Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar

Author: Edwin George Pulleyblank
Publisher: UBC Press
ISBN: 9780774805414
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 214

Book Description
While China has a long tradition of lexicography and of phonological studies, unlike Europe and Indian it has no tradition of descriptive or prescriptive grammar. Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar fills that gap and is the first comprehensive introduction to syntactical analysis of Classical Chinese. Focusing on the language of the high classical period, which ranges from the time of Confucius to the unification of the empire by Qin in -221, the books pays particular attention to the Mencius, the Lunyu, and, to a lesser extent, the Zuozhuan texts. Renowed for his work in Classical Chinese, Edwin Pulleyblank opens the book with a brief historical overview and a discussion of the relationship between the writing system and the phonology. An outline of the overall principles of word order and sentence structure follows. He then deals with the main sentence types: nominal predicates, verbal predicates, and numerical expressions, which constitute a special type of quasiverbal predication. The final section covers topics such as subordinate constituents of sentences, non-declarative sentence types, and complex sentences. Clear and well organized, Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar is an authoritative study and will be an invaluable resource tool for anyone involved in Chinese language studies.

Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar

Author: Edwin G. Pulleyblank
Publisher: UBC Press
ISBN: 0774859857
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 209

Book Description
Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar is a comprehensive introduction to the syntactical analysis of classical Chinese. Focusing on the language of the high classical period, which ranges from the time of Confucius to the unification of the empire by Qin in 221, the book pays particular attention to the Mencius, the L�nyu, and, to a lesser extent, the Zu�zhu�n texts. Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar starts with a brief historical overview and a discussion of the relation between the writing system and the phonology. This is followed by an outline of overall principles of word order and sentence structure. The next sections deal with the main sentence types � nominal predicates, verbal predicates, and numberical expressions, which constitute a special type of quasiverbal predication. The final sections cover such topics as subordinate constitutents of sentences, nondeclarative sentence types, and complex sentences.

Classical Chinese for Everyone

Author: Bryan W. Van Norden
Publisher: Hackett Publishing
ISBN: 1624668232
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 163

Book Description
In just thirteen brief, accessible chapters, this engaging little book takes "absolute beginners" from the most basic questions about the language (e.g., what does a classical Chinese character look like?) to reading and understanding selections from classical Chinese philosophical texts and Tang dynasty poetry. "An outstanding introduction to reading classical Chinese. Van Norden does a wonderful job of clearly explaining the basics of classical Chinese, and he carefully takes the reader through beautifully chosen examples from the textual tradition. An invaluable work." —Michael Puett, Harvard University

Lexicon of Reconstructed Pronunciation

Author: Edwin G. Pulleyblank
Publisher: UBC Press
ISBN: 9780774803663
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 504

Book Description
Known for his pioneering work in Chinese historical phonetics, Edwin Pulleyblank has compiled this Lexicon to present in convenient dictionary form the result of his researches on the phonology of Middle Chinese and its evolution to Mandarin. The Lexicon complements Pulleyblank's earlier book, Middle Chinese, by providing reconstructed pronunciation for approximately 8,000 Chinese characters at three historical stages. Early Middle Chinese is the language of the Qieyun rhyme dictionary of AD 601, which codified the standard literary language of both North and South China the preceding period of division. Pulleyblank's reconstruction is a thorough reworking of that of Bernhard Karlgren, completed in the twenties, and in some respects differs radically from it. Late Middle Chinese is the standard language of the High Tang Dynasty, based on the dialect of the capital, Chang'an. It has not been reconstructed previously as a separate stage but is of special importance, since it is the ancestor of most modern dialects. Early Mandarin represents the speech of the Yuan capital, Dadu (present Beijing), around the year 1300, for which Pulleyblank's reconstruction differs considerably from that of Hugh M. Stimson. The sources and methods used in these reconstructions were fully discussed in Middle Chinese, but recent developments in phonological theory have led to some modifications in detail. The entries are arranged alphabetically according to the Pinyin system with an index, by the traditional Kangxi radical and stroke numbers. The Morohashi number is also given for each character, enabling easy reference to this important Chinese thesaurus. Another useful feature of the Lexicon is the inclusion of the numbers in Karlgren's Grammata Serica for characters that are included in that work. Concise English equivalents for the Chinese words are also provided. Reconstructed forms are given in the International Phonetic Alphabet. Though this requires a number of phonetic signs and diacritical marks, these are carefully explained in the introduction. Every effort has been made to provide a useful tool for students of Chinese literature and China's relations with foreign countries, as well as for specialists in Chinese linguistics.

