Using the simple and complex directional complements in Chinese for beginners : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

For native English speakers. learning Chinese can be a real challenge. Not only are there severe learning curves in tents of going from using Roman characters for words to the more pictorial Chinese characters. but there are differences in grammar that also present their own challenges. While studying abroad in China. my ;k 7 "Reading and writing" professor introduced us to the concept of verb complements. These can tell the listener or reader how, when. where, and by whom an action is performed. Because all Minty classes were taught entirely in Chinese, discovering hot. to interpret these concepts was extremely difficult. I eventually understood how to use the simple and complex directional complements, but h was a long struggle. I realized that it was all a matter of perspective and that it depended entirely upon who the speaker is and where the speaker was located. Upon gaining this insight, I decided to write this paper in English so that students like myself would have an easier time going through this process. The format resembles something like the tutor sessions I provided both at Ball State University and at Shanghai Normal University to fellow students of the Chinese language.Honors CollegeBall State Universityncie, IN 47306AbstractFor native English speakers, learning Chinese can be a real challenge. Not only are there severe learning curves in terms of going from using Roman characters for words to the more pictorial Chinese characters. but there are differences in grammar that also present their own challenges. While studying abroad in China. my ik J "Reading and Writing" professor introduced us to theconcept of verb complements. These can tell the listener or reader how, when. where. and by whom an action is performed. Because all of my classes were taught entirely in Chinese. discovering how to interpret these concepts was extremely difficult. I eventually understood how to use the simple and complex directional complements, but it was a long struggle. I realized that it was all a matter of perspective and that it depended entirely upon who the speaker is and where the speaker was located. Upon gaining this insight, I decided to write this paper in English so that students like myself would have an easier time going through this process. The format resembles something like the tutor sessions I provided both at Ball State University and at Shanghai Normal University to fellow students of the Chinese language.