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Chinese II: Introduction to Chinese Language and Writing

Code: 105861 ECTS Credits: 12
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2504012 Spanish and Chinese Studies: Language, Literature and Culture FB 1

Contact

Name:
Mireia Vargas Urpi
Email:
mireia.vargas@uab.cat

Teachers

Pau Viladiu Illanas

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

Specifically, to take on this subject is recommended to have prior knowledge obtained through the following subject Chinese I: Introduction to Chinese Language and Writing.


Objectives and Contextualisation

The aim of this subject is to reinforce students’ knowledge of the most basic elements of the Chinese language and to further develop the four communication skills acquired in the Language I: Modern Chinese course. It is important that students assimilate its content in order to keep on studying the language in the subsequent term and academic years. On successfully completing this subject, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Standard Chinese phonological, morphological, lexical, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic structures.
  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles that govern language variation: traditional and simplified orthographies.
  • Apply linguistic, cultural and thematic knowledge to communicate both orally and in writing in Standard Chinese about topics related to areas of the most immediate relevance.
  • Apply strategies to solve comprehension problems related to areas of the most immediate relevance.
  • Develop autonomous learning strategies.

Competences

  • Analyse the phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the Spanish language and the Mandarin Chinese language.
  • Demonstrate the capacity to work autonomously, engaging in self-analysis and self. Criticism.
  • Describe the linguistic foundations on which the standards of Spanish and mandarin Chinese are based.
  • Produce written texts in Mandarin Chinese at a basic level (A1, A2).
  • Understand and produce spoken texts in Mandarin Chinese at a basic level (A1, A2)
  • Understand written texts in mandarin Chinese at a basic level. (A1, A2).

Learning Outcomes

  1. Apply strategies for producing written texts at a basic level (A1, A2) in different fields and with different specific communicative purposes.
  2. Apply strategies to understand spoken texts in different fields at a basic level (A1, A2).
  3. Apply strategies to understand written texts in different fields at a basic level (A1, A2).
  4. Describe Chinese writing according to the different types of characters.
  5. Ensure quality standards for your own work.
  6. Produce spoken texts at a basic level (A1, A2) that are linguistically correct and appropriate to the context.
  7. Recognise basic structures in Chinese and describe them using adequate terminology.
  8. Recognise the communicative intention and meaning of written texts in different field at a basic level (A1, A2).
  9. Resolve interferences between working languages.
  10. Solve problems of intercultural communication.

Content

The subject’s content can be divided into the following types:

Phonological and graphic:

  • pronunciation and distinction of Standard Chinese phonemes, syllables and tones
  • Pinyin transcription system
  • basic principles of writing: identification of the structure of Chinese characters, components (radicals, meaning and phonetic components), stroke order, number and type
  • simplified and traditional orthography

Lexical and morphological:

  • identification of common radicals
  • identification and writing of a minimum of 450 basic Chinese characters
  • understanding and usage of basic common vocabulary related to everyday life

Grammar:

  • measure words
  • time expression
  • modal verbs 要,想,可以,会 and 应该
  • estructural particle 的
  • modal particles 了,吧
  • aspectual particles 了,过
  • adverbs and their combinations 不,也,都,很,真,最,只
  • different types of interrogative sentences
  • existential sentences
  • pivotal sentences
  • sentence order

Communicative and sociocultural:

  • asking and telling the time
  • shopping and currency
  • describing places
  • asking and explaining how to go somewhere and where something is
  • describing routines
  • describing preferences
  • making plans and dating
  • talk about hobbies

Encyclopaedic and instrumental:

  • basic knowledge about the Chinese language
  • basic knowledge about certain aspects of Chinese culture

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Exercise correction 20 0.8 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 5
Master class 30 1.2 4, 7
Oral and written comprehension activities 20 0.8 3, 2, 8, 9, 10
Oral and written expression activities 20 0.8 1, 6, 9, 5
Type: Supervised      
Exercise correction 30 1.2 3, 2, 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 5
Oral and written comprehension activities preparation 15 0.6 3, 2, 8
Written expression activities preparation 6 0.24 1, 9
Type: Autonomous      
Correction of vocabulary, grammar, characters, pinyin, etc. exercises 70 2.8 3, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9
Learnt content revision 20 0.8 3, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9
New content preparation 20 0.8 3, 4, 7
Written comprehension activities realization 20 0.8 3, 7, 8, 10
Written expression activities realization 20 0.8 1, 9, 5

Learning activities are organised into three categories based on the degree of student autonomy involved:

Directed activities (90 h): each unit’s content will be explained and there will be exercises involving the four basic skills (reading, listening, writing and speaking), grammar points, vocabulary, translation, revision of previous content, etc. These activities will be carried out individually or in pairs or larger groups.

Supervised activities (51 h): listening and speaking exercises and correction of exercises.

Autonomous activities (150 h): calligraphy, study of characters and vocabulary, preparation and review of texts and new grammar points, correction of exercises, self-assessment.

To achieve the established objectives students must attend class regularly, study new content in advance, carry out exercises and review previous content.

