1 Pinyin foundations

Chinese pronunciation is the most critical part of learning Mandarin. A change in pronunciation could completely alter the meaning of a word. For the next few weeks, you will concentrate on the romanization of the Chinese language, or what is commonly referred to as Pinyin. You will practice sounds and syllables frequently so that as you progress through the language, your pronunciation will be as close to that of a native speaker as possible. The knowledge learned in the next few weeks will be applied throughout the course and your journey in learning Mandarin Chinese. 葉

Learning goals

• Identify and pronounce finals and initials
• Identify and pronounce the four tones and tone-marks
• Listen for and repeat the Pinyin with the correct tones
• Identify basic radicals
• Be able to name, count, and order basic character strokes
• Listen for, understand, and repeat some useful expressions
• Read general information about China to gain a broad understanding of the country
• Read about the Chinese language to gain an understanding of the structure and meaning

You may want to use the table below to understand what will be covered in the first module.

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