95469 - Chinese Language and Linguistic Exercises 1 - A

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide a basic knowledge of writing, the vowel, consonantal and tonal system of Chinese, as well as the main structures of the written and spoken language.

Course contents

HU Guiping is the mother tongue teacher responsible for ESERCITAZIONI DI LINGUA E LINGUISTICA CINESE 1 - A

This is a practical module lasting an entire academic year. The languages of instruction are Italian and Chinese. All study materials are in Italian/Chinese.
The course aims to provide a basic knowledge of writing, the vowel, consonantal and tonal system of Chinese, as well as the main structures of the written and spoken language.

Contents:
- the order of sentence constituents
- theme structures and commentary
- elements of nominal morphology
- quantification: numerals, classifiers and pseudo-classifiers
- personal pronouns, demonstratives and interrogative substitutes
- the plural/singular contrast
- the structural particle de and the nominal syntagma
- the indication of time
- verb types: copula, verbs of existence, activity and verbs of motion
- verbal determination; different forms of negation
- the final particles
- the affirmative, negative and interrogative sentence
- adjectival verbs
- the prepositional phrase
- the aspective le
- modal verbs of possibility, volition and necessity

Readings/Bibliography

Masini et al. Il cinese per gli italiani, Corso di base. Milano: Hoepli, 2010

Teaching methods

The teaching instructions of the course, as well as the teaching materials, are in Chinese and in Italian. 

Assessment methods

1) Test of grammatical competence and written production (30 points). It consists of two parts:

(A) Written test of Esercitazioni di Lingua cinese 1 (20 points, pass mark 12)

(B) Oral examination of the course Lingua e linguistica cinese 1 (10 points, pass mark 6)

(A) The written Esercitazioni di Lingua cinese I is aimed at assessing the ability to write independently and use the vocabulary of the text ‘Il cinese per gli italiani, Vol. I’ with particular attention to everyday life topics.

The test consists of a composition in Chinese and a translation from Italian into Chinese.

N.B. In the composition, candidates will have to write a short text of at least 150 characters using an assigned set of words (也，可能，喜欢，家，张， 们，给...) and drawing on the vocabulary of the textbook.

The paper lasts a total of 180 minutes. The use of a dictionary is not permitted

The grade for the written test is valid for one calendar year. In order to reject the mark, it is sufficient to reappear at the next session; in such cases, the last mark obtained counts.

(B) The oral examination for the course Lingua e linguistica cinese 1 is designed to test your knowledge of the basics of Chinese linguistics and grammar. The test consists of a series of questions on the syllabus, which may include:

typology/genealogy/historical/grammatical development; reading and analysis of short sentences in Chinese. Rejection of the grade is only possible during the examination. The use of the Pleco electronic dictionary is permitted for this test only.

2) Oral examination of Esercitazioni di Lingua cinese 1 (30 points)

Only those students who have passed the written examination may take the oral examination of the Esercitazioni. The test aims to assess the ability to express oneself in Chinese on the topics covered in the text ‘Chinese for Italians, Vol. I’, with particular emphasis on everyday life topics. Rejection of the grade is only possible during the examination. Use of the dictionary is not permitted

Final grade
(1) Linguistic grammatical competence tests: 10/30 Prof. Zanier + 20/30 Prof. Hu
(2) ORAL: 30/30 Prof. Hu
FINAL average maths grade of (1) and (2).

 

 

 

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations, digital glossaries and flashcard Quizlet.

Online dictionaries and apps:

Wenlin Software for Learning Chinese, 4.2.2 (Windows & Mac), www.wenlin.com ;

Pleco Software (per iPhone/iPad and Android), freely downloadable from www.pleco.com

https://www.purpleculture.net

https://www.archchinese.com/

Office hours

See the website of Valeria Zanier