BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course aims to develop language skills to reach level 2-3 of the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standard (equivalent to HSK3), to improve the ability to read and translate texts of medium difficulty with different thematic and linguistic registers, and to acquire knowledge of the syntactic aspects of written putonghua of medium register.
In addition, the course provides knowledge of the pragmatic aspects of communicating with Chinese speakers in conversations in contexts familiar to the students.
By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to understand the main points of conversations in both professional and non-professional contexts, thanks to their knowledge of the most common basic grammatical structures of middle-level putonghua. They should also be able to produce simple related texts, describe experiences and events, wishes and plans, and give explanations.
Course Prerequisites
Knowledge of the Chinese language equivalent to level A1+ of the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standard (equivalent to level 2+ of the HSK Certificate of Language Competence).
Propaedeuticity: students in the Modern Foreign Languages and Literature course of study must pass the Chinese Language I - Linguistics and Translation exam. This is compulsory before taking the exam.
Proficiency in the Italian language at B2+ level.
Teaching Methods
Lectures and class exercises. The study of the contents of the course textbook is complemented by in-depth study of the grammatical aspects covered; the frontal presentation of the grammatical content is accompanied by exercises to check its comprehension. Cultural aspects arising from the lessons in the textbook and from other texts and materials provided will be further explained.
AAL Chinese Level II, which accompanies the course, builds on the topics covered by applying them in interactive exercises and conversations to develop oral interaction and listening skills, as well as guiding students in memorising and writing characters.
The CLA also provides a tutoring service throughout the academic year to which students can turn for further clarification of course content or for any remedial work.
Assessment Methods
The exam can only be taken after passing the Chinese Language 1 exam.
The final evaluation consists of a written exam and an oral examin including a listening comprehension section. Access to the oral exam is only possible after passing the written exam.
Registration for both the written and oral tests is exclusively via the Esse3 system.
The written test includes:
- completing sentences by filling in the gaps with given words;
- reconstructing sentences using given words;
- translating sentences from Italian into Chinese, based on the examples in the lesson sheets in the manual and uploaded onto the e-learning course;
- translating short passages from Chinese into Italian without the use of a dictionary, and identifying the syntactic function of certain sentence elements;
- theoretical questions on the syntactic and/or lexical structures introduced in the lessons.
Duration: 90 minutes.
Results of the written test are valid for 18 months from the date they are obtained. Results will be published on the course e-learning page. Only candidates who have passed the written test will be eligible for the oral test.
Oral: verification of attainment of the expected level of communicative competence through the presentation of a short speech on pre-assigned topics, the presentation of a PowerPoint on a topic of choice related to contemporary Chinese, and reading and discussion of texts presented in the course.
Listening involves character dictation and multiple-choice questions on dialogues from the textbook and at HSK3 level.
In order to pass the examination, a pass in all three parts is required.
The final grade is calculated on the basis of the average of the assessments for its different parts and will be published on the student's webpage.
The written and oral tests will be marked on a scale of thirtieths, and equal weight will be given to the parts included in them.
More detailed information about the tests will be published on the Chinese Language 2 Moodle page before the examination sessions.
Evaluation grid (in thirtieths):
· Excellent (30 cum laude) - All knowledge and skills were fully acquired and applied with precision, effectiveness and autonomy. No errors.
· Very good (30-27) - Has excellent knowledge and skills, which are applied correctly and with confidence. Minor and non-recurring errors.
· Good (26-24): Adequate knowledge and skills, with some uncertainty or imprecision. Errors present, but not serious or systematic.
· Sufficient (23–18): Basic knowledge and skills acquired, but applied partially or with evident errors. Sufficient general understanding.
· Insufficient (less than 18): Insufficient knowledge and skills, which are not adequately developed. Numerous errors that impair the success of the task.
Contents
- Masini F., Romagnoli C., Zhang T.B., Chang Y.F., Comunicare in cinese, vol 2. - Additional grammar supplements and readings are provided in the teaching materials published on the Lingua Cinese 2 anno e-learning course (Moodle platform).
- Lecture notes and additional teaching materials are provided by the lecturer.
Additional texts may be indicated by the lecturer during the course. The final list of examination material will be provided at the end of the course.
Recommended electronic and paper dictionaries:
· Pleco (Android, iOS)
· Zhao Xiuying, Il Dizionario di Cinese, Zanichelli, Bologna, 2013.
· Zhang Shihua, Dizionario di cinese, Hoepli, Milano, 2007.
· Grammatical content: in-depth study of the grammatical structures of the simple sentence, with particular attention to the elements on the right-hand side of the sentence; study of the structure of the complex sentence, adverbs, conjunctions, and other connectors.
· Active and passive knowledge of approximately 1,000 new characters is proposed, including new or specialised vocabulary.
· Cultural content: reading topical texts that are appropriate for the level of language acquired, and analysing content related to traditional and contemporary Chinese culture.
Language learning activities (AAL) are provided by the Centro Linguistico di Ateneo (CLA) to consolidate the lexical and grammatical knowledge introduced in the course, and to develop oral interaction and writing skills. The learning activities for this course (Chinese Level II) are described on the CLA's Chinese language page.
Online Resources
More information
Examination texts:
The list of examination texts for the official course contains titles that are essential for exam preparation for both attending and non-attending students.
The list is available in this same programme at “Risorse online – Leganto – Testi d’esame”.
All of the teaching materials developed by the lecturer and provided during the course are available in the e-learning course 'Chinese Language 2 Year'.
Regular attendance of the course is strongly recommended.
Online resources:
Audio tracks of the book Communicating in Chinese, Vol. 2, in MP3 format, are available to download from the publisher's website: https://www.hoeplieditore.it/universita/articolo/comunicare-in-cinese-livelli-2-e-3-del-chinese-proficiency-grading-standard-federico-masini/9788836005611/2574
To access them, click on the “RISORSE E AUDIO” section located under the book cover image.