First Step: An Elementary Reader for Modern Chinese - Brossura

Chou, Chih-P'Ing; Wang, Jing; Lei, Jun

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0691154201 ISBN 13: 9780691154206

Casa editrice: Princeton Univ Pr, 2014

Riassunto

First Step is an elementary Chinese textbook for students with no previous background in the language. Focusing on the basics of modern Chinese phonetics and grammatical structure, the book uses everyday topics to help students establish a solid foundation in the Chinese language.

The textbook, which includes color illustrations, contains thirty lessons, each of which can be covered in a week's worth of classes. Each lesson features a lively dialogue or a short essay, representing a real-life situation, which is then followed by vocabulary lists and grammar notes. Explanatory notes on Chinese culture and customs are also provided. The companion workbook for First Step is sold separately and includes comprehensive exercises and character writing sheets with information on the stroke orders of newly introduced characters. Free online audio files, accessible on smartphones, tablets, and laptops, allow students to listen to First Step dialogues and practice their pronunciation at their leisure. This vital audio supplement gives students the chance to learn Chinese intonation with greater accuracy.

First Step provides students with the necessary tools to begin practical daily communication in Chinese.

• Emphasis is on basic grammar structure and principles
• Textbook features both traditional and simplified characters, pinyin, and English translation
• Perforated workbook (which is sold separately) facilitates easy handling of homework
• Free audio recordings of dialogues and other content available online
• Appropriate for college and high school students

Su questo libro

Informazioni sull?autore

Chih-p'ing Chou is professor of East Asian studies at Princeton University and director of the university's Chinese language and Princeton in Beijing programs. Jing Wang is senior lecturer in Chinese at Princeton. Jun Lei is a former lecturer in Chinese at Princeton.

Dalla quarta di copertina

"First Step is the most recent step in the wonderful Y. R. Chao tradition of teaching Chinese language to speakers of English. It begins with essential foundation work in pronunciation, then offers simple, natural, and witty dialogues, followed by tight, clear explanations of grammar, notes on culture, introductions to reading and writing--in both simplified and traditional characters--and a comprehensive set of exercises. It is everything one could want in a first-year textbook."--Perry Link, University of California, Riverside

"C. P. Chou and his colleagues have produced a much-needed textbook for all those who truly wish to learn Chinese well. First Step masterfully balances dialogues, texts, grammar, and exercises to help students achieve accuracy and fluency, as well as linguistic competence and cultural awareness. Its contents are intimately relevant to campus life and daily situations, and both the textbook and workbook supplements are easy to use and extremely helpful. Continuing the great tradition started by Y. R. Chao more than seventy years ago, First Step provides a clear path to building solid Chinese skills."--Lening Liu, Columbia University

"I am impressed by this textbook's practical approach, its contemporary and colloquial feel, the variety of exercises included, and the detailed grammatical explanations in each lesson. The authors use current vocabulary and grammatical structures throughout, and their experience shines through. This book is a great addition to the field."--Baozhang He, College of the Holy Cross

"Like all the other Chinese-language textbooks produced over the years by C. P. Chou and his capable colleagues and collaborators, this is a work of extremely high quality. No one in the field of Chinese pedagogy can rival Chou's skill, expertise, and experience. First Step is an outstanding, student-friendly primer of beginning Chinese."--James M. Hargett, University at Albany, State University of New York

"An excellent textbook for this level of Chinese instruction, First Step reveals the authors' experience, knowledge, and thoroughness in teaching this difficult language."--Qiusha Ma, Oberlin College

"The materials in this book are up-to-date, bold, and lively. Professors, teachers, and instructors will find First Step both useful and a source of inspiration."--Yin Chong (Zhuang Yan), Boston University

Estratto. © Ristampato con autorizzazione. Tutti i diritti riservati.

