SUPERB TAIWANESE PRIMER

How to Use This Book  001
To the Reader  002

Chapter 01
1.1〈knowledge〉The Language and Its Speakers  010
1.2〈conversation〉Self-introduction(1)  014
1.3〈conversation〉Useful classroom expressions  016

Chapter 02
2.1〈knowledge〉Vowels  026
2.2〈lexicon〉Useful expressions  028
2.3〈lexicon〉Fruit and snacks  032
2.4〈conversation〉Greeting  034

Chapter 03
3.1〈conversation〉Self-introduction (2)  038
3.2〈conversation〉Borrowing things  042

Chapter 04
4.1〈knowledge〉Consonants  050
4.2〈lexicon〉Family members and relatives  054
4.3〈knowledge〉Pronouns  058
4.4〈lexicon〉Numbers  060

Chapter 05
5.1〈activity〉Huah tsiú-kûn / Tâi-uân-kûn  066
5.2〈lexicon〉Classifiers and measure words  068
5.3〈conversation〉Time and date  072
5.4〈knowledge〉Tones  084

Chapter 06
6.1〈conversation〉Eating out  088
6.2〈conversation〉Ordering food  092
6.3〈conversation〉Talking about food  096

Chapter 07
7.1〈conversation〉Hanging out  102
7.2〈conversation〉Bargaining  104
7.3〈activity〉Learning by singing  112

Chapter 08
〈conversation〉Holidays  118

Chapter 09
9.1〈knowledge〉Tone sandhi (1)  132
9.2〈knowledge〉Making a question  134
9.3〈knowledge〉Tone Sandhi (2)  140
9.4〈lexicon〉Colors  142

Chapter 10
10.1〈conversation〉Hobbies  148
10.2〈activity〉Learning by singing  154

Chapter 11
〈knowledge〉Pronouncing a sentence with the right tones- steps and tips 160

Chapter 12
12.1〈knowledge〉Taiwanese Input Method  168
12.2〈knowledge〉Some General rules for You to Make a Sentence in Taiwanese by yourself  170
12.3〈knowledge〉The object position - A small grammar note  174

Chapter 13
13.1〈conversation〉Asking for directions  178
13.2〈knowledge〉Tone sandhi (3)  186

Chapter 14
14.1〈conversation〉Occupations  192
14.2〈activity〉Learning by singing  198

Chapter 15
15.1〈lexicon〉Grammatical Aspect  204
15.2〈lexicon〉Using verbs expressively  212

Chapter 16
16.1〈lexicon〉Localizers and Location  216
16.2〈lexicon〉Some fixed expressions and  colloquial terms  222
16.3〈activity〉Learning by singing  232
16.4〈activity〉Learning by singing  236

 

序

　　This book provides composite materials for learning Taiwanese, suitable for both autodidacts and instructed students. The romanization and characters used are standardized orthography promulgated by Taiwan's Ministry of Education, a must-learn system if you aim to pass the proficiency test organized by the Ministry.

　　You will find musical notes, Do Re and Mi, under each example sentence. They give you a rough grasp of the tone pattern. You can ‘sing’ the sentences along and find them understandable to a native speaker. You may sound like a Taiwanese speaking robot, but never mind! It’s a useful tool before you master all the tones and sandhi tones. They also help you read a sentence without consulting its audio file.

　　In this book, we do not confine ourselves to ‘proper language’. You also encounter words and phrases deemed impolite or rude on formal occasions. They help you comprehend the language in the everyday life context. Caution: think twice before uttering words or phrases marked ‘vulgar’.

　　Both teachers and students can use this book flexibly, according to their course designs or learning purposes. For example, you can use each unit of the lexicon as a vocabulary list for reference, and rearrange the words as you see fit. And there is no need to memorize all the words before moving on.

　　Due to lack of space, this book is limited only to the language, although extralinguistic information of culture, history, customs, etc. is always interesting and linguistically relevant. Teachers and students are encouraged to explore and communicate other aspects of Taiwan, which will eventually benefit your learning and understanding of the Taiwanese language.