Description

Like its predecessor, this second edition of Fundamental Spoken Chinese places importance on a clear, systematic, and graduated introduction to the basic grammar and vocabulary of spoken Mandarin Chinese through chapters that center on sentence patterns and vocabulary rather than social functions or activities. The authors continue the tradition of separating the teaching of oral and written skills, leaving the instruction of reading and writing in Chinese characters exclusively to Fundamental Written Chinese, also in its second edition. The lessons in the two textbooks, however, are keyed to each other in terms of vocabulary and grammar, so they may be used simultaneously, or the parallel written skills may be introduced at a later time.

The bilingual teacher's manual provides detailed instructions on how the different types of drills, exercises, and activities in the Fundamental Spoken Chinese Exercise Book reinforce students' oral and aural proficiency. These Core Pedagogical Instructions are followed, when appropriate, by brief summaries of grammatical explanations presented in the Fundamental Spoken Chinese textbook, together with their specific grammar note numbers for easy reference.

Audio, exercise model answers, and other resources for Fundamental Spoken Chinese may be accessed at www.fundamentalchinese.com.