CHIN 431(F) Introduction to Chinese Linguistics (Same as Linguistic 403)*
Is Chinese-whose nouns "lack" number and whose verbs have no tense-a
monosyllabic, "primitive" language? Are the Chinese characters a system of
logical symbols or "idiographs," which indicate meaning directly without regard
to sound? Should (and could) the characters be done away with and
alphabetized? Are Cantonese, Hakka, and Taiwanese dialects or languages?
And what is the relationship between Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and
Vietnamese? These are some of the questions we will be taking up in this
one-semester introduction to the scientific study of the Chinese language. Topics
to be covered include: the phonological, syntactical, and lexical structure of
Modern Standard Chinese; the Chinese writing system; the modern Chinese
dialects; the history of the Chinese language; sociolinguistic aspects of Chinese;
language and politics in the Chinese-speaking countries; and the teaching of
Chinese as a foreign/second language. Readings in English and Chinese, with
class discussion primarily in Mandarin.
Evaluation will be based on classroom performance, homework, two short
papers, and one longer paper.
Prerequisites: Chinese 302 or permission of instructor.