Synopses & Reviews
andlt;bandgt;This is a beginning-level course in written Chinese that employs a revolutionary new method designed to have you quickly reading and writing simple, connected Chinese sentences.andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Along with its sister book, andlt;iandgt;Basic Written Chineseandlt;/iandgt; and their accompanying workbooks, andlt;iandgt;Basic Spoken Chineseandlt;/iandgt; offers a complete introductory course to the written Chinese language. As a native English speaker, working hard to learn Chinese characters is not enough; you have to work smart in order to learn this very different language efficiently. No matter why you've chosen to learn Chineseand#8212;for business, travel, cultural studies or another goaland#8212;the andlt;iandgt;Basic Chineseandlt;/iandgt; approach of two separate but integrated tracts in spoken and written Chinese will help you learn this language most efficiently and successfully.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Basic Written Chineseandlt;/iandgt; is designed so it can be used in a class with an instructor or by independent learners working on their own.andlt;ulandgt;andlt;liandgt; andlt;iandgt;Basic Written Chineseandlt;/iandgt; systematically introduces 288 of the highest frequency characters (in both their simplified and traditional forms) and over 700 common words written with themandlt;/bandgt; in context in sentences and a variety of reading passages to help you master basic Chinese reading and writing. This method will greatly improve your abilities to read Chinese and write Chineseandlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt; The structure of each new character is explained in detail to make the learning of characters easier, and "look-alike" characters are compared and contrasted.andlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt; Many lessons include character differentiation drills and some lessons include realia such as name cards, street signs, or email messages.andlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt; Each lesson introduces 6 new characters and a number of words that are written using them. By dividing the leaning into small tasks, you maintain a sense of accomplishment rather than getting bogged down.andlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt; You'll experience both printed and handwritten forms of characters, as well as several different printed fonts.andlt;/liandgt;andlt;/ulandgt;The accompanying andlt;bandgt;CDand#8211;ROMandlt;/bandgt; includes:andlt;ulandgt;andlt;liandgt; Over 6 hours of audio by several native Mandarin speakers.andlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt; Recordings of all reading selection.andlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt; Additional characters.andlt;/liandgt;andlt;liandgt; New vocabulary.andlt;/liandgt;andlt;/ulandgt;Available separately, andlt;iandgt;Basic Written Chinese Practice Essentialsandlt;/iandgt; is the companion workbook for andlt;iandgt;Basic Written Chineseandlt;/iandgt;. This practical guide includes a broad range of drills and exercises designed to dramatically enhance your proficiency in reading and writing Chinese. While designed for use with the companion textbook, it can be used together with any Chinese textbook or teaching program to hone your Chinese reading and writing language skills.
Review
"Outstanding for its carefully graduated presentation of material … and perhaps most important of all, its separation of the task of learning to speak the language from the very different processes of learning to read and write Chinese characters … The most exciting Chinese language textbook I have seen in many years."—Dr. James E. Dew, retired associate professor of Chinese, Univ. of Michigan; former Director of the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies in Taipei
"A breath of fresh air … Its dual track for spoken and written language finally gives American students a chance to develop oral proficiency without being slowed down by the character writing … An ideal textbook for any program that seeks to advance rapidly in spoken Chinese and to fully prepare the students for their encounter with China."—Dr. Jingqi Fu, Associate Professor of Chinese, St. Mary's College of Maryland
"Contextualized so learners know not only what to say, but why, when, and with whom it is appropriate to use such language — thorough and clear — refreshing."—Dr. Matthew Christensen, Associate Professor of Chinese, Brigham Young University
Review
"Kubler's books distinguish themselves with natural, culturally-rooted dialogues, detailed notes (for both written and spoken language), generous practice activities and an amazing care for organization. These books will be valuable tools for both students and their teachers."—Prof. Eric Pelzl, Wisconsin Lutheran College
"An ingenious introduction — Basic Spoken Chinese is the finest textbook for learning Modern Standard Mandarin that I have ever encountered."—Dr. Victor H. Mair, Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Pennsylvania
"The ideal material for any committed learner embarking on the journey of learning the Chinese language."—Dr. Jun Yang, Senior Lecturer in Chinese, University of Chicago
