Learn Mandarin Chinese

General Information

Mandarin Chinese, the national language of China, is spoken by approximately one-fourth of the world's population. It is a language rich in cultural tradition. It is a member of the Sino-Tibetan language family and is quite different from the Indo-European languages. Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language. Moreover, it utilizes a script that is both ancient and revealing. Because of these differences, it offers a unique challenge to the language learner. At Washington Academy of Languages, our goal is to enable the student both to meet this challenge and to be able to communicate effectively in Chinese.

The basic approach of our program is to emphasize the use of practical spoken Chinese. The program prepares the student with the skills needed to function in China. By focusing on practical language usage, students are able to actively participate in situations which they can expect to encounter in their travels. Throughout the course, listening and speaking are stressed and the student has ample opportunity to take part in classroom discussions. The small class size also promotes this opportunity and allows the instructor to give individual attention to each student.

Each class session is divided into two distinct parts: communicative and explanatory. The communicative segment is the substance of the course. It consists of conversations about common situations among individuals, problem-solving activities, and spontaneous discussions. The explanatory segment consists of grammar explanation, pronunciation practice and exercises. Cultural facts about life in China are also included in the subject matter. The two components are kept distinct because of our commitment to speaking the language in the classroom. Because the written script is so intimately a part of the Chinese culture, it is introduced early in the program; the simplified characters are taught. Therefore, the student gains facility in speaking and listening, as well as reading and writing Chinese characters.

The textbooks for levels 1 - 3 of Mandarin Chinese: Yao, T. and Liu, Y. et al, Integrated Chinese (simplified character edition, Level 1, part 1), 2nd Ed.  Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company, 1997.  Textbook and Workbook.

The textbooks for levels 4 - 6 of Mandarin Chinese: Yao, T. and Liu, Y. et al, Integrated Chinese (simplified character edition, Level 1, part 2), 2nd Ed.  Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company, 1997.  Textbook Only.

CHN 2501 (Chinese I)

30 hours of instruction/5 weeks

Students at this level are immediately exposed to Chinese and are able to demonstrate their comprehension by responding to simple commands. During the first five-week session, students learn greetings and basic inquiries, how to identify objects, to mail letters and to visit famous places. A student completing this first course also develops basic skills in pronunciation, and in reading and writing Chinese sentences.

Chapters: Intro, 1-3
This course may be taken for 4 quarter units of university credit.

CHN 2502 (Chinese II)

30 hours of instruction/5 weeks
Prerequisite: Completion of Chinese I or instructor's permission.

This course begins with a review of all materials covered in Chinese I. Chinese II would be a good place to start for the person who has been away from the language for any length of time, but who has already had some basic grammar and vocabulary. This course consists of discussions dealing with dates and time expressions, making telephone calls and exchanging foreign currencies. Reading and writing skill development parallels that of aural/oral skills.

Chapters: 4-7
This course may be taken for 4 quarter units of university credit.

CHN 2503 (Chinese III)

30 hours of instruction/5 weeks
Prerequisite: Completion of Chinese II or instructor's permission.

This course begins with a brief review of materials studied in previous levels. Students at this level will continue to use conversational Mandarin in various settings. Informal speech will be much more developed with extended classroom activities mirroring everyday life, such as eating in a restaurant, taking a taxi, shopping for clothes and seeing a doctor. Development of reading and writing skills parallels aural/oral skill achievement.

Chapters: 8-11
This course may be taken for 4 quarter units of university credit.

CHN 2504 (Chinese IV)

30 hours of instruction/5 weeks
Prerequisite: Completion of Chinese III or instructor's permission.

This course begins with a review of Chinese III. Students at this level will continue to focus on conversation and formal and informal situations. In particular, students will learn about traveling and modes of transportation, chatting about the weather, and talking about past events. Reading and writing skills continue to be developed along with listening /speaking skills.

Chapters: 12-15
This course may be taken for 4 quarter units of university credit.

CHN 3501 (Chinese V)

30 hours of instruction/5 weeks
Prerequisite: Completion of Chinese IV or instructor's permission.

This course begins with a review of Chinese IV. Students at this level will learn proper etiquette at dinner, formal and informal systems of address, and discussions of continuous activities in the present, past and future tenses. Emphasis is placed on everyday aspects of Chinese life and culture. Reading and writing skills are developed accordingly.

Chapters: 16-19
This course may be taken for 4 quarter units of university credit.

CHN 2502 (Chinese VI)

30 hours of instruction/5 weeks
Prerequisite: Completion of Chinese V or instructor's permission.

Students at this level will be able to converse with the native speaker in many routine situations. The grammar of this level includes adverbial modifiers and comparison constructions. By the end of this five-week session, students will be able to recognize and produce more than 750 written characters. Students will be able to write letters, as well as general compositions, in an approved format.

Chapters: 20-23
This course may be taken for 4 quarter units of university credit.

Audio cassette tapes and compact discs are available to enrolled students for a refundable deposit.