Titel: A Chinese Grammar for English Speakers - 汉语语法指南 A Chinese Grammar for English Speakers (英文版)
Author / Editor: 朱春耕 Zhu Chungeng, 高燕 Gao Yan
ISBN: 978-7-301-21865-5, 9787301218655
Series:
Publisher: Peking University Press-北京大学出版社
Language: English
Date of Publication: 2013.08
First edition
Number of pages: 592
Dimensions: 21.5 x 15.5 x 3.5 cm
Binding: Hardcover


Description:

Foreword by Victor H. Mair:

This book is a grammar in the truest sense of the word. It systematically and thoroughly treats parts of speech and parts of the sentence. It then moves on to cover special sentence patterns （a very helpful section）， sentence types， time and aspects， and punctuation marks. A unique feature of this book is that it very much is， as the title implies， a Chinese grammar for English speakers. That is to say， the present work has been written to meet the particular needs of speakers of English. In fact， this book is distinguished by the way in which it constantly references English while yet keeping its eyes squarely on the task of explicating Chinese. The authors have been able to write such an unusual book because they are native speakers of Chinese with a strong background as highly proficient leamers of English who have long experience as teachers of Chinese. The result is the most complete and rigorous grammar of Mandarin Chinese for speakers of English that is available.
Another welcome feature of this book is the huge number of illustrative sentences that it contains. These examples are succinct and apposite, but they are also characterized by having a tripartite form: Chinese characters, pinyin transcription, and English translation. I am especially pleased to see the inclusion of pinyin, since it is so often stubbornly omitted by Chinese teachers who overemphasize the characters at the expense of their students who need it to save time looking up the sounds of the characters. In addition, it is heartening to note that the pinyin transcription has been done with a keen attention to proper orthography.
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Preface by the authors:

This grammar is written primarily for English-speaking college and university students who study Chinese as a second language. It is also intended for instructors teaching Chinese as a second language, and for readers interested in Chinese language and culture or in the comparative study of Chinese and English.
The word grammar refers to a book about grammar or to the system of rules within a language. There are various ways of writing a grammar. This one, seeking to serve English speakers, attempts to achieve its end through a comparative approach. Chinese is putatively a difficult language, but, for adult learners, the challenge does not lie in Chinese per se; it also to some extent arise from the influence of English, known as language transfer. In learning Chinese, students naturally apply their knowledge of English words and structures to constructing Chinese sentences. This knowledge can be supportive where the two languages are similar, but it can also be an obstacle or the source of errors where the two languages differ. This book is unparalleled, if not unique, in presenting a comprehensive treatment of Chinese grammar with a view to comparing it with English grammar whenever relevant. It aims to help students learn the rules of Chinese through reference to English grammar, which they know but may not be aware of. In doing so, students may, as Confucius advocates, learn what is new while reviewing what is known. This grammar may also inadvertently help students clarify their knowledge of English grammar.
A grammar can be descriptive or prescriptive: one describes the ways in which a language is actually used by its speakers; the other tells what is correct or incorrect language use. This grammar is descriptive in that it presents a view of contemporary Chinese used by educated native speakers, and it includes some new vocabulary and word usages that have been generally accepted. This grammar is also prescriptive, not in the sense of recommending or condemning particular usage choices, but in laying out the rules of standard usage that students are requested to follow. As a grammar for non-native learners, the goal of this book differs from that of a grammar for native speakers. Users of this book may have no previous knowledge of Chinese; they need to know the rules of Chinese to construct grammatical sentences. This book contains many prescriptive cautions of correct or incorrect; these may sound didactic, but they are important to remember. It also serves the purpose of learning in that this grammar provides a wealth of illustrative sentences with pinyin and English translations. Students will gain a plethora of knowledge about Chinese grammar from this book, but they should also be aware that grammatical knowledge is not enough; words vary in their usages, and many idiomatic usages do not conform to the stated rules.
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Expert opnion:

„This is an excellent grammar of Chinese for speakers of English, one that has been composed by master pedagogues with an accurate sense of the needs of the non-native learner. I recommend it heartily to anyone with a serious interest in Chinese language.“ – Victor H. Mair, Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Pennsylvania

“In addition to being an excellent guide for English speakers learning Chinese, this grammar will also help English speakers better understand the grammar of their own language. It is common wisdom that the best way to develop a command of one`s native language is to study a foreign language. The awareness of the signal differences between Chinese and English grammar that Professors Zhu and Gao seek to instill in their readers, through their careful explanations and systematic presentation, cannot help but improve students’ mastery of English. This secondary benefit is all the more significant at a time when English grammar is rarely taught in schools and colleges in the U.S. in anything more than a piecemeal, haphazard way.” – Walter L. Reed, Kenan Professor of English, Emory University

“A Chinese Grammar for English Speakers is an excellent grammar book for English-speaking learners of Chinese. Professors Zhu and Gao present Chinese grammar in such a systematic and reader-friendly way that the daunting language becomes not only easy to understand but also interesting to learn. The book is also useful to Chinese-speaking learners of English. The illustrated Chinese examples with English translation can help them recognize the essence of English and thus have a better understanding of both languages. In this sense, the book has a wider range of readers than it is supposed to have.” – Dr. Zhao Yang, School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University




Contents 目录

Foreword
Preface
PartOne：Parts of Speech词类
Chapter1Nouns名词
Chapter2Pronouns代词
Chapter3Verbs动词
Chapter4Auxiliary Verbs助动词
Chapter5Adjectives形容词
Chapter6Adverbs副词
Chapter7Numerals数词
Chapter8Measure Words量词
Chapter9Ptepositions介词
Chapter10Conjunctions连词
PartTwo：Parts of the Sentence句子成分
Chapter11Subject，Verb，and Object主谓宾
Chapter12Attributives定语
Chapter13Adverbials状语
Chapter14Complements补语
PartThree：Special Sentence Patterns特殊句式
Chapter15Verbless Ptedicates非动词谓语
Chapter16Emphatic Constructions强调结构
Chapter17Copular Sentences“是”字句
Chapter18TheBo Sentences“把”字句
Chapter19TheBei Sentence“被”字句
Chapter20Existential Sentences存现句
Chapter21Comparisons比较句
Chapter22Pivotal Sentences兼语句
PartFour：Sentence Types句类
Chapter23Interrogative Sentences疑问句
Chapter24Imperative Sentences祈使句
Chapter25Exclamatory Sentences感叹句
PartFive：Time and Aspects时与态
Chapter26Ptesent，Past，and Future现在、过去、将来
Chapter27ThePerfective Aspect完成态
Chapter28TheTrans for mative Aspect变化态
Chapter29TheExperiential Aspect经历态
Chapter30TheProgressive Aspect进行态
Chapter31TheDurative Aspect持续态
PartSix：Punctuation Marks标点符号
Chapter32Commas逗号
Chapter33Separation Marks点号
Chapter34Indication Marks标号
AppendixⅠCharactersand Words字与词
AppendixⅡChinese Radicals汉字部首表
AppendixⅢChinese Phonetic Transcription汉语标音法
Bibliography
Index