"Revolutionary in its approach … The dream of having engaged and fully-prepared students in every class is an easily reachable reality for any program that adopts this series."—Professor Cecilia Chang, Chair, Department of Asian Studies, Williams College
"This is one of the best elementary Chinese textbooks, I believe, ever produced in the history of teaching Chinese as a second language … A great and unique work which will benefit students and teachers for many years to come."—Dr. Shengli Feng, Professor of Chinese Linguistics, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Review
"Outstanding for its carefully graduated presentation of material andhellip; and perhaps most important of all, its separation of the task of learning to speak the language from the very different processes of learning to read and write Chinese characters andhellip; The most exciting Chinese language textbook I have seen in many years." and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Dr. James E. Dew, retired associate professor of Chinese, Univ. of Michigan; former Director of the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies in Taipeiandlt;/bandgt;
Review
"A breath of fresh air andhellip; Its dual track for spoken and written language finally gives American students a chance to develop oral proficiency without being slowed down by the character writing andhellip; An ideal textbook for any program that seeks to advance rapidly in spoken Chinese and to fully prepare the students for their encounter with China." and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Dr. Jingqi Fu, Associate Professor of Chinese, St. Mary's College of Marylandandlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Contextualized so learners know not only what to say, but why, when, and with whom it is appropriate to use such language and#8212; thorough and clear and#8212; refreshing." and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Dr. Matthew Christensen, Associate Professor of Chinese, Brigham Young Universityandlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Kubler's books distinguish themselves with natural, culturally-rooted dialogues, detailed notes (for both written and spoken language), generous practice activities and an amazing care for organization. These books will be valuable tools for both students and their teachers." and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Prof. Eric Pelzl, Wisconsin Lutheran Collegeandlt;/bandgt;
Review
"An ingenious introduction and#8212; andlt;iandgt;Basic Spoken Chineseandlt;/iandgt; is the finest textbook for learning Modern Standard Mandarin that I have ever encountered." and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Dr. Victor H. Mair, Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Pennsylvaniaandlt;/bandgt;
Review
"The ideal material for any committed learner embarking on the journey of learning the Chinese language." and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Dr. Jun Yang, Senior Lecturer in Chinese, University of Chicagoandlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Revolutionary in its approach andhellip; The dream of having engaged and fully-prepared students in every class is an easily reachable reality for any program that adopts this series." and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Professor Cecilia Chang, Chair, Department of Asian Studies, Williams Collegeandlt;/bandgt;
Review
"This is one of the best elementary Chinese textbooks, I believe, ever produced in the history of teaching Chinese as a second language andhellip; A great and unique work which will benefit students and teachers for many years to come." and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Dr. Shengli Feng, Professor of Chinese Linguistics, Chinese University of Hong Kongandlt;/bandgt;
Synopsis
This beginning-level course in written Chinese employs a revolutionary new method designed to have you quickly reading and writing simple, connected Chinese sentences. It teaches you to recognize the 600 most basic characters and 1,000 words used every day by millions of Chinese speakers. It explains the history and development of the writing system over many centuries, teaches you how Chinese characters are built up from more basic elements, and how to use those elements to write them, read them and remember them. All the characters presented in the lessons correspond to those in
Basic Spoken Chinese—the companion volume which helps you acquire rapid proficiency in speaking the language.
Each lesson introduces six new characters together with common words that are formed with them. Learning just a few characters and words at a time allows students to create a sense of accomplishment and build up their knowledge incrementally. The structure and etymology of each new character is explained in detail to aid recognition and recall. Commonly confused "look-alikes" are discussed and contrasted to help you distinguish them. Sentences illustrating the usage of the new characters and words are provided, as well as conversations, readings and class discussions.
