Notes to the 1999 Printing

This edition has incorporated corrections of errors of various nature, revised indices, key to exercises (intended for teachers only), some minor cosmetic changes, and new photos and illustrations thanks to Ms. Chen Nian-hsiang of Tunghai Chinese Language Center. Suggestions and corrections from students and teachers will be most appreciated. Please contact: steng@cc.ntnu.edu.tw.

Introduction

This is an intermediate course in modern Chinese. The main texts of this volume are presented in a written style, while most of the exercises are in spoken form. We intend the texts to serve as points of departure for extended and active conversation and discussion by students. It is not a passive reader. It invites students to actively participate in the process of acquiring skills in modern Chinese--from listening and speaking to reading and writing.

Level of Students

By 'intermediate', we refer to the typical Chinese curriculum in the United States, i.e. the second semester of the second year at five hours a week of class room instruction. It can follow or be used concurrently with an intermediate conversational textbook, such as Talk about China, and should precede the introduction of authentic materials at the third year level. We have tailored the language used in this volume so that it can serve as a bridge between 'textbooks' and 'authentic materials'.

A typical semester in the U.S. lasts fifteen weeks, but trimming the semester by vacations, holidays and examinations leaves twelve solid weeks of instruction. Hence there are twelve lessons in the book. Where semester schemes vary, instructors will find this book quite expandable by working extensively with the supplementary materials included at the end of each lesson.

Main Narrative

The twelve lessons in this volume introduce the students to some common topics about Taiwan today, but instructors are urged to make use of the contents of this book merely as a point of departure, and to extend the scope of discussion to cover China as a whole. The lessons cover traditional themes, such as religious in China, as well as current issues, such as the role of women in modern society.

Each narrative is deliberately short so that students do not spend the whole week working on the text. Instead, talking about and going beyond the topic are encouraged.

Grammar

A common assumption in the field of teaching Chinese as a second language is that 'grammar' is a business for first-year students and instructors. We take a different stand in this book and demonstrate that there is plenty of 'intermediate grammar' to cover, even towards the end of the second year. Some grammatical points introduced here are used in advanced-level colloquial speech and some are literary but commonly used in daily conversation by educated native speakers.

We also believe that students using this book should fine-tune their mastery of the modern language by being able to compare one grammatical usage with another of the same linguistic element. Therefore, many grammatical elements covered in this book are given an integrated presentation at the risk of repetition.

Brief Grammatical definitions are followed by sentences illustrating usage. Immediately thereafter, students are invited to try out their understanding of the grammar involved by completing sentences and English-to-Chinese translations. Each grammatical section is regrettably brief. Instructors are requested to devise extra sentences or applications, time permitting.

Exercises

The exercises constitute the core of this book. They are varied in nature and in intended purpose. Some items take half an hour to complete and some require a couple of days or longer. Students may find that they must invest much time and energy, and it may be necessary for their instructors to spend an equal amount of time, or longer, to go over corrections and assist in student presentations. But we hope that the work will be rewarding.

Some of the themes of the exercises are borrowed from Western language pedagogy and some are indigenous to Chinese culture. We understand that students or instructors will not find all the exercises beneficial or practical. Variations of themes are therefore encouraged. For instance, 'role play' may be impractical for a very large or a ver serious class, but suggested topics can be easily adapted to controlled composition. Some light-hearted items, such as cross-word puzzles, can be skipped. But none of the exercises are to be taken as 'games'. There is a linguistic intent behind each type of exercise.

Supplementary Materials

This section consists of related sub-topics, presented in systematically organized tables. Some present rather valuable information that may not be otherwise available to students, e.g. foods or conflicting properties, though explanation of these tables is not given, and not all of the items are translated into English. It is entirely at the instructor's discretion as to how to work with such materials. They can even be discussed in English so that important cultural information is understood. Keywords, however, should be learned in Chinese.

Some tables, charts, or pictures included in this section are, however, directly related to sections of the vocabulary or exercises. Where this is the case, the designation 'See Chart' is used to draw students' or instructors' attention.

Video Materials

This book does not come complete with video materials. Fortunately, there is a wealth of material available from the archives of the Public Television Corp of Taiwan. For information or ordering, please contact: (See Page 321 for a suggested list)

Broadcasting Development Fund
13F, No.15-1, Hangchou South Rd, Sec.1
Taipei, Taiwan
Tel. (886-2)392-3177    Fax (886-2) 392-3174

As in the case of authentic clippings, the language used in documentaries is advanced, and thus English may need to be used from time to time to guide students. Relevant keywords should be learned in Chinese, and discussion in Chinese should also be encouraged

Audio Tapes

A set of tapes containing readings of text, vocabulary, grammar and selected portions of exercises is available from Cheng & Tsui Co., the publisher.

Shou-hsin Teng
August 1999