VTN1110

Beginning Vietnamese, part 1

Ton-That Quynh-Du

6 points
* 6 hours per week
* First semester
* Clayton

Objectives On the successful completion of this subject, students should have developed a basic understanding of the nature of learning a foreign language and of how the Vietnamese language operates. At at the same time, students should be able to apply that knowledge to communication in a limited range of social situations.

Synopsis An introduction to contemporary spoken and written Vietnamese. No prior knowledge of the language is presumed. This subject introduces the tones, essential syntax and the writing system of the Vietnamese language. It introduces some features of the Vietnamese language such as the use of particles, kinship terms and articles. By working through a series of graded and contextualised dialogues the students will begin to develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. The context of language use includes greetings, the individual, the family, time and date. Attention is given to the social and cultural context of language use. Interactive teaching materials have also been made available through Monash's site on the World Wide Web.

Assessment Written: 20%
* Examinations (2 hours): 50%
* Oral test and classwork: 30%

Recommended texts

Buu Khai Learning Vietnamese - a guide to pronunciation Vietnamese Language and Culture Publications, 1990
Thomson L Vietnamese grammar U Hawaii P, 1988
Ton-That Quynh-Du LearningVietnamese for speakers of English Book 1 Dept Asian Languages and Studies, Monash U, 1993