Full Description
This first-of-its-kind, two-volume primer is addressed to meet the needs of the rapidly growing number of Chinese language students who were raised in the United States in Chinese-speaking homes and can speak the language but who cannot read or write it. The book's lessons and exercises build upon the cultural knowledge of these "advanced beginners" in order to facilitate full language acquisition. As a culture-based primer, this text takes an unusual and innovative approach, with lessons organized around readings on Chinese history, culture, geography, literature, folktales and mythology, customs, and cuisine. The focus, therefore, is not on sentence grammar, but rather on reading strategies and on "discourse grammar," a new, more authentic approach to the study of languages.
Contents
Volume One List of Abbreviations Introduction: The Basics of Pronunciation and Characters Lesson 1. Chinese Names Lesson 2. Chinese Families Lesson 3. China: The North and the South Lesson 4. The Ten Suns Lesson 5. Heaven and Earth Lesson 6. The Story of Chinese Idioms Lesson 7. The Great Wall Lesson 8. Li Bai Learns A Lesson Lesson 9. Shen Nong and Chinese Medicine Lesson 10. Chinese Food Appendix I. A Brief History of the Creation of Chinese Characters and the Evolution of the Chinese Writing System Appendix II. Comprehensive Vocabulary List (English-Chinese and Chinese-English) Appendix III. Character Stroke Order Volume Two List of Abbreviations Lesson 11. The Chinese Zodiac Lesson 12. Chinese New Year Lesson 13. The Story of The Dream of Red Mansions Lesson 14. Shaolin Martial Arts Lesson 15. Confucius Lesson 16. The Story of Mencius Lesson 17. The Story of Silkworms Lesson 18. Chinese Tea Lesson 19. Chinese Porcelain Lesson 20. The Character of Bamboo Appendix I. Comprehensive Vocabulary List (English-Chinese and Chinese-English) Appendix II. Character Stroke Order
