Chinese Language and Culture       

Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world today. 中国 program at Skidmore offers language classes from beginning to advanced levels, as well as courses in Chinese literature and culture. Some other departments and programs also offer courses about 中国. Our curriculum can lead to a minor in Chinese or provide the basis for a major in 亚洲研究, 国际事务中, or 管理与商业.

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How difficult is it to learn Chinese?

Chinese grammar is remarkably simple. 的re are no inflections, cases, genders, declensions, 数字，或者时态. Many people who begin to study Chinese quickly become fascinated with the unique system of the language and are able to communicate in Chinese after 两个学期. 根据美国.S. State Department language training experts, Chinese ranks with 日本 on the level of difficulty. Three major things distinguish Chinese 源自欧洲语言. First, the writing system is very complex; consequently, about half of the time spent in beginning Chinese concerns learning the writing system. Second, unlike European languages, Chinese shares no cognates with 英语. 第三, Chinese is a tonal language, and, for this reason, a major task in learning Chinese is developing the habit of listening for tonal distinctions and producing them in 演讲.

What kind of Chinese will I learn?

We teach Modern Standard Chinese, the official language of the People's Republic of 中国. This is the native dialect of the people of the northern part of 中国. 的 Chinese government is making an effort to teach it to all school children and public 员工遍布全国. This dialect is also known as 普通话 (在中国)或 国语 (in Taiwan); it is the Beijing dialect or Mandarin. It is different from Cantonese, the Shanghai dialect, and many other regional dialects, which are mutually unintelligible, although the written language is virtually the same for all.

What are the objectives of Chinese courses?

中国 courses offered in the Department of 世界语言 and 文献 at Skidmore are designed to provide students with the basic language skills needed to function verbally and to read contemporary Chinese publications in 中国, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other parts of East Asia. In the first-year classes, we put equal emphasis on speaking, listening, writing, and reading. 学生有能力 to use approximately 350 characters by the end of the first year. 第二年， the emphasis shifts slightly toward reading and speaking, and by the third year we offer advanced courses in reading, speaking, and composition. 我们把语言看作是 part of a culture and try to integrate both from the very beginning.

Is there any way I can study Chinese in 中国?

是的! Skidmore is affiliated with the Associated Colleges in 中国 Program (ACC), the CET Shanghai Program, and the IES Beijing Program. Through these programs, students can obtain internships in such fields as business, economics, education, environmental studies, and journalism with many American and international organizations inside 中国. In addition, there are several other programs available in the PRC, Taiwan, and Hong Kong for students who have had one year of Chinese.

Besides courses in the Chinese language, what else can I learn about 中国 at Skidmore?

Courses on Chinese literature, film, and culture are offered through Skidmore's Department of 世界语言 and 文献. 的se courses fulfill the non-western requirement and also count towards fulfilling 亚洲研究, 性别研究, 国际事务中, or 管理与商业 需求. In addition, other departments on campus offer courses about 中国.