Author Description

The Routledge Course in Mandarin Chinese is a two-year undergraduate course for students with no prior background in Chinese study. Designed to build a strong foundation in both the spoken and written language it develops all the basic skills such as pronunciation, character writing, word use and structures, while placing strong emphasis on the development of communicative skills. The complete course consists of Textbook Level 1, Workbook level 1 - including free CDs, Textbook level 2 and workbook level 2 -including free CDs. All books are available separately in simplified as well as traditional characters and take the students from complete beginner to post-intermediate level. Textbook Level 2 incorporates the innovative features of Level 1 including the separation of vocabulary from characters, a "basic to complex" introduction of grammatical structures, a comprehensive companion workbook with extensive practice in all language skills and functions, and a Teachers’ Manual. Level 2 adds a "Narrative" Component to support the learner as they move from spoken Mandarin to formal written Chinese, and from the comprehension and production of short sentences to paragraphs and essays. Level 2 of this Course in Modern Mandarin bridges the gap that characterizes the transition between basic level Chinese courses and more advanced work. The Narrative Component includes: Model narratives that introduce formal written Chinese with explanations of the features of each narrative. Focus on narrative function including description, comparison, explanation, persuasion, and hypothesis. Reading and writing assignments that guide students to internalize model structures, to read for information, and to compose original essays for specific purposes. The course is also fully supported by an interactive companion website which contains a wealth of additional