Speak and Act: Beginning Chinese (I & II) is a basic textbook for learners who have never learned Chinese before. The teaching goal is to lay a solid foundation for beginners in all four skills—listening, speaking, reading and writing. It seamlessly blends study of Chinese culture, especially behavior culture, with rigorous training in the four skills. Helping learners to attain the ability to use Chinese accurately and naturally in the appropriate language environment is the ultimate goal. The theoretical framework of this program is the speech act theory. To this end, language functionality is put in a leading and core position and serves as the organizational principle of this textbook. The main features are as follows:

 Introducing language functions in the appropriate context, explicitly linking functions to language forms, and demonstrating the cultural connotations of language forms.

 Numerous interactive, student-centered and task-based communicative activities are provided in each instructional component.

 Each lesson also includes short authentic listening and reading materials to help students develop coping strategies when living in a real Chinese-speaking environment.

This textbook is designed primarily for English-speaking adult learners in a college setting; but high school classes and individual learners can also tailor the program to their needs. Fully aware of the differences among Chinese programs in terms of goals, objectives, needs and the student body they serve, the lessons are structured to be highly flexible for individualized curriculum and lesson planning.

Maiheng S. Dietrich is a doctor of Chinese language and literature and a master of English language and literature from the University of Minnesota. She teaches in the Department of East Asian Languages and civilizations, University of Pennsylvania, USA, and is engaged in the teaching of Chinese language (especially basic Chinese) and modern Chinese literature. The research interests mainly involve the grammar teaching of Chinese as a second language, the relationship between language form and pragmatic function, the cultural teaching in language class, the influence of typing and handwriting on text writing, and the teaching method of specialized courses in target language. The results were published in Chinese and English journals and international conferences.

Melvin Lee, Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania.

Karina H. Chen, A part-time lecturer in the school of advanced international relations at Johns Hopkins University.