This book emphasizes practical understanding and everyday usage over theory and pedagogy, building up a knowledge of written Chinese and an ability to use it that is immediately useful for foreigners planning to live and work in China. For example, early lessons cover such practical matters as reading and writing telephone numbers, personal names, addresses and other everyday tasks involving written Chinese.
Simplified and traditional forms of the characters are presented together in this book. Learners can elect to learn just the simplified or the traditional versions, or both at once. (To read Chinese proficiently, sooner or later you need to become familiar with both.) It also presents handwritten and printed versions of the characters to help you recognize the various styles that will be encountered in normal daily usage. From a teacher's point of view, it is therefore possible to use this book to teach mixed classes where certain students wish to learn to read or write only certain forms or styles of the language, thereby providing far greater flexibility than other Chinese textbooks.
Detailed, clear explanations are provided for certain key items needed to read and write Chinese correctly.
Synopsis
This is a beginning-level course in written Chinese that employs a revolutionary new method designed to have you quickly reading and writing simple, connected Chinese sentences. Along with its sister book
Basic Spoken Chinese and their accompanying workbooks,
Basic Written Chinese offers a complete introductory course to the written Chinese language. As a native English speaker, working hard to learn Chinese characters is not enough; you have to work smart in order to learn this very different language efficiently. No matter why you've chosen to learn Chinese--for business, travel, cultural studies or another goal--the
Basic Chinese approach of two separate but integrated tracks in spoken and written Chinese will help you learn this language most efficiently and successfully.
Basic Written Chinese is designed so it can be used in a class with an instructor or by independent learners working on their own.
- Basic Written Chinese systematically introduces 288 of the highest frequency characters (in both their simplified and traditional forms) and over 700 common words written with them in context in sentences and a variety of reading passages to help you master basic Chinese reading and writing. This method will greatly improve your abilities to read Chinese and write Chinese
- The structure of each new character is explained in detail to make the learning of characters easier, and "look-alike" characters are compared and contrasted.
- Many lessons include character differentiation drills and some lessons include realia such as name cards, street signs, or email messages.
- Each lesson introduces 6 new characters and a number of words that are written using them. By dividing the leaning into small tasks, you maintain a sense of accomplishment rather than getting bogged down.
- You'll experience both printed and handwritten forms of characters, as well as several different printed fonts.
The accompanying MP3 audio CD includes:
- Over 6 hours of audio by several native Mandarin speakers.
- Recordings of all reading selections.
- Recordings of all new characters and new vocabulary.
Available separately,
Basic Written Chinese Practice Essentials is the companion workbook for
Basic Written Chinese. This practical guide includes a broad range of drills and exercises designed to dramatically enhance your proficiency in reading and writing Chinese. While designed for use with the companion textbook, it can be used together with any Chinese textbook or teaching program to hone your Chinese reading and writing language skills.
Synopsis
Acquire basic proficiency in written Mandarin through a proven, practical approach
Synopsis
andlt;iandgt;Basic Written Chineseandlt;/iandgt; is a beginning-level course in written Chinese that employs a revolutionary new method designed to have you quickly reading and writing simple, connected Chinese sentences. It teaches you to recognize the 600 most basic characters and 1,000 words used every day by millions of Chinese speakers. It explains the history and development of the writing system over many centuries, teaches you how Chinese characters are built up from more basic elements, and how to use those elements to write them, read them and remember them. All the characters presented in the lessons correspond to those in andlt;iandgt;Basic Spoken Chineseandlt;/iandgt;and#8212;the companion volume which helps you acquire rapid proficiency in speaking the language.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Basic Written Chinese Practice Essentialsandlt;/iandgt; is the companion workbook for andlt;iandgt;Basic Written Chineseandlt;/iandgt;. This practical guide includes a broad range of drills and exercises designed to dramatically enhance your proficiency in reading and writing Chinese. While designed for use with the companion textbook, it can be used together with any Chinese textbook or teaching program to hone your Chinese reading and writing language skills.
