Basic Spoken Chinese: An Introduction to Speaking and Listening for Beginners (Basic Chinese) Review

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Basic Spoken Chinese: An Introduction to Speaking and Listening for Beginners (Basic Chinese) ReviewI have been teaching Chinese to high school students for over 25 years and have used a variety of texts. I decided to try "Basic Spoken Chinese" (BSC) with one of my classes on an experimental level, and I have to say it is the best text of its kind that I have ever seen. In the first place, separating the speaking/listening components from the reading/writing components enables students to make rapid progress in oral/aural skills without the limitations imposed by time taken in character mastery. The language used is colloquial and authentic, arranged topically with each unit building upon the previous ones. The ancillary materials are both abundant and exceptional in quality, providing multiple venues for drill (listening comprehension, pronunciation, substitution, role playing, translation, etc.). The audio components (included on CDs that come with the text) are excellent. The companion volume, "Basic Written Chinese", will be available early next year, and I am anxious to see this and incorporate a writing component into the class. If it's as good as BSC, this textbook will set a new standard for Chinese instruction.
It should be noted that BSC and BWC are intended primarily to be used as college texts. However, this should NOT deter Chinese instructors at the secondary level from considering adopting them. In the final analysis, the difference simply comes down to pace. The lesson plans which accompany the text can easily be modified for high school classes, or the teacher can prepare his own lesson plans, as I do. The material is appropriate for any level provided that the instructor adjust the pace at which new material is introduced and the time devoted to any given unit.
Another impressive feature to BSC is the amount of relevant (and interesting!) culture information introduced in the "Grammar and Culture" segment of each part of the units. The explanations and insights far surpass anything I have seen in other texts, not excluding such classics as the "Integrated Chinese" series. If the teacher is so inclined, entire class periods can be devoted to discussions of these culture points. My students actually enjoy reading them. In a China (PRC) which is changing almost daily, the cultural insights offer marvelous opportunities to discuss Chinese culture in the context of the language being studied at the moment. The wealth of information offered in a very reader-friendly manner is breath-taking and makes the cultural component of the course fall into place naturally.
If I were to voice any complaint---and it is a very minor one---I could have wished that the video component were of better quality. While it does allow the instructor to choose what he wants his students to see (characters, pinyin, English, or nothing but the actual video), the voices are actually dubbed over the real voices of the speakers. Though I understand that this guarantees phonetic accuracy, it impinges upon the real-life feel of the video. However, this point pales to insignificance given the quality of the text as a whole and should under no circumstances be a deterrent to adopting this text.
BSC will work very well with independent learners, a point which Dr. Kubler addresses in the Instructor's Manual.
In short, I believe Dr. Kubler's text is truly ground-breaking, marking a new standard for spoken Chinese instruction. I am very anxious to see "Basic Written Chinese" when it appears. For those teachers (especially at the secondary level) who have lived with the frustration of students' oral proficiency progressing only as fast as they can master the written characters, BSC is a breath of fresh air even in a time where new Chinese texts appear almost daily. Most importantly, the students themselves are motivated by making rapid progress in the two most important skills of speaking and listening comprehension. It is my sincere hope that this text achieves the recognition (and adoption) which it deserves.Basic Spoken Chinese: An Introduction to Speaking and Listening for Beginners (Basic Chinese) Overview

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