A Primer for Advanced Beginners of Chinese, Traditional Characters: Vol. 1

Bys: Li, Duanduan, Liu, Irene, Liu, Lening

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231125550
• ISBN13: 9780231125550
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.4" x 10.9"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Excellent Textbook for Students with a Background in Chinese

I used this as a first textbook in college, and it's really excellent. Chinese language students with a background in Chinese are hard-pressed to find a suitable text when beginning their studies: such students have a nontrivial familiarity with the language and could even be completely fluent when it comes to speaking, but they're often lacking in reading and writing ability to a degree that makes them unqualified for intermediate and advanced courses. This is one of those rare texts that accommodates students of that background. The chapters involve interesting aspects of Chinese culture and are fun to read. The passages are concise and introduce a fine selection of new vocabulary. This is overall a fantastic text.