Beginning Chinese This course is a continuation of the fall and winter terms with accelerated introduction of vocabulary, grammar, and sentence patterns designed to facilitate speaking and reading. Toward the end of this semester students will read Huarshang de meiren (Lady in the Painting), a short book written entirely in Chinese.

Chinese Sociolinguistics (taught in English) Sociolinguistics is mainly concerned with the interaction of language and society. The language situation in China is unique both in the modern world and in human history. We will gain a good understanding of sociolinguistics as a scientific field of inquiry through exploring the Chinese situation in this course. Some of the questions we will ask are: What is Mandarin (Modern Standard) Chinese? Who are "native speakers" of Mandarin? Are most Chinese people monolingual (speaking only one language) or bilingual (speaking two languages) or even multilingual? How many "dialects" are there in China? What is the difference between a "language" and a "dialect"? Are Chinese characters "ideographs", i.e., "pictures" that directly represent meaning and have nothing to do with sound? Why has the pinyin romanization system officially adopted in the 1950s never supplanted the Chinese characters? Why are there traditional and simplified characters? We will also explore topics such as power, register, verbal courtesy, gender and language use. Students are encouraged to compare the Chinese situation with societies that they are familiar with.

Beginning Chinese This course is an introduction to Mandarin (guoyu or putonghua). The course begins with simple words and phrases, the pronunciation and cadences of Mandarin, romanization, Chinese characters, and simple vocabulary items, all taught in the context of practical communication. Sentence patterns and other fundamentals of speaking, reading, and writing will be taught, including both traditional characters (used everywhere before the 1950s and still used in Taiwan and Hong Kong) and simplified characters (used in China). Students should have achieved active command of more than 600 Chinese characters and more than 800 compounds by the end of the sequence CHNS 0101, CHNS 0102, and CHNS 0103.

Contemporary Social Issues in China: Advanced Readings (in Chinese) A survey of materials written in modern expository Chinese (academic, journalistic and polemical) that focus on the cultural, political, economic, and social issues of contemporary China. This advanced readings course is designed primarily for seniors who have already spent a semester or more studying and living in China or Taiwan. Emphasis will be given to further developing students' ability to read, analyze, and discuss complex issues in Mandarin while also advancing proficiency in writing and in oral comprehension. Oral reports and written compositions will be integral to the course's requirements.

Beginning Chinese An intensive continuation of CHNS 0101, this course is required of those wishing to take CHNS 0103 in the spring.  Students may anticipate learning a significant amount of new vocabulary, sentence patterns and idiomatic expressions.  Skits, oral presentations, writing assignments, and cultural activities are also part of this course.

Second Language Acquisition: Theories and Research Why do most people have an accent when speaking a language they learned after a certain age? What are the processes and mechanisms behind the acquisition of an additional language? Why are there larger individual differences in the acquisition of a second language than in the first? These are some key questions addressed in second language acquisition (SLA) research. In this course we will study various SLA theories, research methodologies, and findings. We will also learn how to conduct basic SLA research, including collecting and analyzing data, and writing a report, following accepted conventions in the field.

First Language Acquisition All human children have the potential to acquire any human language in the right environment, yet it is much more difficult for adults to achieve native proficiency in a second language. Why? In this course we will explore questions such as: How does first language acquisition happen? Is it effortless? Are humans “hardwired” with language? Is it true that after the “Critical Period,” i.e., the onset of puberty, humans have lost this capacity? We will also explore social and cultural constraints on language acquisition, and learn basic techniques for collecting and analyzing data in language acquisition research.

Hang Du

Reviews and ratings for Hang Du at Middlebury College.Hang Du teaches Beginning Chinese, Chinese Sociolinguistics, Chns Social Issues Adv Rdngs and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Hang Du good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Due to personal interest, I found the content enriching and fulfilling. I found Professor Du's Canvas page disorganized, she assigns 10/20 mandatory one page reading responses that are single spaced. There are also frequent quizzes that she might give you hints for before the class. Workload is not for the weak, but I learned a lot about Chinese dialects and sociolinguistics.

Chinese 101 is an incredible way to start learning the language if you are interested. Although the coursework is very fast paced as it is basically an immersion class that happens everyday, it is the best way to learn the language and pick it up. If you have a genuine interest, this is a great place to start, but it does require a lot of practice and work to engrave the information into your head. Both Du Laoshi (Hang Du) and He Laoshi (Mairead Harris) are very patient and supportive of any experience level, and are readily available to help alongside other tutors.

This class felt a bit more fast paced than in previous terms. I would usually spend a few more hours practicing characters and organizing course notes for Chinese after each class but this term I was busy and I didn't take any notes whatsoever. I was just fine-- if you pay attention in class, review the characters often, and make use of the office hours if you get at all confused, it'll be all good. The teaching style is very effective and the classes are fun, I would always look forward to learning more!