Chinese

The History of the Chinese Language is a theoretical course focusing on the regular pattern of Chinese language development and changes, requiring certain basic knowledge of ancient Chinese language and modern Chinese language. The purpose of this course is to enable students to learn the basic features of Chinese language pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar in different historical periods, to understand the development and changes of Chinese language in different historical era, to explore the characteristics and causes of these developments, and to reveal the internal laws of Chinese language development.

This is a course for students with no previous knowledge of Chinese, designed to introduce complete beginners to the four basic skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing in Chinese.

This course is designed for international and local Taiwan undergraduate students. By reviewing and discussing literature, the course provides an understanding of Taiwan through its major writiers and works. The course focuses on Taiwan literature of the 1990s which was a time of change. Topics range from women's experience and gender writing; individual and collective memory; city literature; and travel writing. The course entails weekly readings of selected portions of Taiwanese literature followed by in-class discussion. Assessment: class participation and preparation, short papers, and a final report.

This course examines the Cantonese language as spoken in Hong Kong. The language will be discussed in its areal and historical context. Grammatical topics will include parts of speech in Cantonese, verbal aspect, noun classifiers, and sentence-final particles, with a particular focus on aspects of syntax which diverge from written Chinese and Putonghua such as dative, passive, and comparative constructions. Topics of sociolinguistic interest such as the use of Cantonese as a written language, ‘lazy pronunciation,’ and Cantonese as an endangered language will also be addressed.

Taiwan is a rich and diverse country. This course combines language and culture, and covers various topics and situations about tourism and customs around Taiwan. The course strengthens language skills and vocabulary when recognizing famous attractions around Taiwan. After students complete this course, they will be able to correctly and fluently apply the appropriate vocabulary and sentences to real travel situations, such as buying tickets, booking hotels, asking for directions, and solving emergencies. In addition, they will also have a higher level of awareness in regards to the customs of the country.This course is taught mainly in Chinese.