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Alienation and Theatricality: Diderot After Brecht
by Phoebevon HeldAlienation (Vefremdung) is a concept inextricably linked with the name of twentieth-century German playwright Bertolt Brecht - with modernism, the avant-garde and Marxist theory. However, as Phoebe von Held argues in this book, 'alienation' as a sociological and aesthetic notionavant la lettre had already surfaced in the thought of eighteenth-century French philosopher and writer Denis Diderot. This original study destabilizes the conventional understanding of alienation through a reading ofLe Paradoxe sur le comedien, Le Neveu de Rameau and other works by Diderot, opening up new ways of interpretation and aesthetic practices. If alienation constitutes a historical development for the Marxist Brecht, for Diderot it defines an existential condition. Brecht uses the alienation-effect to undermine a form of naturalism based on subjectivity, identification and illusion; Diderot, by contrast, plunges the spectator into identification and illusion, to produce an aesthetic of theatricality that is profoundly alienating and yet remains anchored in subjectivity.
Algernon Swinburne and Walter Pater: Victorian Aestheticism, Doubt and Secularisation
by SarahGlendon LyonsHow did literary aestheticism emerge in Victorian Britain, with its competing models of religious doubt and visions of secularisation? For Lyons, the aestheticism developed and progressively revised by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909) and Walter Pater (1839-1894) illuminates the contradictory impulses of modern secularism: on the one hand, a desire to cast itself as a form of neutrality or disinterestedness; on the other, a desire to affirm 'this world' as the place of human flourishing or even enchantment. The standard narrative of a 'crisis of faith' does not do justice to the fissured, uncertain quality of Victorian visions of secularisation. Precisely because it had the status of a confusing hypothesis rather than a self-evident reality, it provoked not only dread and melancholia, but also forms of fantasy. Within this context Lyons gives a fundamentally new account of the aims and nature of Victorian aestheticism, taking as a focus its deceptively simple claim that art is for art's sake first of all.
After Bataille: Sacrifice, Exposure, Community
by Patrick FfrenchAuthor of the obscene narrative Story of the Eye and of works of heretical philosophy such as Inner Experience, Georges Bataille (1897-1962) is one of the most powerful and secretly influential French thinkers of the last century. His work is driven by a compulsion to communicate an experience which exceeds the limits of communicative exchange, and also constitutes a sustained focus on the nature of this complusion. After Bataille takes this sense of compulsion as its motive and traces it across different figures in Batailles thought, from an obsession with the thematics and the event of sacrifice, through the exposure of being and of the subject, to the necessary relation to others in friendship and in community. In each of these instances After Bataille is distinctive in staging a series of encounters between Bataille, his contemporaries, and critics and theorists who extend or engage with his legacy. It thus offers a vital account of the place of Bataille in contemporary thought.
Africa's Lost Classics: New Histories of African Cinema
by Lizelle BisschoffUntil recently, the story of African film was marked by a series of truncated histories: many outstanding films from earlier decades were virtually inaccessible and thus often excluded from critical accounts. However, various conservation projects since the turn of the century have now begun to make many of these films available to critics and audiences in a way that was unimaginable just a decade ago. In this accessible and lively collection of essays, Lizelle Bisschoff and David Murphy draw together the best scholarship on the diverse and fragmented strands of African film history. Their volume recovers over 30 'lost' African classic films from 1920-2010 in order to provide a more complex genealogy and begin to trace new histories of African filmmaking: from 1920s Egyptian melodramas through lost gems from apartheid South Africa to neglected works by great Francophone directors, the full diversity of African cinema will be revealed.
Adult Biliteracy: Sociocultural and Programmatic Responses
by AntonioOffering an in-depth view of adult literacy/biliteracy by merging two fields—adult literacy and English as a Second Language—this volume brings to the forefront linguistic, demographic, sociocultural, workforce, familial, academic, and other issues surrounding the development of bilingualism and biliteracy by adults in the U.S. As such, it helps to fill a gap in the research literature on language development among adults which has traditionally placed more emphasis on the development of oral English. Most important, it brings to light issues that are integral to the success of immigrant populations in the U.S.—issues that politicians, policymakers, educators, and employers must place at the top of their agendas as immigration reform is being formulated and implemented.Adult Biliteracy: Sociocultural and Programmatic Responses critically analyzes the assumptions that normalize monolingual and mono-literate approaches to adult education and to the teaching of English to immigrants and other language minorities in the U.S. By integrating theoretical principles with their applications, it furthers the discussion of the effects that bilingualism and biliteracy have on adult instruction. Applying research-based theoretical principles to the contexts in which adults learn, work, engage in civic participation, raise their children, and come together in community, this volume sheds light on the multiple ways in which adults use their first and second languages in the diverse sociocultural and educational contexts in which they function and learn in two languages.Highly relevant for researchers, professionals, and students concerned with second-language education, adult education, and applied linguistics, this book will particularly interest those whose work focuses on the education of immigrant and national language minorities.
