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A Primer for Advanced Beginners of Chinese, Traditional Characters: Vol. 1 Volume 1 Edition

by Duanduan Lu (Editor), Irene Liu (Editor), Lening Liu (Editor),
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 11 ratings
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This first-of-its-kind, two-volume primer is addressed to meet the needs of the rapidly growing number of Chinese language students who were raised in the United States in Chinese-speaking homes and can speak the language but who cannot read or write it. The book's lessons and exercises build upon the cultural knowledge of these "advanced beginners" in order to facilitate full language acquisition.

As a culture-based primer, this text takes an unusual and innovative approach, with lessons organized around readings on Chinese history, culture, geography, literature, folktales and mythology, customs, and cuisine. The focus, therefore, is not on sentence grammar, but rather on reading strategies and on "discourse grammar," a new, more authentic approach to the study of languages.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0231125550
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0231125550
  3. Edition
    Volume 1
  4. Publisher
    Columbia University Press
  5. Publication date
    June 15, 2002
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    10.95 x 8.45 x 0.6 inches
  8. Print length
    224 pages
  9. See all details
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Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Editorial Reviews

Review

It is rare to find a Chinese language textbook that is linguistically accurate, culturally rich, and pedagogically sound. . . . The attention paid to the principles of character formation makes Chinese character learning an unexpected pleasure. The emphasis on culture and literacy addresses most directly the needs of heritage language learners. The ample opportunities for reading and writing and the varied and flexible exercises make teaching and learning a truly productive and creative experience.

About the Author

Duanduan Li is a lecturer of Chinese, and currently director of the Chinese Language Program at Columbia University.

Irene Liu was director of the Chinese Language Program at Columbia University.

Lening Liu is a senior lecturer of Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University.

Hailong Wang is a lecturer of Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University.

Zhirong Wang is a lecturer of Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University.

Yanping Xie, a speech and language pathologist, was a lecturer of Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Columbia University Press; Volume 1 edition (June 15, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0231125550
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0231125550
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.59 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.95 x 8.45 x 0.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 11 ratings

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
11 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

doc314
5.0 out of 5 stars Advanced Beginner is the perfect way to think about this book
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2012
Verified Purchase
For context, I am a white man who took Mandarin Chinese in college - about 10 years ago - but have been trying to get back to it for some time. This book was recommended to me, and I have been very happy with the purchase.

As the title suggests, the user of this book is expected to have some background and familiarity with basic vocabulary, pronunciation, syntax, and writing style of Mandarin Chinese. While most books with the word "beginner" in the title will focus on the very fundamentals of these elements, the few of us who have had some exposure and background with the material would find those resources unhelpful, and frustratingly slow. This book dives right in, omitting instruction on more obvious words (pronouns: wo, ni, ta, for example) and gets going on simple paragraphs and dialogues for learning.

This is the perfect book for someone with a background that covers the fundamentals of Chinese, but not sufficiently advanced to warrant an intermediate-level book. Vocabulary is useful, appropriate for typical conversations, and the stress on writing is important for getting stroke order correct. There is no audio component, so practicing speaking and hearing the language will require another resource. Although the material covering grammar isn't very deep, it is useful.
One person found this helpful
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Bargain hunter
2.0 out of 5 stars Not for self learning
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is not for a self learner. Answers to exercises are not provided. Defeats my purpose of wanting extra practice in learning.
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Alan
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Textbook for Students with a Background in Chinese
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2007
I used this as a first textbook in college, and it's really excellent. Chinese language students with a background in Chinese are hard-pressed to find a suitable text when beginning their studies: such students have a nontrivial familiarity with the language and could even be completely fluent when it comes to speaking, but they're often lacking in reading and writing ability to a degree that makes them unqualified for intermediate and advanced courses. This is one of those rare texts that accommodates students of that background.

The chapters involve interesting aspects of Chinese culture and are fun to read. The passages are concise and introduce a fine selection of new vocabulary. This is overall a fantastic text.
8 people found this helpful
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Cleandro
2.0 out of 5 stars Not that special
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2014
This book has 10 chapters. Each chapter starts with a vocabulary list, followed by a short text, questions about the text, a short dialogue, sentence patterns, grammar points and exercises. In this exact order. The book also features an appendix with some background info on Chinese characters, a vocabulary list and on stroke order. Pretty general overall.

But let me try and give a better impression, by giving you an example of a random chapter somewhere in the middle of the book. Chapter 6 has 19 pages of which maybe 2 pages feature actual Chinese text. Also the questions and exercises look quite pedantic at first glance and look like they'll only slow down your learning pace. The book mentions somewhere that it is used in some university courses and such. Where they even spread this material out over several semesters and even years! And indeed this book appears like a typical classroom textbook. Even a lot of the exercises are classroom exercises. Outside of a classroom, there are just better options available. Find a good reader for example! Not a great choice for individual learners. It just doesn't have that much actual content. And if you just feel more comfortable with the structure a textbook offers to your studies, you might want to consider Colloquial Chinese by P.C. Tung instead. Just be sure to get the character text though.

Pros:
+ One of the few materials with traditional characters

Cons:
- Little content
- Boring
3 people found this helpful
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