CHINESE LANGUAGE 2 MOD.1

The Chinese language module 2.1 is one of the courses characterizing the Bachelor’s Degree Program in Languages, cultures and societies of Asia and North Africa. It aims to provide students with language (grammar) and translation skills at the elementary level. The goal is to help them use their language skills and abilities in the most common communicative situations, as well as in reading and understanding texts, so as to make them key tools to start acquiring a solid knowledge of Chinese culture and society.

Achieve a level of language proficiency equivalent to level A2+ of the CEFR (Common European framework of reference for language proficiency). In particular:
1. Knowledge and understanding
• Know the key sentences necessary to interact in the most common communicative contexts.
• Know grammatical and lexical aspects of particular importance concerning the nominal groups, the fundamental structure of the sentence, the prepositional groups, the different types of sentences and the verbal groups.
• Know a lexicon of about 1000 words and 800 characters (active competence).
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
• Be able to correctly use the key sentences necessary to interact in the most common communicative situations.
• Be able to use properly what has been learned on important grammatical and lexical aspects in order to understand written texts.
• Be able to use a lexicon of about 1000 words and 800 characters.
• Be able to translate from Chinese and into Chinese simple sentences using correctly what has been learned about basic grammatical aspects.
3. Judgement capacity
• Know how to use the tools made available online to evaluate one’s level of knowledge and language skills.
4. Communication skills
• Be able to communicate the specificities of linguistic analysis using appropriate terminology.
5. Learning skills
• Know how to relate the different contexts of study and apply your knowledge and skills for personal and professional growth.

• In order to attend the course, students are required to have a very good theoretical and practical knowledge of the Italian language: they must be able to express themselves correctly both in writing and in oral form, and master the tools of grammatical analysis and logical analysis.
• To access the exam tests, students must have passed the Chinese language 1 exam.

The course provides students with an overall knowledge, at an elementary level, of written and spoken modern Chinese. In particular it offers:
• presentation of important aspects on a grammatical and lexical level, regarding nominal groups, the fundamental structure of the sentence, prepositional groups, different types of sentences and verbal groups: 30 hours of theory and practice;
• language training for interaction in the most common communicative situations: 60 hours of practice A (conversation);
• conversation tutoring: practice B;

Compulsory texts
• Abbiati M., Grammatica di cinese moderno, Cafoscarina, Venezia 1998.
• Abbiati M., Materiali ed esercizi per l'apprendimento della grammatica cinese moderna, Cafoscarina, Venezia 2010 (also available on Moodle in the section “Lingua cinese 2 mod. 1 Cognomi S-Z [LT017I] – prof.ssa C. Cigarini”, where more grammar exercises are available. Moreover, further grammar exercises and active translation exercizes are available on the Centro Multimediale website http://www.unive.it/cmm ).
• Abbiati M. and Zhang Ruoying, "Dialogare in cinese: corso di lingua colloquiale", vol. 2, Cafoscarina, Venezia 2011. Listening comprehension exercises are also available on Moodle in the section “Lingua cinese 2 mod. 1 Cognomi S-Z [LT017I] – prof.ssa C. Cigarini”.
• One of the following paper dictionaries:
1. Casacchia, Giorgio, Bai, Yukun, 《Dizionario Cinese-Italiano》, Venezia, Cafoscarina, 2013 (recommended).
2. Zhao Xiuying, Il dizionario di Cinese. Dizionario Cinese-Italiano, Italiano-Cinese, Zanichelli, Bologna 2013.
3. Dizionario cinese-italiano italiano-cinese, Hoepli, Milano 2007.
The following tools are also recommended:
1. Zhao Xiuying e Gatti F., Dizionario compatto cinese-italiano italiano-cinese e conversazioni, Zanichelli Bologna 1996;
2. Wenlin Software for Learning Chinese, 4.2.2 (per Windows e Mac), acquistabile dal sito www.wenlin.com;
3. Pleco Software (per iPhone/iPad e Android), scaricabile gratuitamente dal sito www.pleco.com.

Supplementary readings
• Abbiati M., La lingua cinese, Cafoscarina, Venezia 1992 or Abbiati M., Guida alla lingua cinese, Carocci, Roma 2008.

Students are required to take a grammar test and a listening comprehension test. A sample examination and further information on examination procedures are available on Moodle at the webpage in the section “Lingua cinese 2 mod. 1 Cognomi S-Z [LT017I] – prof.ssa C. Cigarini”. Dictionaries are not allowed during the exam. The minimum marks to pass the exam are 12/20 in the grammar test and 6/10 in the listening comprehension test.

The course includes:
a) frontal lessons;
b) writing and conversation practice aimed at building and consolidating the knowledge, skills and competences necessary to meet the goal of the course;
c) tutoring aimed at discussing and clarifying specific language problems that might emerge during lessons and practice.

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