Adapted Voices
by Armelle Blin-RollandVoyage au bout de la nuit (1932), by Louis-Ferdinand Celine (1894-1961), and Zazie dans le metro (1959), by Raymond Queneau (1903-1976), were two revolutionary novels in their transposition of spoken language into written language. Since their publication they have been adapted into a broad range of media, including illustrated novel, bande dessinee, film, stage performance and recorded reading. What happens to their striking literary voices as they are transposed into media that combine text and image, sound and image, or consist of sound alone? In this study, Armelle Blin-Rolland examines adaptations sparked by these two seminal novels to understand what 'voice' means in each medium, and its importance in the process of adaptation.
A Captive of the Dawn: The Life and Work of Peretz Markish (1895-1952)
by Joseph ShermanPeretz Markish (1895-1952), one of Eastern Europe's most important Yiddish poets in the period between the two world wars, was a fiercely independent maverick who published work in all literary genres. Although emerging from the Kiev literary tradition, Markish always went his own way in a literary career spanning four decades and embracing almost
Biculturalism and Spanish in Contact: Sociolinguistic Case Studies (Routledge Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics)
by Eva Núñez MéndezBiculturalism and Spanish in Contact: Sociolinguistic Case Studies provides an original and modern analysis of the field of language change and variation with a specific focus on Spanish as a language in contact. This edited collection, focuses on diachronic variationist approaches to the Spanish language in contact with other languages from a historical sociolinguistics perspective. Topics covered include: language planning and policies, education, biculturalism, linguistic variation issues in the Spanish of the southwestern United States, and other socio-historical and anthropological aspects of the contact situation.
Spanish Vocabulary Learning in Meaning-Oriented Instruction (Routledge Advances in Spanish Language Teaching)
by Joe Barcroft Javier Muñoz-BasolsSpanish Vocabulary Learning in Meaning-Oriented Instruction is the first comprehensive overview of current research and instructional practices into Spanish vocabulary acquisition through the lens of Meaning-Oriented Instruction (MOI). Key features: • a breadth of topics including language variation, input, tasks and processing specificity, incidental learning, idiomatic language, lexicographic perspectives, lexicosemantic representation, vocabulary testing, and receptive and productive vocabulary; • a combination of theory and practical guidance highlighting pedagogical best practices in the teaching of vocabulary; • guidance on the difficulties teachers face when teaching vocabulary in the classroom; • clear explanations with plenty of examples and useful references; • tasks and activities that help teachers move from a traditional curricular approach to a more innovative and engaging one focused on communicating, completing tasks, and learning content. Written by an international cohort of scholars in a succinct and accessible manner, Spanish Vocabulary Learning in Meaning-Oriented Instruction is an essential resource for teachers of Spanish at all levels. It is also an excellent reference book for researchers and both undergraduate and graduate students interested in Spanish vocabulary acquisition.
An Introduction to Bilingualism: Principles and Processes
by Jeanette Altarriba and Roberto R. HerediaThe study of bilingualism and all of its aspects – from theory and models to social approaches and their practical applications – forms the cornerstone of the 2nd edition of this work. The chapters cover the latest advancements in the domains of psycholinguistics, neuroscience, creativity, and executive functioning. Contributions, new to this edition, offer the reader the most up-to-date research on lifespan and developmental issues. The work also provides insight into how human language is processed by all, not just by bilingual and multilingual speakers.This text is ideal for senior undergraduate and graduate courses in psycholinguistics and the psychology of language, especially those with an emphasis on bilingualism or second language learning.