A Grammar of the Chinese Colloquial Language Commonly Called the Mandarin Dialect

Author: Joseph Edkins
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chinese language
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Book Description

Hacking Chinese

Author: Olle Linge
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781530334889
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 246

Book Description
Learning Chinese can be frustrating and difficult, partly because it's very different from European languages. Following a teacher, textbook or language course is not enough. They show you the characters, words and grammar you need to become proficient in Chinese, but they don't teach you how to learn them! Regardless of what program you're in (if any), you need to take responsibility for your own learning. If you don't, you will miss many important things that aren't included in the course you're taking. If you study on your own, you need to be even more aware of what you need to do, what you're doing at the moment and the difference between them. Here are some of the questions I have asked and have since been asked many times by students: How do I learn characters efficiently? How do I get the most out of my course or teacher? Which are the best learning tools and resources? How can I become fluent in Mandarin? How can I improve my pronunciation? How do I learn successfully on my own? How can I motivate myself to study more? How can I fit learning Chinese into a busy schedule? The answers I've found to these questions and many others form the core of this book. It took eight years of learning, researching, teaching and writing to figure these things out. Not everybody has the time to do that! I can't go back in time and help myself learn in a better way, but I can help you! This book is meant for normal students and independent language learners alike. While it covers all major areas of learning, you won't learn Chinese just by reading this book. It's like when someone on TV teaches you how to cook: you won't get to eat the delicious dish just by watching the program; you have to do the cooking yourself. That's true for this book as well. When you apply what you learn, it will boost your learning, making every hour you spend count for more, but you still have to do the learning yourself. This is what a few readers have said about the book: "The book had me nodding at a heap of things I'd learnt the hard way, wishing I knew them when I started, as well as highlighting areas that I'm currently missing in my study." - Geoff van der Meer, VP engineering "This publication is like a bible for anyone serious about Chinese proficiency. It's easy for anyone to read and written with scientific precision." - Zachary Danz, foreign teacher, children's theatre artist About me I started learning Chinese when I was 23 (that's more than eight years ago now) and have since studied in many different situations, including serious immersion programs abroad, high-intensity programs in Sweden, online courses, as well as on the side while working or studying other things. I have also successfully used my Chinese in a graduate program for teaching Chinese as a second language, taught entirely in Chinese mostly for native speakers (the Graduate Institute for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at National Taiwan Normal University). All these parts have contributed to my website, Hacking Chinese, where I write regularly about how to learn Mandarin.

A New Practical Primer of Literary Chinese

Author: Paul Rouzer
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 1684174457
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 564

Book Description
"Forty lessons designed to introduce beginning students to the basic patterns and structures of Classical Chinese are taken from a number of pre-Han and Han texts selected to give students a grounding in exemplary Classical Chinese style. Two additional lessons use texts from later periods to help students appreciate the changes in written Chinese over the centuries. Each lesson consists of a text, a vocabulary list featuring discussions of meaning and usage, explanations of grammar, and explications of difficult passages. The standard modern Chinese, Japanese, and Korean pronunciations are indicated for each character, making this a learning tool for native speakers of those languages as well. Appendices give suggestions for further readings, review common and significant words, explain the radical system, and provide Japanese kanbun readings for all the selections. Glossaries of all vocabulary items and pronunciation indexes for modern Chinese and Korean are also included."

An Introduction to Japanese - Syntax, Grammar & Language

Author: Michiel Kamermans
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789081507110
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 402

Book Description
Starting at the very basics and working its way up to important language constructions, "An introduction to Japanese" offers beginning students, as well as those doing self-study, a comprehensive grammar for the Japanese language. Oriented towards the serious learner, there are no shortcuts in this book: no romanised Japanese for ease of reading beyond the introduction, no pretending that Japanese grammar maps perfectly to English grammar, and no simplified terminology. In return, this book explains Japanese the way one may find it taught at universities, covering everything from basic to intermediary Japanese, and even touching on some of the more advanced constructions.

Ancient Greek Alive

Author: Paula Saffire
Publisher: UNC Press Books
ISBN: 1469643820
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Book Description
This innovative textbook offers students a dynamic introduction to classical Greek. It inspires a constructive sense of enthusiasm in the classroom while helping students master grammatical principles and reading skills. Among the imaginative features of the book is a two-week introduction to spoken Greek, which immerses students in the sound and basic vocabulary of the language so that they are comfortable as they learn to read and write. (Conversational scripts are provided.) For its reading passages, Ancient Greek Alive uses engaging and even humorous stories drawn from folklore around the world and rendered freshly into classical Greek. The book's grammatical explanations are unusually clear. Helpful, one-step-at-a-time exercises are incorporated into the lessons. Entire chapters are devoted to vocabulary review to underline its importance and provide rest stops. There are special sections on aspects of Greek culture. Students test their reading skills along the way on intriguing passages in original Greek texts, which range from Heraclitus and the New Testament to Diogenes and Greek gravestones.

Introduction to Classical Chinese

Author: Kai Vogelsang
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198834977
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 587

Book Description
This textbook provides a comprehensive scholarly introduction to Classical Chinese and its texts. Classical Chinese is the language of Confucius and Mencius and their contemporaries, who wrote the seminal texts of Chinese philosophy more than 2,000 years ago. Although it was used as a living language for only a relatively short time, it was the foundation of Chinese education throughout the Imperial age, and formed the basis of a literary tradition that continues to the present day. This book offers students all the necessary tools to read, understand, and analyse Classical Chinese texts, including: step-by-step clearly illustrated descriptions of syntactic features; core vocabulary lists; introductions to relevant historical and cultural topics; selected readings from classical literature with original commentaries and in-depth explanations; introductions to dictionaries and other reference works on the study of ancient China; and a guide to philological methods used in the critical analysis of Classical Chinese texts. The extensive glossary provides phonological reconstructions, word classes, English translations, and citations to illustrate usage, while the up-to-date bibliography serves as a valuable starting point for further research.