Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar
Author: Claudia Ross, Jing-heng Sheng Ma Category: Chinese Publisher: Routledge Published: June 26, 2014 Language: Chinese File Size: 5.6 MB Tags: China | Chinese | Language | Learning | Linguistics | Mandarin Chinese | Nonfiction |
Description:
Summary:
Modern Mandarin Chinese grammar (second edition) by Claudia Ross, Jing-heng Sheng Ma. It is entirely different from other commonly spoken languages such as English, it is much easier and simpler to learn than various European languages.
The basic word order is subject–verb–object (SVO), as in English. Otherwise, Chinese is chiefly a head-final language, meaning that modifiers precede the words that they modify. In a noun phrase, for example, the head noun comes last, and all modifiers, including relative clauses, come in front of it.
Features:
Mandarin uses four tones—level, rising, falling, and high-rising—to distinguish words or syllables that have the same series of consonants and vowels but different meanings; both Mandarin and the standard language have few words ending with a consonant.
Basic Words:
- Hello: Nǐhǎo (Nee how)
- Thank you: Xièxiè (Shieh-shieh)
- You’re welcome: Bù kèqì (Boo kuh-chi)
- Good morning: Zǎo (Zhow)
- Goodnight: Wǎn ān (One-un)
- My name is…: …
- My friend’s name is…: Wǒ de péngyǒu jiào… …
- Where is the bathroom: Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ? (See-sow-jian zai na-lee?)
Common Words:
- Yes: Shì (Sheh)
- No: Bù shì (Bu-sheh)
- Good: Hǎo (How)
- Bad: Bù hǎo (Boo-how)
- Today: Jīntiān (Jeen-tian)
- Tomorrow: Míngtiān (Meeng-tian)
- Yesterday: Zuótiān (Zwuh-tian)
- Goodbye: Zàijiàn (Zhai-jian)
Note:
- Chinese is one of the most ancient languages still in use today.
- Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world.
- Chinese is a major language in numerous Southeast Asian countries.
- The Chinese language doesn’t have an alphabet.
- There are over 50,000 distinct Chinese characters.
- You don’t need to learn all 50,000 characters!
- Chinese has no articles, verb inflections, or plurals.
- Chinese is an official UN language.
- Chinese is a tonal language.
- Challenging but not hard to learn.
- Chinese follows different calligraphy styles.
- Chinese has borrowed words from English.
- The world’s most famous people are learning Chinese as a second language!
- The Chinese language has number symbols.
- Learning Chinese makes you smart!
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