Lingüística textual y enseñanza del español LE/L2 (Routledge Advances in Spanish Language Teaching)
by Javier de Santiago-Guervós; Lourdes Díaz Rodríguez; Javier Muñoz-BasolsLingüística textual y enseñanza del español LE/L2 ofrece una visión de conjunto teórico-práctica y actualizada de la Lingüística textual aplicada a la enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera y/o segunda, destinada especialmente a estudiantes graduados y a profesores en formación nativos y no nativos. El volumen, escrito por un elenco internacional de profesores-investigadores, presenta una visión actualizada y práctica de los géneros textuales más frecuentes en programaciones universitarias. Enmarcado por una síntesis actualizada de estudios e investigaciones en lingüística aplicada que recorre distintas perspectivas teóricas y metodológicas, recoge datos y propuestas procedentes de aulas de aprendizaje de español de distintos contextos internacionales. Su principal propósito es suscitar la reflexión teórico-práctica sobre los géneros discursivos y su papel en el aula, y ofrecer una descripción pormenorizada de los mismos para proporcionar al profesorado en formación, nativo y no nativo, recursos prácticos y propuestas didácticas que ejemplifican y guían de manera razonada cómo llevar al aula los distintos géneros textuales. Características principales: • Amplitud de aspectos de la lingüística textual y géneros discursivos abordados enteramente para el español LE/L2 y en español. • Estructuración homogénea de los capítulos que facilita la lectura y da coherencia al conjunto. Atención a géneros escritos y orales desde una perspectiva teórico-práctica que puede inspirar nuevas investigaciones. Atención a la diversidad geolectal del español, a los contextos en que este es L2 (Europa, EEUU) y a la de sus aprendices (hablantes de herencia, L2, LE). Orientado a la aplicación práctica y docente en la clase de L2/LE, cada capítulo dedicado a un género incluye consejos, pautas o actividades para el aula. Incluye temática actual en lingüística textual y aprendizaje de lenguas: escritura académica, divulgación científica, textos jurídicos, aprendizaje mediado por ordenador o el lenguaje de las redes. Capítulos bien fundamentados teórica y bibliográficamente, con sólido respaldo de datos empíricos procedentes de corpus, bien contextualizados. Aborda los aspectos teóricos tradicionales relativos al estudio de la tipología textual y los desafíos metodológicos que afronta el profesor al llevar al aula los distintos géneros discursivos. La presente obra presenta, en un solo volumen, una visión actualizada y práctica de los tipos textuales y géneros discursivos de uso más frecuente desde una perspectiva teórico-práctica: presentación, descripción y puesta en práctica es un esquema de trabajo directo y enormemente útil para su aplicación en el aula. El ámbito internacional en el que se mueven los autores le da una amplitud nunca antes recogida en una obra de lingüística textual. Todo ello hace de Lingüística textual y enseñanza del español LE/L2 una obra de consulta obligada para docentes de español como LE/L2, para estudiantes graduados y formadores de profesores, así como para cualquier persona que desee adquirir una perspectiva actual sobre lingüística textual, géneros discursivos y enseñanza e investigación en español nativo y no nativo.
The Routledge Introductory Course in Moroccan Arabic
by Jan HooglandThe Routledge Introductory Course in Moroccan Arabic is ideal for both class-based and independent learners. No prior knowledge of Arabic is required as the course guides you step-by-step through the essentials of the language. Transliteration is used throughout to provide learners with an accurate representation of this spoken language while Arabic script is provided from Part II for those who have prior knowledge of Arabic. Part I introduces the phonology of Moroccan allowing you to recognise and pronounce the sounds unique to Moroccan. The basic grammar of Moroccan is also presented here ensuring students have a solid foundation on which to build their communicative skills. Part II is arranged thematically and equips you with the vocabulary and cultural information needed to communicate effectively in Morocco in a range of common situations. By the end of the course learners will have reached the CEFR A2 level/ACTFL Intermediate-Mid.
The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Language Teaching
by Chris Shei Monica E McLellan Zikpi Der-Lin ChaoThe Routledge Handbook of Chinese Language Teaching defines Chinese language teaching in a pedagogical, historical, and contemporary context. Throughout the volume, teaching methods are discussed, including the traditional China-based approach, and Western methods such as communicative teaching and the immersion program. The Handbook also presents a pedagogical model covering pronunciation, tones, characters, vocabulary, grammar, and the teaching of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The remaining chapters explore topics of language assessment, technology enhanced instruction, teaching materials and resources, Chinese for specific purposes, classroom implementation, social contexts of language teaching and language teaching policies, and pragmatics and culture. Ideal for scholars and researchers of Chinese language teaching, the Handbook will benefit educators and teacher training programs. This is the first comprehensive volume exploring the growing area of Chinese language pedagogy.
