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Why Learn Mandarin in Taiwan?
(1)
Traditional Characters History Mandarin is one of the ancient written languages in the world.Also, it is the only language that still uses ancient characters on a daily basis. At least one fifth of the world population use these characters daily. The most frequently adopted typeface in daily life is regular script, which is called Li Shu, which originated from the Han Dynasty, around the 1st Christian century. In The Three Kingdoms Period, (Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties) regular script evolved. It was simply structured, easy to learn and easy to identify. Components Chinese characters are mainly composed by "graph", "sound" and "meaning". Chinese characters are originated from painting, which have an innate advantage that is you could guess the meaning of 80% characters¡¦ from their shapes. Chinese characters have a three-thousand year history, They are profound and lively in daily life. They are also artistic productions with unique style. Learning Chinese in Taiwan, you will experience the beauty of Chinese characters. Compared with the original Mandarin, Mandarin language in Taiwan, has been developed more vibrant and more abundant in expressiveness, which perfectly reveals the progress of social civilization in Taiwan. By focusing on standardized form of Chinese characters (traditional Chinese), learning Mandarin in Taiwan makes truly experiencing the cultural beauty possible. Therefore, studying in Taiwan, international students can not only acquire standard Mandarin, but also obtain the knowledge of the traditional culture, coupled with formal Chinese characters-This makes Taiwan the idea venue to study Mandarin. Many people believe that traditional characters are "Taiwan's greatest legacy to the world," and they are proud of being able to study the "correct" form of these characters. Every radical component of each traditional character can be broken down and analyzed. Traditional characters represent the tradition. Chinese culture still present in the mainstream of Chinese language education. This is especially true for those students who want to conduct serious research within in the broader aspects of traditional Chinese culture, including literature, history, and philosophy. In these cases, only when students become well versed in learning orthodox Chinese characters, which have been handed down through the ages will they truly be able to enter and understand Chinese writing? (2) Chinese Proficiency Test (CPT)
The Chinese Proficiency Test (CPT) was developed by three
groups that are
National
Taiwan Normal University Center for Chinese Language
and Culture Studies (CCLC, NTNU), Graduate
Institute of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign/Second Language, and
Research Center for
Psychological and Educational Testing. Its first
test was held in December 2003, in
Taiwan. This test takes place twice a year, in
June and December. The test sites are located in the north, middle,
and
southern
parts of
Taiwan.
Beginning last year, the CPT
became
available worldwide.
The CPT
was designed to examine foreigners' ability in listening and reading. The examination questions are
divided into three different
levels--basic, intermediate, and advanced.
A seven-ranked result will be
given out in accordance with the examinee's grades.
Eligible candidates will be offered a certificate
with rank 1-7. The CPT certificate is issued and administrated by the
Association of Teaching
Chinese as a Second Language (ATCSL) and CCLC, NTNU. For more
information please refer to |