Semester:
Offered:
C.-T. James Huang (Department of Linguistics)
First-Year Seminar 33R 4 credits (spring term)
Prerequisite: Some experience of the Chinese language is required as a pre-requisite for taking the seminar (e.g., a minimum of one semester of prior formal instruction, or as a heritage speaker of Mandarin or any Chinese dialect). To fully satisfy this seminar, you must (a) complete each reading assignment and have questions ready before class, (b) actively engage in class discussion. In addition, students will complete a term project (individual or collaborative) on a topic in consultation with the instructor.
This seminar offers an opportunity to learn about the Chinese language, by observing and analyzing its linguistic structure, history, cultural tradition and social relevance. With a partially hands-on approach, we shall look at the fundamental principles that make up the sound system and govern the grammar of Mandarin, with particular attention to those features that distinguish Chinese from English and other languages, including its system of tones, its writing system, its word-order and syntactic patterns, and how the language has developed in over 2000 years of its recorded history. Looking deeper, we see how the study of Chinese may contribute to our understanding of language as a central component of human cognition. The seminar is designed for students with some experience of the Chinese language (e.g., with some prior formal instruction or as heritage speakers of Mandarin or any other Chinese dialect). The analytical skills acquired will be of use as an aid to improve on one’s proficiency, or in preparing for study in linguistics, translation, East Asian study, and/or artificial intelligence.