FIRST STEP

An Elementary Reader for Modern Chinese

By Chih-p'ing Chou, Jing Wang, Jun Lei

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS

Copyright © 2014 Princeton University Press
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-691-15420-6

Contents

Preface, vii, 
Audio Content: Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation, ix, 
List of Abbreviations, x, 
Main Characters, xi, 
Hanyu Pinyin Romanization System, 1, 
1 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Teacher and Students, 10, 
2 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] The Books Are on the Table, 22, 
3 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] I Am Very Busy Today, 32, 
4 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Beijing Roast Duck, 42, 
5 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] A Picture, 52, 
6 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] My Two Friends, 66, 
7 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Choosing Classes, 82, 
8 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Cannot See Clearly, 96, 
9 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] To Drink Tea or Coffee, 106, 
10 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Looking for Glasses While Wearing Them, 118, 
11 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Who Ate My Stuff, 130, 
12 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] The Door Is Locked, I Cannot Get In, 142, 
13 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Buy Shoes, 156, 
14 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Cannot Get up and Late for School, 168, 
15 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] It's Snowing!, 176, 
16 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Getting Fatter, What Shall I Do?, 188, 
17 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Ride a Bike, 200, 
18 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] The Bike Was Stolen, 210, 
19 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Chinatown, 218, 
20 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] East Asian Library, 230, 
21 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Chinese Table, 238, 
22 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Our Chinese Teachers, 246, 
23 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Individual Sessions, 256, 
24 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] See a Movie, 264, 
25 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] I'm Vegetarian, 276, 
26 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Speech Contest, 284, 
27 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] I Have to Move, 294, 
28 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Living Off Campus Is Not as Good as Living in the Dorm, 306, 
29 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Xiao Ding and Susan, 318, 
30 [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] An Email to Parents, 330, 
Pinyin Index, 339, 
English Index, 347, 

PREFACE

There have been considerable achievements in the field of Chinese teaching in the United States over the past thirty years, in terms of both the production of teaching materials and pedagogical research. Generally speaking, the trend of this development can be summarized in the following two aspects: first, Chinese pedagogy has been significantly influenced by Western theories of second language acquisition; second, the focus of Chinese teaching has been transformed from the traditional drill of sentence patterns and grammar to the more practical approach of language use. During the process of this transition, the training of listening and speaking abilities has been emphasized, and the instructional procedure of "listening and speaking taking the leading role, and reading and writing following right after" has gradually been accepted. The early stages of direct translation from Chinese to English in the classroom found their resting place in a part of the last century's history. Chinese language teaching is no longer subordinate to Sinology, but has become an independent discipline. Such developments in Chinese language pedagogy help to answer the needs and motivations of American students.

In this transformation, however, demands for speed and utility are in order. Elementary courses no longer pay attention to the accuracy of students' pronunciation and the establishment of a solid foundation of grammar and sentence structure, but solely emphasize whether students can put the language to practice by completing a certain "task" or "assignment." Such an approach neglects the fact that both communication and task completion are possible only after one becomes familiar with the vocabulary, sentence patterns, and grammatical structure.

First Step takes into account the accuracy, fluency, structure, and functionality of the language and applies all of these aspects to the teaching process. The entire book focuses on introducing the basics of modern Chinese phonology and grammatical structure, which are conveyed to students through everyday topics. The dialogues are lively and interesting and represent real-life situations. Furthermore, characteristics of Chinese culture and some special customs, which are reflected in the language, are accompanied by additional explanatory notes. It is our goal that students will have an accurate grasp of pronunciation and a basic understanding of grammar upon completing the lessons in this book, so that they will be able to meet the challenges of practical daily communication in a Chinese environment.

The compilation of First Step was initiated four years ago. The content was gradually enhanced with additional materials and field-tested in the classrooms of Princeton University. To facilitate students' and instructors' use of this textbook, it is divided into two volumes: the textbook includes lessons, vocabulary, and grammar; the workbook provides exercises. In the process of preparation and field-testing, teachers from the Chinese language program at Princeton University provided many valuable suggestions, with Teng-Kuan Ng, Noelle Lyle, Cara Healey, and Jenny Yu carefully editing the English sections along the way. We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to them. Nonetheless, the authors take full responsibility for any errors that may come to light upon usage.

Chih-p'ing Chou Jing Wang Jun Lei May 8, 2013

(Continues...)

Excerpted from FIRST STEP by Chih-p'ing Chou, Jing Wang, Jun Lei. Copyright © 2014 Princeton University Press. Excerpted by permission of PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Dettagli dell?edizione

• Editore: Princeton Univ Pr
• Data di pubblicazione: 2014
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0691154201
• ISBN 13: 9780691154206
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 354
• Contatto del produttore: non disponibile
• Persona responsabile: non disponibile