properly what has been learnedd on basic grammatical aspects in order to understand written texts.
• Be able to use a bilingual Chinese dictionary.
• Be able to use in writing a lexicon of about 350 words and 300 characters.
3. Judgement capacity
• Know how to use the tools made available online to evaluate your level of knowledge and language skills.
4. Communication skills
• Be able to communicate the specificities of linguistic analysis using appropriate terminology.
5. Learning skills
• Know how to relate the different contexts of study and apply your knowledge and skills for personal and professional growth.

To attend the course, students must have a very good theoretical and practical knowledge of the Italian language: they must be able to express themselves correctly both in writing and in oral form, and master the tools of grammatical analysis and logical analysis.

The course provides students with an overall knowledge, at a beginner level, of written and spoken modern Chinese. In particular it offers:
• grammar basics on nominal groups, sentence fundamental structure, prepositional groups, different types of sentences and verbal groups: 30 hours of theory and practice;
• training for linguistic interaction in simple communicative situations: 60 hours of practice A (conversation);
• training for the use of Chinese characters: 60 hours of practice B (writing);
• conversation tutoring: practice C;
• writing tutoring: practice D.

Compulsory texts
• Abbiati M., Grammatica di cinese moderno, Cafoscarina, Venezia 1998.
• Abbiati M., Materiali ed esercizi per l'apprendimento della grammatica cinese moderna, Cafoscarina, Venezia 2010 (also available on the website https://moodle.unive.it/ in the section “Lingua cinese 1 mod. 1 Cognomi D-L [LT0061] - prof.ssa D. Rossi”, where other grammar exercises are also available. Moreover, further grammar exercises are available on the Centro Multimediale website http://www.unive.it/cmm ).
• Abbiati M. and Zhang Ruoying, Dialogare in cinese: corso di lingua colloquiale, vol. 1, Cafoscarina, Venezia 2010. Listening exercises are also available on the website https://moodle.unive.it/ in the section “Lingua cinese 1 mod. 1 Cognomi D-L [LT0061] - prof.ssa D. Rossi”.
• Abbiati M. and Chen Liansheng, Caratteri cinesi, Cafoscarina, Venezia 2001. Writing exercises are also available on the Centro Multimediale website http://www.unive.it/cmm .
• Zhao Xiuying, Il dizionario di Cinese. Dizionario Cinese-Italiano, Italiano-Cinese, Zanichelli, Bologna 2013; or Dizionario cinese-italiano italiano-cinese, Hoepli, Milano 2007; or Zhao Xiuying and Gatti F., Dizionario compatto cinese-italiano italiano-cinese e conversazioni, Zanichelli Bologna 1996; or Wenlin Software for Learning Chinese, 4.2.2 (per Windows e Mac), that can be purchased at the site www.wenlin.com;www.wenlin.com; or Pleco Software (for iPhone/iPad and Android), that can be downloaded for free from the site www.pleco.com.

Supplementary readings
• Abbiati M., La lingua cinese, Cafoscarina, Venezia 1992 or Abbiati M., Guida alla lingua cinese, Carocci, Roma 2008.

This is a two terms course. The first term exam consists of three written test (on grammar basics, listening comprehension and writing skills, respectively). The use of dictionaries is not permitted. A facsimile of the three tests is available on the website https://moodle.unive.it/ in the section “Lingua cinese 1 mod. 1 Cognomi D-L [LT0061] - prof.ssa D. Rossi”. To pass the exam it is necessary to obtain a minimum mark of 6/10 in each of the three tests. Students get 18 credits by passing both the first term exam and the second term exam.

Teaching is organized in:
a) front and online lessons;
b) writing and conversation practice aimed at building and consolidating the knowledge, skills and competences necessary to meet the goal of the course;
c) tutoring aimed at discussing and clarifying specific language problems that emerged during the teaching and the related practice.

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