A Comparative Study Of Short-term Spoken Chinese Textbooks

This paper select two oral textbooks of teaching Chinese as a foreign language for comparison.They are "Conversational Chinese 301" and "Standard Chinese course(conversation)".Although both of them are short-term spoken Chinese textbooks which are aimed at primary speakers,the characteristics of them is distinct,different and comparable.What' more,the former is frequently used and the latter is not very often.Therefore we make comparison to discuss similarities and differences of them and if these two materials meet their needs.For example,whether the length of text is appropriate,is close to life,is following the trend of the times;whether the amount of arrangement is reasonable,the notation is precise;cultural projects is in compliance with daily oral communication etc..At the same time,we must find the difference between them,and discover why.We also discuss if mature materials accept others'advice and make improvement;what is the innovation of new edition;if new edition reflects the changes in social life and teaching Chinese as a foreign language;whether they are the perfect place to be;what is the cause of problems.After comparison,we found that although "Conversational Chinese 301" has some problems such as:stiff dialogue,poor interest,not practical,it is widely used because the text length is shorter,the lexical level is lower;vocabulary is moderate,practice is easier.So it is very easy to use and suitable for primary learners."Standard Chinese course(conversation)" has its characteristics as well.Text is longer and closer to life with more authenticity.It also contains more culture project.But vocabulary is large and difficult,which takes more time for students to understand.So as a short-term training material it is not very appropriate.Meanwhile,they both have some shortcomings.For example single exercise type,high repetition rate,leaving less free space for students.At last,we put forward some suggestions for improvement.Text should pay more attention to authenticity and interesting.Vocabulary should be moderate with appropriate difficulty.Types of training should be more flexible,and give full play to the initiative of students.The preparation of teaching materials should be closely combined with the teaching practice absorbing the user's opinions.