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Why study Chinese ?
There
are obvious reasons for students to study the Chinese language
nowadays: 1.3 billion people use Chinese as their native language,
which means you would be able to communicate with that many more people
once you have learned how to speak Chinese. More important than that,
China has become an emerging economic power. As the 4th largest economy
in the world, China is playing a more and more important role on the
global economy. With the further development of the Chinese economy,
and the continuous growth of the trade between China and the US, it is
not hard to imagine that a knowledge of the Chinese language will be a
big boost on any one’s resume. Mastering the language may greatly
expand your job seeking opportunities.
But putting
the most obvious and most pragmatic reasons aside, for those who are
more culturally inclined, and those who simply want to expand their
intellectual horizons by taking up a new language, learning Chinese
will prove to be an equally enriching and engaging process, during
which you will not only immerse in a culture that is more than 5000
years old, but you may even change your view on life, unwittingly
perhaps, during your studies. Yes, learning a language is partly
learning about a culture, and partly learning a new life
philosophy.
Do not think you are simply
mastering the Chinese writing system when you are memorizing the
Chinese characters. By observing the structure of each character and
reconstruct the same on paper, you are being trained (and you don’t
even know it!) in the philosophy of moderation and balance -- the rule
of the Golden Mean -- a philosophy of life which is so entrenched in
the Chinese mind that it has become common sense, and is manifested in
every aspect of our culture. Like a single drop of dew will reflect the
light of the sun, every single Chinese character is a reflection of our
culture and our life. Wouldn’t learning a totally new perspective on
life fascinating?! And that’s only the beginning! Wait till you can
read the sage Confucious’ works in the original and in his own
words!
Do not think Chinese is difficult and
threatening because of its many hard to memorize characters and
seemingly strange syntaxes. That is just an outsider’s view! Chinese
can be surprisingly intuitive and simple! Let’s take conjugation as an
example: in all Romanic languages, you have to not only memorize a
verb, but also all its conjugated forms. For a new language learner,
verb conjugations can be threateningly difficult and confusing. But
mind this: there is NO conjugation at all in the Chinese language! This
means you need only learn one verb and use it in all tenses without
worrying about memorizing its conjugated form. How simple is that? And
how clever! Chinese is also a very intuitive and succinct language: you
may not find too many “four syllable adages” in English, but in Chinese
they abound, and if you learn to use them properly, you gain people’s
respect and likings and they “hear pearls jingle” as you talk!
The
beauty and fun of the Chinese language goes on and on. But jump in and
discover for yourself! With small classes and a congenial atmosphere,
you will soon find your decision to take the Chinese language a wise
and rewarding one!
Chinese is available as an elective.
The classes are a mixture of language acquisition, literature, and civilization cour ses.
You can practice in our up-to-date computer lab with a variety of software, as well as Internet resources.
Because our classes are small, you will not be a nameless face in the crowd; you and your professors will get to know each other. You can also get acquainted with other students who share similar
interests in our language clubs.
They present opportunities for informal activities such as movies, cooking, and participation in the university’s International Bazaar.
And we may be able to offer a generous credit for advanced placement, a flexible range of classes to
take, and opportunities for immersion study experiences abroad.
So come meet our faculty, explore our facilities, see what we have to offer, and discover the world at Western Illinois University.
Chinese Faculty: Ms
Wenhong (Zhang) Teel
Language Advisor: Ms Caryn Morgan
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