Speak Chinese Today

This is a self–study program for learning everyday spoken Mandarin Chinese. Speak Chinese Today! is a complete course in modern spoken Chinese (putonghua, sometimes referred to as Mandarin Chinese), suitable for classroom use of self–study. It is the quickest way for travelers and businesspeople to learn Chinese. Twenty–five dialogues covering a wide variety of everyday situations are presented in Characters, in pinyin (the official romanizations system of China), and in English translation. The text is designed especially to allow students to work on improving pronunciation and Chinese language fluency. Vocabulary and grammar notes complement the text, enabling students to study on their own; for beginners, the basic sounds of the language are introduced and pronunciation practice is provided.