CHINESE (CANTONESE)

CHINESE (CANTONESE)

Linguistics 19 Syllabus

PURPOSE: Speaking conversational Cantonese (Characters are not introduced).

MATERIAL ASSIGNED:

Foreign Service Institute, Cantonese Basic Course, volumes I and II (FSI).

LL Call No.: PL/1733/U5 (2 vols.)

RESTRICTION: None

MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF CREDIT AVAILABLE: 4 units

METHOD OF STUDY:

At the beginning of the course, listen twice through each DIALOG to familiarize yourself with

the pronunciation of Cantonese.

FOR EACH LESSON:

1. Listen to the entire dialogue while following the English translation in the book to tell you what the

foreign sentences mean.

2. Listen again while following the foreign transcription to help you with details in the pronunciation.

3. Listen again with the book half closed look inside only when you need reminders about the meaning

or pronunciation.

4. Replay individual phrases and say them aloud without referring to the book if possible. Imitate the

voice on tape as closely as you can. Replay and repeat each phrase, then add phrases together to build a full

sentence. Continue to build phrases into sentences in this way, until you can say the complete sentence

easily and in unison with the tape while understanding what you are saying. Use the book only for occasional

reference.

5. Say the sentences of the dialogue along with the speaker on the tape again and again until you can

produce the foreign sentences easily and quickly given only the English ones as cues.

EXAMINATION:

Supervisor says the English version of sentences chosen at random from conversations in the assigned

material; the student says the Cantonese equivalent. The grade is based on both fluency and accuracy.

All exams are 30 minutes. Final is not cumulative.

ASSIGNMENT: