Understanding the Chinese Language provides a vibrant and comprehensive introduction to contemporary Chinese linguistics. Combining an accessible style with an

"DeFrancis's book is first rate. It entertains. It teaches. It demystifies. It counteracts popular ignorance as well as sophisticated (cocktail party) ignorance

The principal unit of a Chinese character, called the Radical (RADIX-root), gives the general meaning of the character. Most of the time, it is placed on the le

Deborah Fallows has spent a lot of her life learning languages and traveling around the world. But nothing prepared her for the surprises of learning Mandarin,

Learning Chinese can be frustrating and difficult, partly because it's very different from European languages. Following a teacher, textbook or language course