Chinese Buttress

A beginner’s introduction to the Mandarin Chinese language and culture

Module details

  • Offered to 1st and 2nd Years
  • Monday or Tuesday 16.00-18.00 (depending on year of study)
  • Planned delivery: On campus (South Kensington)
  • Two-term module, worth 7.5 ECTS
  • Not available as part of I-Explore
  • Extra Credit, or Degree Credit where your department allows
Degree credit module options by departmentHow to enrol

A communicative module for absolute beginners, offering an introduction to the language and culture of China.

This module aims to: 

  • Give students with no previous knowledge of Chinese an introduction to the official language of the People’s Republic of China, including the rudiments of Chinese script and the Pinyin system of Romanisation
  • Enable you to recognise approx. 300 Chinese characters
  • Develop all the fundamental language skills, i.e. reading, writing, listening and speaking, with a special emphasis on the inculcation of correct pronunciation
  • Offer you an insight into some aspects of the society and culture of the People's Republic of China and prepare you for progression to higher levels

To be eligible for this module, you need to have no previous experience in learning Mandarin Chinese.

Please note: The information on this module description is indicative. The module may undergo minor modifications before the start of next academic year. 

Information blocks

Learning outcomes

 

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:Yellow Mountains

  • Render the sounds of Mandarin in Romanised form
  • Identify each of the four tones and neutral tone through listening
  • Express in writing, basic information on yourself and/or friends and family, using Chinese script
  • Engage with and respond to a selection of simple aural materials
  • Answer general questions orally on topics related to student life and daily routine
  • Provide basic personal information on yourself and friends and family orally, in response to questions
  • Complete a simple practical task using spoken Chinese

Indicative core content

Chinese Garden

In this module, your work on linguistic structures may include:

  • Stative verbs
  • Negation
  • Particles
  • Interrogative forms
  • Classificatory verbs
  • Possessives
  • Modal verbs
  • Measure words
  • Numbers
  • Indirect questions
  • Subordinating marker 'de'

These linguistic structures will be applied to the following topics:

  • Greetings
  • Likes and dislikes
  • Abilities
  • Family
  • Jobs and occupations
  • Food and drink
  • Telling the time
  • Dates, days of the week and months of the year
  • Leisure activities

 

Learning and teaching approach

In line with MFL communicative and active learning methodology, the in-class activities you will complete will cover all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and may include pair work and group work (dialogue practice, information gap exercises, discussion and collection of key terms/ideas followed by report to plenum); individual tasks (face-to-face and online); discovery and formulation of rules; work with texts, audio and video material to develop learning and communicative skills. Homework tasks will give you the opportunity to revise and consolidate knowledge and skills and to develop an awareness of how to use language-learning tools independently.

Feedback on formative assessment will be given within two weeks of submission to the VLE platform. Feedback on the first examination will be provided within the first two weeks of Term 2, and feedback on the second examination within two weeks of completion. Feedback on the third examination (listening comprehension) will only be given if time permits.

Assessment

The module includes formative as well as summative assessment. Homework tasks centering on the acquisition of Chinese script are set every week on the Virtual Learning Environment. In addition, regular speaking and writing exercises will be set, following a flipped-classroom approach to ensure face-to-face time is devoted to interactional learning and the acquisition of communicative skills. You will be provided with materials to study independently beforehand and then asked to apply them during classroom time. Your lecturer will provide you with support materials and guidance to enable you to reinforce the topics covered at your own pace.

You need to complete two pieces of coursework spread over the duration of the module, one 2-hour written examination scheduled at the end of March, and one oral examination at the end of spring term. Coursework and written/oral examination all contribute to the final grade.

  • Coursework (15%)Pinyin test at the end of autumn term. (In-class listening test matching the sounds of Mandarin Chinese with correct Pinyin Romanisation, including identification of correct tones.)
  • Coursework (20%): Listening comprehension in spring term (dialogue or monologue of a maximum of 5 minutes - repeated once or twice as appropriate; questions on comprehension).
  • Examination (40%) In-class written examination (2 hours): Guided essay (150 characters); test of radical knowledge; grammar.
  • Practical (25%): Oral (10 minutes): Unseen practical language task followed by general questions.

Key information

  • 7.5 ECTS points awarded on successful completion of the module.
  • Available to take for credit towards your degree where your department allows. Also available for extra-credit.
  • You must be prepared to attend all classes and and undertake approximately 3 hours of private study each week in addition to the assessment.

Coursebooks:
Colloquial Chinese by P.C. T’ung and D.E. Pollard, Routledge, 1982*, and its accompanying Character Text for Colloquial Chinese (Simplified Version).

*Available on Leganto as an eBook

"The content of this course is good and is well structured. Feedback on work has been incredibly helpful."
"Material has been explained well. The lecturer often gives us helpful hints to remember characters; which is welcome and has in fact made learning the characters much easier. Emphasis in lessons is continuously on pronunciation and speaking; which is good since saying the words correctly is important in Mandarin."
"Very good course. Good content. I very much enjoyed teaching style and slides."