Syllabus

This subject is the first semester of two that form an introduction to modern standard Chinese, commonly called Mandarin. Though not everyone taking this course will be an absolute beginner, the course presupposes no prior background in the language. The purpose of this course is to develop: (a) basic conversational abilities (pronunciation, fundamental grammatical patterns, common vocabulary, and standard usage); (b) basic reading skills (in both the traditional character set and the simplified); (c) an understanding of the way the Chinese writing system is structured, and the ability to copy and write characters; and (d) a sense of what learning a language like Chinese entails, and the sort of learning processes that it involves, so students are able to continue studying effectively on their own.

Students with some prior knowledge of Mandarin (typically gained from growing up in a Chinese speaking community), but no or little reading (or writing) ability should take the streamlined beginning subject, 21F.107/157.

For a complete overview of the regular Chinese syllabus at MIT, with pedagogical commentary, download this orientation (PDF).

The Textbook

The main text is J. K. Wheatley’s Learning Chinese: A Foundation Course in Mandarin, part I (unpublished, but available online). Learning Chinese consists of several introductory chapters, five units (labeled Units 1, 2, 3…) and four character lessons (labeled Lessons 1, 2, 3…). The two sets will be interleafed, with Unit 1 followed by Character Lesson 1, Unit 2, by Character Lesson 2, etc. so that it is possible to consolidate conversational material already encountered while embarking on a new character lesson, or conversely, consolidate character reading while beginning a new conversational unit. (Part II of the textbook, which forms the basis of 21F.102/152, is also available on OpenCourseWare.)

FlashCube

Assistance in internalizing lesson material is provided by way of a computer program called flashCube, developed by Jordan Gilliland while a graduate student at MIT. As the name suggests, flashCube delivers through the medium of the computer what has traditionally been provided by the folk-method of the flashcard, the vocabulary or phrase notebook, and the tape recorder. Ultimately, flashCube will store, in a compact and convenient format, much of the Chinese material presented in Learning Chinese, and allow students to test themselves into and out of the spoken or written language. At present, flashCube contains material and sound files that have not been updated to match the current version of Learning Chinese I. We may be able to manage the updates as we progress through the course, but even as is, it remains a useful source of listening and other material.

Recommended Dictionaries

DeFrancis, John, ed. ABC Chinese-English Dictionary (regular or pocket edition). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1996. ASIN: 0824817443 (regular); ISBN: 0824821548 (pocket).

Yuan, Boping and Sally Church, eds. The Starter Oxford Chinese Dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN: 0198602588.

Manser, Martin H., ed. Concise English-Chinese Chinese-English Dictionary. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. ASIN: 0195911512.
 
Assignments

All students will be asked to participate regularly in the online discussion forum which will cover (a) observations, questions, and reflections based on your study of the language and culture, on the written and other materials that you use, as well as on the presentations and activities that take place in the classroom; and (b) responses to exercises and other assignments. The textbook contains exercises designed to check on your mastery of each section. These are not assigned as such, but you are expected to do at least a part of each to test the waters; in some cases, you will want to do them all. The discussions will be monitored, and your contributions will be evaluated as part of you class grade.

Quizzes and Tests

As the calendar shows, there are five tests, evenly spaced over the course of the term, and an oral interview. There are also frequent short quizzes (not always announced) which are designed to keep you from falling behind and to diagnose difficulties. Quizzes contribute to your class grade. There is no final examination this term. Written tests will cover pinyin transcription (including tone), grammatical knowledge, usage (choice of words), appropriateness (choice of expression in a context), comprehension, reading in characters, and occasionally, writing characters. The oral interview will test pronunciation, fluency, accuracy, and appropriateness of speech, and comprehension.

Grading

The course grade will be based on class performance, and on tests. Class performance will be evaluated on the basis of contribution to the discussion forum, on attendance (including promptness), and preparedness. Other factors may come in to play, eg: improvement versus stagnation over the semester, and progress relative to starting level. Quizzes or tests missed without written excuse cannot be made up. Attendance and promptness is assumed; more than four unexcused absences (a week’s worth) lowers your grade one letter; significant lateness will add up to absences.

Study Habits

In studying a foreign language, particularly a truly foreign language such as Chinese (without shared roots, with unfamiliar grammatical features, and of a distant culture), progress is incremental rather than abrupt, so studying should be consistent rather than frantic. Success in this course comes most easily to those who study in regular but manageable stretches, who keep an inquiring mind about the process of learning as well as the content of the lessons, who collect up their questions to ask in class (or consult by email, or at office hours), and who check in with their teachers early rather than late if they find they are spending more time than they can afford on the material, or otherwise have trouble keeping up!