The course aims to:    

1) introduce students to the Standard Chinese language (putonghua), describing phonological, morphological and syntactical characteristics;    

2) provide students with elementary written and reading skills    

3) help students develop communicative and oral skills in Chinese basic conversation.

Lessons programme    

   Elementary Chinese grammar:   

1. Basic sociolinguistic aspects of Chinese Mandarin (putonghua)  

2. Phonology, morphology, pinyin system  
3. Writing and analysis of simplified Chinese characters, introduction to Chinese radicals  

4. Elementary Chinese language syntax (Chinese sentence structure)  
 

Knowledge and understanding: students will acquire a good understanding of the essential aspects of Chinese linguistics. such as Chinese written, phonological, morphosyntactic elements elements.

Applying knowledge and understanding: students will have the abilities to use foreign language knowledge in real-world context.

Making judgements: students will acquire the critical ability to judge their language production with regard to linguistic and pragmatic appropriateness.

Communication skills: students will be able to communicate using Chinese at elementary level.

Learning skills:  students will possess the methodological skills to  develop and consolidate their learning experiences in autonomous and collaborative way.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

The teaching material and specific communications from the lecturer can be found, together with other supporting activities, inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Teaching methods include face-to-face lectures, exercise sessions, seminars. The course will include teaching practice lessons held by a mother tongue lecturer. Reading, writing and practice in conversation lessons will be conducted by Chinese lectors. The attendance to these lessons is highly recommended.

Innovative teaching methods

Teaching instruction will inlcude multimedia resources (video, audio, online learning app).

Course books

Federico Masini - Chiara Romagnoli - Zhang Tongbing - Chang Yafang,  Comunicare in cinese. Livello 1 del Chinese Proficiency Grading Standard (2021) Milano: Hoepli.

Recommended books:

Di Nallo I., Lettere L, Paoluzzi A.M., Zhang N., La civiltà cinese, Manuale di cultura e letteratura, Orientalia editrice, 2021.

Xiuying Zhao, Il dizionario di Cinese. Dizionario Cinese-Italiano Italiano-Cinese. Zanichelli, 2016.

Lioi T., De Benedittis A., Introduzione alla scrittura cinese, Milano, Hoepli, 2016

Assessment

Assessment methods are oral exams and written tests.  Dictionary is not allowed.

In the final examination, Chinese language and metalinguistic knowledge concerning the reference level will be assessed.  written test 33%  spoken and listening test 33%; metalinguistic knowledge ‘esame monografico' 33%.

The examination will be conducted in written form.

The test consists of 10 open-ended questions (time available: 45 minutes).
 The test includes theoretical questions on metalinguistic knowledge (e.g. what classifiers are and how they are used; what are the characteristics of Chinese characters; what is the syntactic use of the particle ma, etc.) and application questions (transcribing a sentence into pinyin, translating a sentence into Chinese, carrying out the syntactic analysis of a given Chinese sentence, etc.).

The use of dictionaries is not allowed 

The assessment criteria for the test are 

- correctness and completeness of answers in relation to the programme content

- ability to apply knowledge to the linguistic questions given

- ability to use metalinguistic terminology

-ability to reflect on the content presented

The ‘monographic course’ test is passed with a mark of no less than 18/30.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

The students are requested to contact teacher by email.

Course books

• Federico Masini - Chiara Romagnoli - Zhang Tongbing - Chang Yafang,  Comunicare in cinese. Livello 1 del Chinese Proficiency Grading Standard (2021) Milano: Hoepli.

Recommended books:

• Abbiati M., Grammatica di cinese moderno, Cafoscarina, Venezia, 1998. 
• Zhao X, Gatti F., Dizionario compatto Cinese-italiano italiano-cinese, Zanichelli, Bologna, 1996.
• Lioi T., De Benedittis A., Introduzione alla scrittura cinese, Milano, Hoepli, 2016

Assessment

Assessment methods are oral exams and written tests.  Dictionary is not allowed.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.