Mano a Mano: Volume 1 – Básico (Mano a mano: português para falantes de espanhol)
by Ana Cecília Cossi Bizon Elizabeth Maria Fontão do Patrocínio Leandro Rodrigues Alves DinizMano a Mano: Português para Falantes de Espanhol vem preencher uma importante lacuna no mercado editorial: a carência de livros didáticos que, considerando as necessidades específicas de falantes de espanhol, favoreçam um desenvolvimento mais rápido de sua proficiência em português. A coleção reúne uma série de características favoráveis à aprendizagem do português em diferentes contextos (ensino médio, universidades, cursos livres): Convida o(a) aluno(a) a desenvolver sua proficiência em português ao mesmo tempo que forma uma imagem multifacetada do Brasil, em diálogo com suas próprias construções culturais, desconstruindo discursos estabilizados e ampliando seus horizontes; Favorece o trânsito por múltiplas práticas de letramento, em que circulam diferentes gêneros discursivos, oferecendo oportunidades para que o(a) estudante aprimore suas capacidades de linguagem em contextos reais, ou próximos a situações autênticas de interação; Sensibiliza o(a) aluno(a) para diferentes variedades da língua portuguesa; Permite ao(à) estudante desenvolver suas capacidades léxico-gramaticais e fonético-fonológicas de maneira reflexiva e contextualizada, levando em consideração necessidades específicas de falantes de espanhol; Propõe tarefas semelhantes às encontradas no Certificado de Proficiência em Língua Portuguesa para Estrangeiros (Celpe-Bras), do Ministério da Educação brasileiro; É acompanhado por dois cadernos complementares integrados, com explicações detalhadas referentes a recursos léxico-gramaticais e fonético-fonológicos, além de uma série de atividades; Disponibiliza online os vídeos e áudios de tarefas de compreensão oral e de atividades de pronúncia. Preparado para o desenvolvimento de um curso de até 60 horas em contexto de imersão, ou 90 horas de não-imersão, Mano a Mano, Volume 1 – Básico permite levar falantes de espanhol (como língua materna ou estrangeira/adicional) que nunca tiveram contato significativo prévio com o português até o início do nível Intermediário do Celpe-Bras, do B1 do Quadro Europeu Comum de Referência para as Línguas, ou do Intermediário Médio do American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
English Language Teacher Preparation in Asia: Policy, Research and Practice (Routledge Critical Studies in Asian Education)
by Subhan Zein Richmond StroupeBringing together a comprehensive range of extended research-based chapters, English Language Teacher Preparation in Asia provides comprehensive insight into policy, research, and practical aspects of teacher preparation for English teachers at pre-service level across multiple contexts in Asia. Written by local and international scholars specialising in TESOL Teacher education, and acknowledging the increasingly complex demands made on teachers of English in view of globalisation, the book explores the multiple factors which are key to effective professional learning. Chapters consider how pre-service teachers are best prepared for the diverse contexts in which English is learnt and taught in settings throughout Asia and draw on in-depth research studies to provide rich, fully contextualised coverage of aspects of teacher preparation including curriculum design, programme development, policy, professional learning communities, assessment education, and teaching practicum. A timely contribution to the field of teacher preparation, this text will be an invaluable resource for teacher educators, pre-service teachers and academics involved in the preparation of English teachers in Asia.
The Politics of English Second Language Writing Assessment in Global Contexts (ESL & Applied Linguistics Professional Series)
by Todd Ruecker Deborah CrusanReflecting the internationalization of the field of second language writing, this book focuses on political aspects and pedagogical issues of writing instruction and testing in a global context. High-stakes assessment impacts the lives of second language (L2) writers and their teachers around the world, be it the College English Test in China, Common Core-aligned assessments in the U.S., English proficiency tests in Poland, or the material conditions (such as access to technology, training, and other resources) affecting a classroom. With contributions from authors working in ten different countries in a variety of institutional contexts, the chapters examine the uses and abuses of various writing-related assessments, and the policies that determine their form and use. Representing a diverse range of contexts, methods, and disciplines, the authors jointly call for more equitable testing systems that consider the socioeconomic, psychometric, affective, institutional, and needs of all students who strive to gain access to education and employment opportunities related to English language proficiency.
