DIDACTICS OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE

This course, which is one of the interdisciplinary activities offered by the Master's Degree programme in LINGUE E CIVILTÀ DELL'ASIA E DELL'AFRICA MEDITERRANEA , aims at: providing a general knowledge of the main aspects of Chinese linguistics; developing the ability of reflecting on the Chinese language; providing the basic methodological tools for the teaching of Chinese language. The course will particularly focus on Chinese lexicon and morpho-syntax. The achievement of these aims will provide students with important knowledge for the understanding of the dynamics of teaching and learning Chinese language, so as to integrate the skills which mainly characterize the master's degree programme.

Through the attendance of the course and individual study, students will:

1. Knowledge and understanding

- Get to know the main aspects of Chinese linguistics and Chinese language teaching andaquire analytical skills.
- Get to know the basic linguistic terminology and understand the texts that make use of it.

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding

- Know how to make a linguistic analysis of different aspects of the Chinese language and to compare it with Italian.
- Contestualize and solve theoretical problems related to the creation of language materials.
- Know how to use correctly linguistic terminology at all stages of application and communication of the acquired knowledge.

3. Communication skills

- Know how to communicate the reflection on linguistic phenomena using an appropriate terminology.

Adequate knowledge of Mandarin Chinese and Italian.

- Elements of phonetics and phonology. Presentation of the tonal, vocalic, and consonantal inventory with reference to the main acquisitional difficulties.
- The Chinese writing system. Classification and structure of Chinese characters; traditional and simplified characters; origins of the Chinese writing system.
- Locative and directional expressions. Structure and use of the main locative expressions in Chinese; analysis of verbs and directional complements and their syntactic and semantic functions, with attention to typical learner difficulties.
- The aspectual system of Chinese from an acquisitional perspective. Developmental sequence in the expression of perfectivity and imperfectivity; progressive differentiation in the use of the main aspectual particles across different communicative contexts; pedagogical implications for activity design, syllabus progression, and error management.
- Multimedia tools for teaching Chinese as a foreign language.

PowerPoint slides presented in class.
Additional materials and practice exercises for exam preparation will be made available in the course's Moodle area.

The assessment of learning takes place through a written exam consisting of four open-ended questions, selected and adapted from the collection of quizzes available in the course’s Moodle area.

written

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

The exam consists of four open-ended questions: three are worth 8 points each, and one is worth 6 points, for a total of 30/30.
The evaluation criteria for each question are as follows:
- Accuracy and completeness of the answer – 50%
- Clarity and strength of the argumentation – 25%
- Appropriate use of specialized terminology – 15%
- Didactic effectiveness of the examples provided – 10%
For exam preparation, please refer to the materials and quizzes published in the course’s Moodle area.

Regarding the grading scale, scores will be assigned according to the following schema:
A. Scores in the 18-22 range will be awarded in the presence of: Sufficient knowledge and applied
comprehension of the program;
B. Scores in the 23-26 range will be awarded in the presence of: Fair knowledge and applied
comprehension of the program;
C. Scores in the 27-30 range will be awarded in the presence of: Good or excellent knowledge and
applied comprehension of the program;
D. Honors will be awarded in the presence of excellent knowledge and applied comprehension of
the program.

This is a standard learning course.