Synopsis
About the Series: Introducing the
Basic Chinese series, a revolutionary new approach to learning Chinese used by top State Department officials, business negotiators, diplomats, adult learners, and students from Americas top colleges. Unlike other language learning programs,
Basic Chinese separates learning to speak” and listen” (easier for English speakers to learn) from learning to read” and write” (more challenging because of the unfamiliarity of the Chinese characters that take time to commit to memory.) Designed and classroom-tested by renowned international language educator Cornelius C. Kubler, this one-of-a-kind series includes an extraordinary wealth of audio and video materials included for free. Start learning Chinese today with the most innovative and effective Chinese series available and youll make faster progress than you ever thought possible!
Basic Written Chinese helps beginners quickly read and write simple, connected Chinese sentences. It teaches you to recognize the 600 most basic characters and 1,000 words used every day by millions of Chinese speakers. Learn how Chinese characters are built up from more basic elements, and how to use those elements to write them, read them and remember them. All the characters presented in the lessons correspond to those in Basic Spoken Chinese—the companion volume which helps you acquire rapid proficiency in speaking the language. Includes 6 hours of audio by numerous native Mandarin speakers.
Basic Written Chinese Practice Essentials is the companion workbook for Basic Written Chinese. This practical guide includes a broad range of drills and exercises designed to dramatically enhance your proficiency in reading and writing Chinese. While designed for use with the companion textbook, it can be used together with any Chinese textbook or teaching program to hone your Chinese reading and writing language skills.
Synopsis
Basic Written Chinese is a beginning-level course in written Chinese that employs a revolutionary new method designed to have you quickly reading and writing simple, connected Chinese sentences. It teaches you to recognize the 600 most basic characters and 1,000 words used every day by millions of Chinese speakers. It explains the history and development of the writing system over many centuries, teaches you how Chinese characters are built up from more basic elements, and how to use those elements to write them, read them and remember them. All the characters presented in the lessons correspond to those in
Basic Spoken Chinese—the companion volume which helps you acquire rapid proficiency in speaking the language.
Basic Written Chinese Practice Essentials is the companion workbook for Basic Written Chinese. This practical guide includes a broad range of drills and exercises designed to dramatically enhance your proficiency in reading and writing Chinese. While designed for use with the companion textbook, it can be used together with any Chinese textbook or teaching program to hone your Chinese reading and writing language skills.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Cornelius C. Kublerandlt;/bandgt;, Stanfield Professor of Asian Studies at Williams College, received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in linguistics from Cornell University. He earned a second M.A. in Chinese literature from National Taiwan University.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;From 1980-1991 he was employed at the Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State, where he served as Language Training Supervisor in Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, and Mongolian; as Principal of the advanced Chinese field school in Taiwan; and as Chair of the Department of Asian and African Languages.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Since joining Williams College in 1991, he has chaired the former Department of Chinese and Asian Studies Program as well as the Department of Asian Studies, which he was instrumental in founding. He has also served as visiting professor at Eisenhower College, Portland State University, Middlebury College, National Taiwan Normal University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Kubler, who is author or coauthor of 20 books and over 50 articles on Chinese language pedagogy and linguistics, frequently serves as reviewer or consultant for Chinese and Asian Studies programs in the U.S. and overseas. He has served as Chair of the Test Development Committee for the SAT Subject Test in Chinese and as member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages of the Modern Language Association. He is currently serving as American Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies in Nanjing, China.
Table of Contents
* Phonetic components are highlighted, unlocking their vast potential as a tool for recognizing and pronouncing the characters.andlt;BRandgt; * Character differentiation drills and real-life examplesand#249;such as name cards, road signs, menus and train schedulesand#249;are given.andlt;BRandgt; * Vital information about Chinese usage, culture and society is given, along with class discussions and readings.andlt;BRandgt; * Various strategies are recommended for memorizing and retaining the Chinese characters in active memory.andlt;BRandgt; * An audio CD provides accurate pronunciation, phrasing and comprehension recorded by native speakers.andlt;BRandgt; * A Teacher's Guide is available electronically. This textbook is designed to be used together with Basic Spoken Chinese, which teaches beginning-level Chinese speaking and listening skills.