This book begins by a general introduction of various "Chinese languages." After the introduction are six chapters elaborating on the distinctive features of Mandarin Chinese, respectively in terms of its phonology, tones, morphology and syntax. In each chapter, typical and practically usable examples are provided along with annotation of the tones and translations, so as to help readers learn with ease.
Table of Contents
Preface
Annotating Abbreviations
Chapter One： An Overview of the Chinese Language
Languages of the Han Chinese and Chinese Ethnic Groups
Mandarin， Putonghua and Chinese Dialects
Classic Chinese and Modern Chinese
The Speech and Writing of Modern Chinese
Chinese Characters and Their Changes
Pinyin and the Computer Input of Chinese Characters
Chapter Two： The Phonology of Mandarin Chinese
Classification and Representation of Pinyin Sounds
Simple Initials
Compound Initials
Simple Finals
Compound Finals
Summary： All Pinyin Sounds
Special Cases： Sound Change （Sandhi）
Chapter Three： Tones of Mandarin Chinese
The Tone and Meaning in Mandarin Chinese
Change of Tones in Context
The Light Tone Suffix in Orientation Words
Summary
Chapter Four： Chinese Words and Phrases
Chinese Word Structures
Content Words and Function Words
Substantive Words
Predicate Words
Function Words
Word Groups
Chapter Five： The Basic Structures of Chinese Sentences
Sentence Components and Word Order
The Sentence Subject
The Sentence Predicate
Chapter Six： Complex Sentences and Compact Sentences
The Complex Sentence and Simple Sentence
Complex Relations and Connectives
Compact Sentences
Compact Sentence Connectives
Omission of Connectives in Compact Sentences
Chapter Seven： Summary： Features of Chinese Mandarin
