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Dr. Theodore Hsi-en Chen (1902-1991): Chinese American Education Pioneer and Founder of East Asian Studies at USC

Elementary Chinese Reader and Grammar 國語讀本. South Pasadena: P.D. and Ione Perkins, 1945.

Dr. Chen and his wife wrote this textbook in dedication to their two American-born daughters. It was used as a textbook in the Chinese class at USC in the 1940s. This book, though used for “elementary” level, includes extensive comparisons between Chinese and American history, culture, and society--comparable to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) advanced-mid to advanced-high level of Chinese language competence.

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Dr. Chen and his wife wrote this textbook in dedication to their two American-born daughters. It was used as a textbook in the Chinese class at USC in the 1940s. This book, though used for “elementary” level, includes longer reading passages/conversations, a large amount of vocabulary as well as extensive comparisons between Chinese and American history, culture, and society-- roughly comparable to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Intermediate High to Advanced Low level of Chinese language competence. Note that the transliteration system used in this textbook was Wade-Giles, not the Bopomofo or Pinyin system.
Contents of this path:
1. Elementary Chinese Reader and Grammar 國語讀本. South Pasadena: P.D. and Ione Perkins, 1945. Dr. Chen and his wife wrote this textbook in dedication to their two American-born daughters. It was used as a textbook in the Chinese class at USC in the 1940s. This book, though used for “elementary” level, includes extensive comparisons between Chinese and American history, culture, and society--comparable to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) advanced-mid to advanced-high level of Chinese language competence.