"I am deeply impressed... The approaches to teaching Mandarin Chinese in this series reflect the authors' rich knowledge of Chinese grammar and their vast experience in teaching the language...
A truly innovative and delightful addition to the Chinese teaching field."---Cecila Chang, Williams College, USA
"This is one of the few textbooks on the market that delays the introduction of Chinese characters. This insightful approach allows learners to gain a foundation in the spoken language before
being inundated with characters... a refreshing approach to learning Chinese that is lacking in the vast majority of learning materials." --- Matthew Christensen, Brigham Young University,
USA
"An excellent introductory course from a dedicated team... a practical guide with the language knowledge and cultural tips you need for daily communication with the Chinese people."--- Wei Jin,
The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK
"One of the very few accessible and clearly-structured textbooks for the complete beginner ... Absolutely designed with the non-native Chinese speaker in mind." --- Frances Weightman, The
University of Leeds, UK
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 spoken and
written forms of the 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, Textbook Level 2, and Workbook Level 2 - with both workbooks including free CDs. All books are available in separate
simplified and traditional character versions, and aim to take the students from complete beginner to post-intermediate level. For more information about the course and additional resources,
please visit the companion website.
Textbook Level 1 provides a paced introduction to the language by teaching from pinyin in its first five lessons. Characters are introduced from the sixth lesson, and this is combined with the
staged removal of pinyin.
Each lesson consists of a dialogue, vocabulary lists, in-class dialogue practice, jargon-free explanations of structures, language FAQs, and notes on pronunciation, pinyin, and Chinese culture.
The focus is on the long-term retention of vocabulary, characters, and structures by reiterating these throughout, allowing the students to consolidate their knowledge.