The Routledge Hispanic Studies Companion to Colonial Latin America and the Caribbean (Routledge Companions to Hispanic and Latin American Studies)
by Yolanda Martínez-San Miguel Santa AriasThe Routledge Hispanic Studies Companion to Colonial Latin America and the Caribbean (1492-1898) brings together an international team of scholars to explore new interdisciplinary and comparative approaches for the study of colonialism. Using four overarching themes, the volume examines a wide array of critical issues, key texts, and figures that demonstrate the significance of Colonial Latin America and the Caribbean across national and regional traditions and historical periods. This invaluable resource will be of interest to students and scholars of Spanish and Latin American studies examining colonial Caribbean and Latin America at the intersection of cultural and historical studies; transatlantic, postcolonial and decolonial studies; and critical approaches to archives and materiality. This timely volume assesses the impact and legacy of colonialism and coloniality.
Teaching and Researching ELLs’ Disciplinary Literacies: Systemic Functional Linguistics in Action in the Context of U.S. School Reform (Language, Culture, and Teaching Series)
by Meg GebhardWritten from a critical perspective, this volume provides teachers, teacher educators, and classroom researchers with a conceptual framework and practical methods for teaching and researching the disciplinary literacy development of English language learners (ELLs). Grounded in a nuanced critique of current social, economic, and political changes shaping public education, Gebhard offers a comprehensive framework for designing curriculum, instruction, and assessments that build on students’ linguistic and cultural resources and that are aligned with high-stakes state and national standards using the tools of systemic functional linguistics (SFL). By providing concrete examples of how teachers have used SFL in their work with students in urban schools, this book provides pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as literacy researchers and policy makers, with new insights into how they can support the disciplinary literacy development of ELLs and the professional practices of their teachers in the context of current school reforms. Key features of this book include the voices of teachers, examples of curriculum, sample analyses of student writing, and guiding questions to support readers in conducting action-oriented research in the schools where they work.
Global Perspectives on Language Education Policies (Global Research on Teaching and Learning English)
by Kathleen M. Bailey JoAnn Jodi CrandallPresenting research on language policy and planning, with a special focus on educational contexts in which English plays a role, this book brings readers up-to-date on the latest developments in research, theory, and practice in a rapidly changing field. The diversity of authors, research settings, and related topics offers a sample of empirical studies across multiple language teaching and university contexts. The fifth volume in the Global Research on Teaching and Learning English series, it features access to both new and previously unpublished research in chapters written by TIRF Doctoral Dissertation Grant awardees and invited chapters by respected scholars in the field.
Gramática española: Variación social
by Kim Potowski Naomi L. ShinGramática española: Variación social introduces intermediate to advanced students of Spanish to the main grammatical features of the language in a way that emphasizes the social underpinnings of language. Written entirely in Spanish, this unique approach to the study of grammar guides students in an examination of how Spanish grammar varies depending on place, social group, and situation. Students examine why some varieties of Spanish are considered prestigious while others are not, drawing on current and historical sociopolitical contexts, all while learning grammatical terminology and how to identify categories and constructions in Spanish. This is an excellent resource for students at level B1 or higher on the Common European Framework for Languages, and Intermediate High to Advanced High on the ACTFL proficiency scale.
Understanding and Teaching English Spelling: A Strategic Guide (ESL & Applied Linguistics Professional Series)
by Adam BrownConcise and engaging, this text provides pre-service and practicing English language teachers with the knowledge they need to successfully teach the spelling of English. Offering context and explanation for the English spelling system as well as uniquely addressing specific problems in learning the spelling of English words, this book empowers readers with strategies for coping with these problems. Divided into six accessible sections, Brown covers the history of English spelling, the influence of technology on spelling, the role of punctuation, the features of present-day English spelling, teaching strategies for coping with difficult spelling, and the future of spelling and literacy. The short, digestible chapters include practical learning objectives and end-of-chapter exercises to help teachers understand and explain English spelling concepts.
