現代標準漢語（通常被稱為“普通話”）的入門教程為兩學期，本課程是第一學期。雖然不是每位選修此課的同學都是完全的初學者，這門課程仍然假定選修者先前缺乏現代標準漢語的背景。這門課程的開設目的是為了培養學生的：（a）基本對話能力（包括發音、基本語法類型、常用辭彙和標準用法）；(b)基本閱讀技巧（包括傳統的繁體字體系和簡體字體系）；(c) 理解漢字書寫體系構建方法，以及抄寫、書寫漢字的能力；(d)在學習類似於基礎漢語這樣的語言時的語感，及其所包含的特定學習步驟，使學生之後能夠有效的自學。

This subject is the first semester of two that form an introduction to modern standard Chinese, commonly called Mandarin. Though not everyone taking this course will be an absolute beginner, the course presupposes no prior background in the language. The purpose of this course is to develop: (a) basic conversational abilities (pronunciation, fundamental grammatical patterns, common vocabulary, and standard usage); (b) basic reading skills (in both the traditional character set and the simplified); (c) an understanding of the way the Chinese writing system is structured, and the ability to copy and write characters; and (d) a sense of what learning a language like Chinese entails, and the sort of learning processes that it involves, so students are able to continue studying effectively on their own.

本課所採用的主要教材是J. K. Wheatley編寫的《漢語學習：普通話基礎教程I》（未出版，但可在網上取得）。（本書第二部分為課程 21F.102/152的基礎內容，在開放式課程網頁上也有）。

The main text is J. K. Wheatley’s Learning Chinese: A Foundation Course in Mandarin, part I (unpublished, but available online). (Part II of the book forms the basis of 21F.102/152, which is also published on OpenCourseWare.)

技術需求

需要安裝一些播放軟體，如 QuickTime® Player， RealOne™ Player，或Windows Media® Player，以播放該課程網頁上的.mp3檔。

Media player software, such as QuickTime® Player, RealOne™ Player, or Windows Media® Player, is required to run the .mp3 files found on this course site.