Mandarin Level 1

On successful completion of this module, you will be better prepared to:

• identify each of the four tones and neutral tone through listening;
• render the sounds of Mandarin in Romanised form;
• express in writing, basic personal information using Chinese script;
• engage with and respond to a selection of simple aural materials;
• provide basic information orally and respond to questions;
• complete simple practical tasks using spoken Chinese.

In this module, your work on linguistic structures may include:

• stative verbs
• negation
• particles
• interrogative forms
• classificatory verbs
• possessives
• modal verbs
• measure words
• numbers
• indirect questions
• subordinating marker de

These linguistic structures will be applied to the following topics:

• greetings
• likes and dislikes
• abilities
• family
• jobs and occupations
• food and drink
• telling the time
• dates, days of the week and months of the year
• leisure activities

In line with MFL communicative and active learning methodology, the in-class activities you will complete will cover all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and may include: pair work and group work (dialogue practice, information gap exercises, discussion and collection of key terms/ideas followed by report to plenum); individual tasks (face-to-face and online); discovery and formulation of rules; work with texts, audio and video material to develop learning and communicative skills.

Preparation tasks and formative assessment tasks will give you the opportunity to revise and consolidate knowledge and skills, and to develop an awareness of how to use language learning tools independently. Tasks centring on the acquisition of Chinese script are set every week on the Virtual Learning Environment. In addition, regular speaking and writing exercises will be set, following a flipped-classroom approach to ensure face-to-face time is devoted to interactional learning and the acquisition of communicative skills. You will be provided with materials to study independently beforehand and then asked to apply them during classroom time. Your lecturer will provide you with support materials and guidance to enable you to reinforce the topics covered at your own pace. 

• Coursework (20%): Mid-autumn term, task-based portfolio to be completed on the VLE by the beginning of spring term. This pack contains 8 tasks in total, including: listening; script practice; speaking, reading; Pinyin (Romanisation); recognition of radicals.  
• Coursework (20%): Mid-spring term, task-based portfolio to be completed on the VLE by the end of term. This pack contains 4 tasks in total, including: speaking, reading; script practice; recognition of radicals. 
• Examination (40%): 90-minute in-class test taking place at the end of spring term. It will include a guided writing task (80-100 characters); grammar & lexicon tasks and recognition of radicals.
• Practical (20%): Oral exam (10 minutes), including a pre-prepared practical task, followed by general questions on topics seen in class (taken at the end of spring term).

Summative assessment consists of two coursework portfolios, comprising a total of 12 tasks, one written test, and one oral examination, both at the end of spring term. Coursework and written/ oral examinations all contribute to the final grade.

Feedback on formative assessment will be given within two weeks of submission to the VLE platform.

• 7.5 ECTS points awarded on successful completion of the module.
• Available to take for credit towards your degree where your department allows. Also available for extra-credit.
• You must be prepared to attend all classes and and undertake approximately 3 hours of private study each week in addition to the assessment.

Coursebooks:
Colloquial Chinese by P.C. T’ung and D.E. Pollard, Routledge, 1982*, and its accompanying Character Text for Colloquial Chinese (Simplified Version).

*Available on Leganto as an eBook