Assessment activities consist of exams and the preparation of a portfolio.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Oral and written exams 70% (First exam: 35% + Second exam: 35%) 6 0.24 3, 2, 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 5
Portfolio 30% 3 0.12 3, 2, 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 5

Assessment is continuous. Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing tasks and tests. Task deadlines will be indicated in class. Assessment activities consist of:

Portfolio (30%)

  • vocabulary tests
  • written and oral exercises

Exams (70%)

There will be two exams, a mid-term exam and a final exam at the end of the semester, that will assess all the competences acquired.

In the case of retaking an exam (or retaking or compensating for any other assessment activity), the highest mark that can be obtained is 5/10. 

Related matters 

The above information on assessment, assessment activities and their weighting is merely a guide. The subject's lecturer will provide full information when teaching begins. 

Review 

When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer. 

Missed/failed assessment activities 

Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5. Portfolio is excluded from the activities that can be retaken. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for. It will not be possible to recover the marks regarding the portfolio unless there is some justified cause for which some part corresponding to it is missing. The portfolio can only be assesed in case of failure of the subject. The possibility of increasing the grade of the portfolio with any type of exam or extra test will not be offered.

The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities. 

Classification as"not assessable" 

In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work will be classified as "not assessable" on their transcript. 

Misconduct in assessment activities 

Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the students involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject. 

Students may not retake assessment activities in which they are found to have engaged in misconduct. Plagiarism is considered to mean presenting all or part of an author's work, whether published in print or in digital format, as one's own, i.e. without citing it. Copying is considered to mean reproducing all or a substantial part of another student's work. In cases of copying in which it is impossible to determine which of two students has copied the work of the other, both will be penalised.

More information: http://www.uab.cat/web/study-abroad/undergraduate/academic-information/evaluation/what-is-it-about-1345670077352.html

Single assessment

This subject may be assessed under the single assessment system in accordance with the termsestablished in the academic regulations of the UAB and the assessment criteria of the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting.

Students must make an online request within the period established by the faculty and send a copy to the teacher responsible for the subject, for the record.

Single assessment will be carried out in person on one day during week 16 or 17 of the semester. The Academic Management Office will publish the exact date and time on the faculty website.

On the day of the single assessment, teaching staff will ask the student for identification, which should be presented as a valid identification document with a recent photograph (student card, DNI/NIE or passport).

Single assessment activities

The final grade for the subject will be calculated according to the following percentages:

20% - Oral exam

30% - Written exam

50% - Assessment to test the rest of skills

 

Grade revision and resit procedures for the subject are the same as those for continual assessment. See the section above in this study guide.

 


Bibliography

Textbook:

Ding Anqi, Chen Xin, Jin Lili (2010) Discover ChinaStudent's book One + workbook. Oxford: Macmillan Education; Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.

Both the textbook and activity book are necessary. The rest of exercises, activities or information for the subject will be poted in the Moodle classroom at: https://cv2008.uab.cat/.

Reference material:

Álvarez, José Ramón. 2000. La pronunciación del chino hablado (putonghua) para hispanohablantes. Taipei: Lanbridge Press cop. 

Casas, Helena; Rovira, Sara; Suárez, Anne-Hélène. 2009. Lengua china para traductores: 学中文,做翻译 (Vols. I i II). Bellaterra: Servei de Publicacions de la UAB. (Materials, 188 i 198), 5a edició. 

Casas-Tost, Helena; Rovira-Esteva, Sara (Eds.). 2015/2021. Guia d’estil per al tractament de mots xinesos en català. Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament de Cultura. Biblioteca tècnica de política lingüística, 2. ISBN: 978-84-393-9241-5. DOI: 10.2436/15.8040.02.1. URL: https://ddd.uab.cat/record/133473

Casas-Tost, Helena; Rovira-Esteva, Sara (Eds.). 2015. Guía de estilo para el uso de palabras de origen chino. Madrid: Adeli. URL: https://ddd.uab.cat/record/180644 

López Calvo, F.; Zhao, Baoyan. 2013. Guía esencial de la lengua china. Madrid: Adeli Ediciones.

Ross, Claudia;Sheng, Jing-Heng. 2006. Modern Chinese grammar: a practical guide. New York: Routledge. 

Yip, Po-ching; Rimmington, Don. 2014. Gramática básica del chino. Madrid:Adeli Ediciones. 

Yip, Po-ching; Rimmington, Don. 2015. Gramática intermedia del chino. Madrid: Adeli Ediciones. 

Other books:

Rovira-Esteva, Sara. 2010. Lengua y escritura chinas. Mitos y realidades. Barcelona: Edicions Bellaterra.

Vicente, Sergi. 2018. Xina Fast Forward. Barcelona: AraLlibres. (también en castellano) 

Online resources:

eChinese Tools: Mil y una herramientas para aprender chino: https://dtieao.uab.cat/txicc/echinese/  


Software

Online resources:

eChinese Tools: Mil y una herramientas para aprender chino: https://dtieao.uab.cat/txicc/echinese/  

eChinese Plus: https://dtieao.uab.cat/gelea2lt/echineseplus/


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed