Taiwanese
As a result of political change within Taiwan, the long-suppressed Hokkien language (Taiwanese), spoken by 71 percent of the population, is gaining legitimacy. Although Taiwanese was previously not even spoken in schools, it is now being introduced into school curriculums throughout the country. In addition, it is being used more and more often in the politics, mass media, and everyday speech of the Taiwanese people.
In the Taiwanese language, there are 7 different tones; when speaking, it is necessary to change these tones. This language comes from a highly developed culture which, like that of the Chinese, has a 5,000 year history. As a written language, Taiwanese and Chinese (Mandarin) are very similar in that they use the same characters. As a spoken language, however, these languages are completely different. Because Taiwanese speech has developed differently than its written form, there now exists a slight difference between reading and writing Taiwanese, versus how it is spoken.
Course Offerings
- CHIN 0133 Beginning Taiwanese I
- CHIN 0233 Beginning Taiwanese II
- CHIN 0333 Intermediate Taiwanese I
- CHIN 0433 Intermediate Taiwanese II
View course descriptions.
Instructors
Grace WuCourse Schedule
| Title | Instructors | Location | Time | Description | Cross listings | Fulfills | Registration notes | Syllabus | Syllabus URL | Term | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHIN 0233-680 | Beginning Taiwanese II | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM | A continuation of Beginning Taiwanese I, this course will cover language training as well as cultural topics including history and political aspects of Taiwan. Conversation topics range from daily conversation to professional and formal situations. | CHIN5233680 | 2025A | ||||||
| CHIN 0433-680 | Intermediate Taiwanese II | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | TR 5:15 PM-6:44 PM | This is a continuation of Intermediate Taiwanese I. Students will further develop their speaking and listening skills and will be able to communicate with ease and confidence when dealing with everyday routine tasks. Students will also gain skills to process and seek information in Taiwanese. Conversation topics include the New Year, folk songs and Tang poetry. Authentic materials are used for enhancing reading, listening, and speaking practices. | CHIN5433680 | 2025A | ||||||
| CHIN 5233-680 | Beginning Taiwanese II | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM | A continuation of Beginning Taiwanese I, this course will cover language training as well as cultural topics including history and political aspects of Taiwan. Conversation topics range from daily conversation to professional and formal situations. | CHIN0233680 | 2025A | ||||||
| CHIN 5433-680 | Intermediate Taiwanese II | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | TR 5:15 PM-6:44 PM | This is a continuation of Intermediate Taiwanese I. Students will further develop their speaking and listening skills and will be able to communicate with ease and confidence when dealing with everyday routine tasks. Students will also gain skills to process and seek information in Taiwanese. Conversation topics include the New Year, folk songs and Tang poetry. Authentic materials are used for enhancing reading, listening, and speaking practices. | CHIN0433680 | 2025A | ||||||
| CHIN 0133-680 | Beginning Taiwanese I | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | BENN 407 | TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM | Beginning Taiwanese I is designed to help students learn enough to enable them to handle basic social interactions when visiting Taiwan, such as greeting others, introducing yourself, ordering food, asking directions, etc. You will also learn to listen and understand the oral language typically heard in locations such as the grocery store, train station, bus stop, and restaurants. | CHIN5133680 | 2024C | |||||
| CHIN 0333-680 | Intermediate Taiwanese I | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | NRN 00 | CANCELED | Students will further develop their speaking and listening skills and will be able to communicate with ease and confidence when dealing with everyday routine tasks. Students will also gain skills to process and seek information in Taiwanese. Conversation topics include New Year, folk songs, and Tang poetry. Authentic materials are used for enhancing reading, listening, and speaking practices. | CHIN5333680 | 2024C | |||||
| CHIN 5133-680 | Beginning Taiwanese I | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | BENN 407 | TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM | Beginning Taiwanese I is designed to help students learn enough to enable them to handle basic social interactions when visiting Taiwan, such as greeting others, introducing yourself, ordering food, asking directions, etc. You will also learn to listen and understand the oral language typically heard in locations such as the grocery store, train station, bus stop, and restaurants. | CHIN0133680 | 2024C | |||||
| CHIN 5333-680 | Intermediate Taiwanese I | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | NRN 00 | CANCELED | Students will further develop their speaking and listening skills and will be able to communicate with ease and confidence when dealing with everyday routine tasks. Students will also gain skills to process and seek information in Taiwanese. Conversation topics include New Year, folk songs, and Tang poetry. Authentic materials are used for enhancing reading, listening, and speaking practices. | CHIN0333680 | 2024C | |||||
| CHIN 0233-680 | Beginning Taiwanese II | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | WILL 2 | TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM | A continuation of Beginning Taiwanese I, this course will cover language training as well as cultural topics including history and political aspects of Taiwan. Conversation topics range from daily conversation to professional and formal situations. | https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=CHIN0233680 | 2024A | |||||
| CHIN 0433-680 | Intermediate Taiwanese II | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | This is a continuation of Intermediate Taiwanese I. Students will further develop their speaking and listening skills and will be able to communicate with ease and confidence when dealing with everyday routine tasks. Students will also gain skills to process and seek information in Taiwanese. Conversation topics include the New Year, folk songs and Tang poetry. Authentic materials are used for enhancing reading, listening, and speaking practices. | 2024A | ||||||||
| CHIN 0133-680 | Beginning Taiwanese I | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | WILL 421 | TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM | Beginning Taiwanese I is designed to help students learn enough to enable them to handle basic social interactions when visiting Taiwan, such as greeting others, introducing yourself, ordering food, asking directions, etc. You will also learn to listen and understand the oral language typically heard in locations such as the grocery store, train station, bus stop, and restaurants. | 2023C | ||||||
| CHIN 0333-680 | Intermediate Taiwanese I | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | CANCELED | Students will further develop their speaking and listening skills and will be able to communicate with ease and confidence when dealing with everyday routine tasks. Students will also gain skills to process and seek information in Taiwanese. Conversation topics include New Year, folk songs, and Tang poetry. Authentic materials are used for enhancing reading, listening, and speaking practices. | Penn Lang Center Perm needed | 2023C | ||||||
| CHIN 0233-680 | Beginning Taiwanese II | Grace Mei-Hui Wu | CANCELED | A continuation of Beginning Taiwanese I, this course will cover language training as well as cultural topics including history and political aspects of Taiwan. Conversation topics range from daily conversation to professional and formal situations. | 2023A |