1、Chinese Culture Instructor:Wen Aihua(Edward)E-mail:Assessment1 Presentation 50%2 Final examnation 30%(an open-book exam)3 Attendance 20%way to work problems out vehicle life of aged people time for shower leader diet fashion attitude to kidsTheme1:Culture in Chinese LanguageDiscuss What do you think
2、 is the basic difference between Chinese and Western languages?In your opinion,what kind of language is more fun to learn?Why?Do you want to learn a second language?Which language?The ancient Sumerian wordThe ancient Egyptian wordThe Oldest WordsChinese Characters Chinese characters are used to reco
3、rd the words of Cplex charactersimplified character 广东省广东省廣東省廣東省 美丽美丽美麗美麗 爱爱愛愛 A estate group desert rebirth 500 strong enterprisesHUARUN GROUPWhich one do you prefer?Why?爱爱愛愛The origin of Chinese Characters Cang Jie,the creator of Chinese Characters The Yellow Emperor period 110 years old Is it rea
4、l?What do you think about it?legendThe origin of Chinese Characters Its impossible for one person to create the Chinese Characters.Its a collective creation by the working people.Chinese characters originate from pictures.The origin of Chinese Characters 6000 years ago many symbols engraved on potte
5、ryThe origin of Chinese Characters 旦旦(dn)Experts think that the symbols on pottery are the origin of Chinese characters.The earliest and most mature character is the oracle.The origin of Chinese Characters oracle甲骨文甲骨文(ji g wn)inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells in Shang Dynasty about 3000 year
6、s agoThe evolution of Character Can you include the changes in the process of evolution?picturesigncomplex charactersimplified ch.The evolution of Character from pictures to strokes from pictographic to symbol from complicated to simpleMethods of Creating Character Four methods:1象形Pictographic chara
7、cters2指事Self-explanatory character 3会意Associate compound character4形声Pictophonetic characters Pictographic characters are to portray the shapes of things.Methods of Creating Character Self-explanatory character is a kind of word which uses symbol to show the meaning.Methods of Creating Character Ass
8、ociate compound character is formed by two or more words to express a new meaning.美美Methods of Creating Character Pictophonetic characters are compound words.One part expresses the meaning,the other part is the pronunciation.Over 90%of Characters are pictophonetic.花、城、想、们花、城、想、们8 Basic Strokes1横横 hn
9、g 一一 horizontal 2竖竖 sh 丨丨 vertical3撇撇 pi 丿丿 left-falling 4捺捺 n right-falling5点点 din 丶丶 dot6提提 t rising7折折 zh turning8勾勾 gu 乛乛 hooksGrammar What do you think of Chinese grammar?Chinese grammar is far simpler than European languages.no gender,no plurals,no“the”the United Nations documents printed in d
10、ifferent languages,the Chinese version is the thinnest copyTenses English:put ed at the end of a verb to indicate the past tense full of irregularities go went *goed Chinese:no such problems time words provide tense:today、last yearClassifiers classifier describe things being counted Is there any cla
11、ssifier in your mother language?a piece of paper;two boxes of books 一一匹匹马;一马;一个个人人Vocabulary two broad categories:meaningful words :书(book)empty words only have a grammatical function only:了(particle)我看我看画画:picture n.我我画画画画:to draw v.Particles alter the tense of a sentence,but have little or no mean
12、ing in themselves most of them have no tone 你是学生你是学生吗吗?我吃饱我吃饱了了。How different is Chinese from English?Distinctive features Western languages must have the important structural elements such as subject,predicate,object,etc.no subject Chinese sentences:It is raining.下雨了;下雨了;It is time for class.上课了。上课
13、了。Distinctive features sentences without a verb in the predicate 今天星期三。今天星期三。Today is Wednesday。这个教室很小。这个教室很小。This classroom is small.Distinctive features A Chinese word can have a set of multiple meanings.耳耳闻闻(listen by ear)听听闻闻(hear of)新新闻闻(news)闻闻到气味(到气味(smell an odor)Distinctive features 火火车车(tr
14、ain)汽汽车车(car)自行自行车车(bicycle)Distinctive features The relations among the words are constituted through the use of functional words and the word order.脸脸红红(the face gets red)红红脸(脸(red face)Distinctive features Functional words are used to express word relationships.写写了了字(字(has written words)写写过过字(字(wrote words)写写着着字(字(is writing words)