Architecture of the Periphery in Chinese: Cartography and Minimalism (Routledge Studies in Chinese Linguistics)
by Victor Junnan PanArchitecture of the Periphery in Chinese offers a comprehensive survey on the fine structure of the sentence peripheral domain in Mandarin Chinese from a cartographic perspective. Different functional projections hosting sentence-final particles, implicit operators and other informational components are hierarchically ordered according to the "Subjectivity Scale Constraint" functioning at syntax-discourse interface. Three questions will be essentially addressed: What is the order? How to determine such an order? Why such an order? This research not only gives a thorough examination of the peripheral elements in Chinese but also improves the general understanding of the ordering issue in the left-periphery crosslinguistically. This book is aimed at scholars interested in Chinese syntax or generative syntax.
Intensification and Modal Necessity in Mandarin Chinese (Routledge Studies in Chinese Linguistics)
by Jiun-Shiung WuThis book addresses intensification and modal necessity in Mandarin Chinese. Intensification is used in this book to describe the speaker’s emphasis on a proposition, because, by emphasizing on a proposition, the speaker intensifies the degree of his/her confidence and affirmativeness toward the truth of a proposition, cf. the distinction between ‘weaker’ and ‘stronger’. Modal necessity discussed in this book refers either to the speaker’s certainty regarding the truth of an inference, judgment or stipulation, that is, epistemic necessity or to the speaker’s certainty concerning the obligatoriness of a proposition, based on rules or regulations, i.e., deontic necessity. This book examines a series of lexical items in Mandarin Chinese that express either intensification or modal necessity, provides a unified semantics and also presents how these lexical items are semantically distinct. Intensification and Modal Necessity in Mandarin Chinese is aimed at instructors, researchers and post-graduate students of Chinese Linguistics.
Arabiyyat al-Naas fii MaSr (Part One): An Introductory Course in Arabic
by Munther Younes Makda Weatherspoon Elizabeth Huntley Jonathan Featherstone‘Arabiyyat al-Naas fii MaSr (Part One) offers a ground-breaking introduction to Arabic as it is written and spoken by native speakers. It combines a progressive and rigorous grounding in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the register employed for reading, writing and formal speaking, with an innovative integration of the dominant Egyptian variety. Introducing the two simultaneously and seamlessly building on their shared features, ‘Arabiyyat al-Naas fii MaSr (Part One) uses each in its proper context: Egyptian dialect for conversations and MSA for reading and writing activities. In this way, the course efficiently prepares students for the practical realities of learning and living Arabic today. Features include: Expanded grammar explanations and activation drills, including discussions about colloquial and formal similarities and differences A series of authentic video-clips recorded in Egypt to help learners revise the vocabulary and structures then learn unit by unit Extensive classroom activities and homework exercises that provide constant review to reinforce learning Arabic-English and English-Arabic glossaries, reference charts, and a grammar index Songs with simple lyrics tied to the themes of the course to help advance vocabulary acquisition and understanding of basic grammatical structures A companion website (www.routledge.com/cw/weatherspoon) that features fully integrated interactive, self-correcting exercises, audio and video materials, and additional online course management and grading options for teachers A user-friendly and vibrant text design with full colour, richly illustrated throughout with over two hundred illustrations and photos A teachers manual with an Arabic introduction for the teacher, which lays out the structure of the student course book, its methodology and directions and suggestions for its use. Written by experienced teachers of Arabic and experts in Arabic teaching pedagogy, ‘Arabiyyat al-Naas fii MaSr (Part One) is an essential resource for students beginning to learn Arabic.
Acting Chinese: An Intermediate-Advanced Course in Discourse and Behavioral Culture 行为汉语
by Yanfang Tang Kunshan Carolyn Lee Li Xu Jin Zhang Peng YuActing Chinese is a year-long course that, together with the companion website, integrates language learning with the acquisition of cultural knowledge, and treats culture as an integral part of human behavior and communication. Using modern day examples of Chinese discourse and behavioral culture, it trains students to perform in culturally appropriate fashion, whilst developing a systematic awareness and knowledge about Chinese philosophy, values and belief systems that will prepare them for further advanced study of Chinese language and culture. Each lesson contains simulated real-life communication scenarios that aim to provide a concrete opportunity to see how native speakers generally communicate or behave in social situations. An essential guide for intermediate to advanced level second language learners, Acting Chinese provides a unique and modern approach to the acquisition of both cultural knowledge and language proficiency.