Introduction to Chinese Linguistics

This is a graduate course in the foundation and principles of Chinese linguistics. It will introduce fundamental linguistic components of modern standard Chinese to facilitate and enhance the teaching of Chinese as a second language. In this course, we will explore key areas of Chinese linguistics including phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, the writing system, pragmatics, and related social cultural knowledge (i.e., how social and cultural factors influence Chinese language use). In addition to the basic structure of modern standard Chinese, this course will also touch upon second language acquisition of Chinese language and other related topics. The course will be conducted in Chinese through lectures combined with class discussions of assigned (Chinese & English) readings and paper reports.