Intermediate Spoken Chinese: A Practical Approach to Fluency in Spoken Mandarin (DVD and MP3 Audio CD Included) - Softcover

Kubler, Cornelius C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0804840180 ISBN 13: 9780804840187

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing, 2013

Synopsis

Welcome to the world's most effective method of learning Mandarin! This widely-acclaimed series continues to impress and inspire learners whether they're studying Chinese on their own, or in a classroom setting.

Intermediate Spoken Chinese and the corresponding Practice Essentials allow you to experience real-life situations in different Mandarin-speaking locales. Each of the common situations explored here—from shopping at a market to playing unexpected phone tag—is one you're most likely to encounter as you interact with Chinese speakers.

The breakthrough foundation of these books is that you don't need to know the characters in order to speak Chinese. This series provides separate "tracks" to help you master the skills of speaking and writing Chinese at your own pace. Some learners place greater emphasis on reading and writing, while others focus on developing a knowledge of spoken Chinese first, and then learn the characters. Both approaches are perfectly valid, and the one you adopt will depend on your personal goals and the amount of time you have for weekly study. This series allows you total flexibility in this regard.

You may choose to use this as a stand-alone book, or in conjunction with Intermediate Written Chinese if you wish to learn the corresponding Chinese characters. The latter introduces the characters in this book in a systematic way.

Key features of Intermediate Spoken Chinese:

• Clear and detailed explanations of natural, colloquial Chinese pronunciation, grammar and usage
• Recommended strategies to help you learn to speak Chinese more efficiently
• Videos teach you real-life Chinese, the actual speaking styles of Chinese people in various parts of mainland China as well as Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia
• Notes on Chinese culture and society allow you to understand situational etiquette
• Discussions of challenges faced by English speakers who are learning Chinese and how to overcome them
• Audio recordings by native speakers of all the vocabulary, dialogues, and other key items
• A separate Teacher's Guide and a full character transcript (both Simplified and Traditional) are both available electronically

An accompanying software program contains 56 videos shot on location. The software allows students to interact with the videos in various ways: to select/replay specific passages; to view the dialogues in Hanyu Pinyin, Simplified or Traditional characters as each line is spoken; and to mute a particular speaker's audio.

About this title

About the Author

Cornelius C. Kubler is Stanfield Professor of Asian Studies at Williams College, where he teaches Chinese and for many years chaired the Department of Asian Studies. He was formerly Chinese Language Training Supervisor and Chair of the Department of Asian and African Languages at the Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State, where he trained American diplomats in Chinese and other languages, and he served for six years as Principal of the American Institute in Taiwan Chinese Language & Area Studies School. Kubler, who has directed intensive Chinese language training programs in the U.S., mainland China, and Taiwan, has been active in Chinese language test development and has authored or coauthored 13 books and over 50 articles on Chinese language pedagogy and linguistics. He is the author of the widely acclaimed Basic Chinese series, including Basic Spoken Chinese; Basic Spoken Chinese Practice Essentials; Basic Written Chinese; Basic Written Chinese Practice Essentials; Intermediate Spoken Chinese; Intermediate Spoken Chinese Practice Essentials; Intermediate Written Chinese (forthcoming) and Intermediate Written Chinese Practice Essentials (forthcoming).

Review

"ISC/IWC represents an ambitious attempt to work out the complex logistics involved in coordinating the two tracks with different foci and schedules ... truly 'in a league of its own...'" —The Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association

"Meticulously planned, carefully prepared and patiently tested for over a decade, the Basic Chinese series represents the most comprehensive introductory materials available now. The eclectic approach, the flexibility in use, the attention to authenticity of language in its sociolinguistic context, the myriad of audio and visual aids, and the array of rigorously designed exercises makes the Basic Chinese the ideal material for any committed learner embarking on the journey of learning the Chinese language." —Dr. Jun Yang, Senior Lecturer in Chinese, University of Chicago

"This is one of the best elementary Chinese textbooks, I believe, ever produced in the history of teaching Chinese as a second language... A great and unique work which will benefit students and teachers for many years to come." —Dr. Shengli Feng, Professor of Chinese Linguistics, Chinese University of Hong Kong

"A breath of fresh air... Its dual track for spoken and written language finally gives American students a chance to develop oral proficiency without being slowed down by the character writing... An ideal textbook for any program that seeks to advance rapidly in spoken Chinese and to fully prepare the students for their encounter with China." —Dr. Jingqi Fu, Associate Professor of Chinese, St. Mary's College of Maryland

"I have been teaching Chinese to high school students for over 25 years and have used a variety of texts. I decided to try Basic Spoken Chinese (BSC) with one of my classes on an experimental level, and I have to say it is the best text of its kind that I have ever seen. —Richard Ayres, St. Xavier High School, Louisville, KY

"Revolutionary in its approach to teaching and learning Chinese as a second language, this textbook series is easily one of the best that are currently on the market. In addition to the highly useful content, grammar explanations and cultural notes for each lesson are extensive, detailed and straightforward. The dream of having engaged and fully-prepared students in every class is an easily reachable reality for any program that adopts this series." —Professor Cecilia Chang, Chair, Department of Asian Studies, Williams College

"Contextualized so learners know not only what to say, but why, when, and with whom it is appropriate to use such language. ...thorough and clear...refreshing." —Dr. Matthew Christensen, Associate Professor of Chinese, Brigham Young University

"Outstanding for its carefully graduated presentation of material in easily digestible sub-units, comprehensive and clearly written grammatical and cultural notes, and perhaps most important of all, its separation of the task of learning to speak the language from the very different processes of learning to read and write Chinese characters... The most exciting Chinese language textbook I have seen in many years." —Dr. James E. Dew, retired associate professor of Chinese, University of Michigan; former Director of the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies in Taipei

Edition details

• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0804840180
• ISBN 13: 9780804840187
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 384