Module and Programme Catalogue

Search site

Find information on

2019/20 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

EAST3025 Chinese Linguistics: Theory and Practice

20 creditsClass Size: 20

Module manager: Dr Lan Yang
Email: l.yang@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2019/20

Pre-requisite qualifications

Year abroad Chinese and/or Level 2 Chinese or equivalent

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module is a course of advanced Chinese language. It provides students with the opportunity to develop theoretical knowledge of Chinese including philology, lexicology, syntax, phonology, rhetoric and stylistics. The course will cover methodological features of Chinese characters' and lexicons' structure, meaning and pronunciation, and will in particular cover the rhetorical formations such as syllabic combination, rhythmic structure, metaphor, personification, symbolism, transferred epithet, hyperbole, oxymoron, irony, climax, zeugma, antithesis, parallelism, rhetorical question, onomatopoeia and repetition. It will help students understand and remember Chinese characters and lexicons efficiently, and will improve their oral and written presentation according to stylistic context substantially.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to understand more about Chinese language from the point of view of theoretical linguistics. On the basis of the theoretical understanding, they will be able to more skillfully analyze and remember Chinese characters, lexical items (words and idiomatic expressions) and syntactic formations, as regards components, structure, meaning and pronunciation. They will thus be able to make more grammatical and stylistic oral and textual presentations in Chinese, and to appreciate or analyze Chinese discourses and texts more profoundly in terms of linguo-stylistics.

Learning outcomes
Improved understanding of Chinese philology, lexicology, syntax, phonology, rhetoric and stylistics, by which skills of analyzing the components, structure, formation and meaning of Chinese characters, words, phrases, sentences and discourses will be improved. It will raise efficiency in learning and acquisition of the Chinese linguistic elements and aspects. Apart from grammaticality, this module will improve students' speeches' rhetorical liveliness and expressiveness. The assessments will emphasize the application of the theoretical knowledge, the analytical skills of linguistic elements and constructions and stylistic discourses and texts, and the ability to give highly quality presentation in Chinese.


Syllabus

This course seeks to develop theoretical understanding of Chinese language so as to help students improve linguistic knowledge, sense and skills of high-standard oral and written presentation in Chinese. It covers the aspects of Chinese philology, lexicology, syntax, phonology, rhetoric and stylistics.
1. Philology knowledge will include the methodological features of Chinese characters' structure, meaning and pronunciation. Knowledge of the Simplified and Traditional styles and Chinese calligraphy will also be included.
2. Lexicology knowledge will take account of formation, structure and rhetorical features of Chinese words and idiomatic phrases. It will help improve not only memory of lexical items but also correct and stylistic application of them.
3. Syntactic knowledge will cover a number of special topics including tense, voice, and complex syntactic structures.
4. Phonology knowledge will include phonemic features, syllabic combination, rhythmic structure, dialectal characteristics, and poetic formations.
5. Rhetoric knowledge will cover rhetorical formations including metaphor, personification, symbolism, transferred epithet, hyperbole, oxymoron, irony, climax, zeugma, antithesis, parallelism, rhetorical question, onomatopoeia and repetition. It will lay stress more on liveliness and expressiveness than grammaticality.
6. Stylistic knowledge will take account of methodology and principles of linguo-stylistics and contextualized stylistics.

Contemporary literary discourses will be studied and their representative rhetorical and stylistic samples will be analyzed. Special practices related to rhetorical and stylistic techniques in oral and written presentations will be conducted.

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Lecture321.0032.00
Seminar101.0010.00
Private study hours158.00
Total Contact hours42.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)200.00

Private study

42 hours class preparation (preview)
116 hours coursework (post-view)

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will have class work and homework as previous and post-view practice in every week. Apart from seminar discussion of students' class work and homework, each subject (philology, lexicology, syntax, phonology, rhetoric and stylistics) will have one assignment for tutor's written feedback.

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Essay2,000 words30.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)30.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated


Exams
Exam typeExam duration% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)2 hr 00 mins70.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)70.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 13/11/2018 09:25:42

Disclaimer

Browse Other Catalogues

Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team.PROD

© Copyright Leeds 2019