Russian is considered to be one of the world's most difficult languages. This course is aimed at helping those who are interested in understanding the basics of the Russian language, and preparing learners to further their language acquisition. Upon completion of the course students will have learned: the structure of Russian alphabet; how to write and read in Russian; how to pronounce Russian words; and recognise particular sounds and words in speech. After completing the course learners can continue to explore the language on Russian for Beginners 1. The course contains extensive video and audio materials on the basics of Russian phonetics. More than 150 exercises are provided for the learners to apply the knowledge they will learn on the course.

Nǐ hǎo! 你好！Welcome to Chinese for HSK Level 1 - a Chinese course for beginners. My name is YU Bin. I am very happy to meet you here! HSK stands for Hànyǔ (Chinese) Shuǐpíng (level) Kǎoshì (test), which is the most important Chinese proficiency test in use today. It assesses non-native Chinese speakers’ abilities in using Chinese in their daily, academic and professional lives. Chinese for HSK Level 1 is the first part of the 6 levels and assesses test takers’ abilities in the application of everyday Chinese. It is the counterpart of Level 1 of the Chinese Language Proficiency Scales for Speakers of Other Languages and the A1 Level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. You will learn:  30 video lectures with dialogue role plays by PKU students;  More than 150 commonly used words;  Around 50 key grammar points;  New words and texts via audio;  Quizzes for each lesson and HSK test papers;  Videos for 70 basic Chinese characters (optional);  Supplementary materials about China (optional). In short, the course covers the four skills although only listening and reading are tested in HSK. At the end of the course, you will be able to understand and use simple Chinese phrases, meet basic needs for communication and possess the ability to further your Chinese language studies. Have a fantastic journey of Chinese learning. For more information about HSK please visit: http://english.hanban.org/node_7581.htm.

This is an advanced course for Chinese for beginners. Learners will expand vocabularies about personal information, daily life, food and drink, healthy, and expressions about greeting, suggestion, agreement, comparison, complaint, prohibition, experience, plan, recommendation, etc. Learners can improve their listening and speaking and know much more about Chinese social cultures. As the same as Chinese for beginners, the course doesn’t ask the learners to know Chinese characters. Recommended Background: For learners with certain English language ability and better have attended Chinese for beginners.

¡Hola! ¿Como Estas? In this entry level course, you will take the first step toward exploring the foundations of Spanish grammar and pronunciation, and will begin to build a working vocabulary of common Spanish words and expressions. You will be able to talk about yourself, your family and friends in the present tense, and begin to explore the cultural context of the Spanish-speaking world through a series of videos and interactive activities, including speaking, reading and writing exercises. The adventure begins here, so ¡vámanos!

Japanese language has become extremely popular among learners in recent years, since it is the best way to explore one of the richest and most mysterious cultures of the modern East. This course is aimed at those who are interested in understanding Japanese way of thinking and view of the world through learning the language. Course materials are provided by the teaching staff from the Department of Japan Studies. Upon completion of this course the learners will be able: 1. To read simple texts in Japanese and write using the hiragana and katakana scripts as well as the kanji characters. 2. To understand basic vocabulary in speech and use it in everyday communicative situations. 3. To form their own sentences using the provided grammar material. The course provides extensive materials on Japanese grammar, phonetics, writing system and communication etiquette, as well as exercises for learners to apply the new knowledge. The vocabulary of the course consists of more than 200 words. Those who are interested in continuing their learning of Japanese language can proceed to the second part of this course - Japanese for beginners 2.

¡Bienvenidos! This second course in the specialization will build on the basic vocabulary you learned in the first course, and you will begin to build the skills necessary to express your likes and dislikes orally and in writing. You’ll also begin to explore the some of the common cultural experiences of the Spanish-speaking world through a visit to the marketplace. A series of interactive activities and videos will provide opportunities for practice and continued exploration of the cultural context of the Spanish-speaking world.

This is an elementary-level Korean language course, consisting of 5 lessons with 4 units, and covers 4 skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. The main topics include basic expressions used in everyday life, such as greetings, introducing yourself, talking about your family and a daily life and so on. Each lesson covers dialogues, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, quizzes and role-plays. After completing this course, you will be able to 1. read and write Korean alphabet. 2. communicate in Korean with basic expressions. 3. learn basic knowledge on Korean culture. It’s fun and easy to follow! Enjoy it!

Everywhere, every day, everybody uses language. There is no human society, no matter how small or how isolated, which does not employ a language that is rich and diverse. This course introduces you to linguistics, featuring interviews with well-known linguists and with speakers of many different languages. Join us to explore the miracles of human language! The Miracles of Human Language introduces you to the many-faceted study of languages, which has amazed humans since the beginning of history. Together with speakers of many other languages around the world, as well as with famous linguists such as Noam Chomsky and Adele Goldberg, you will learn to understand and analyse how your native tongue is at the same time similar and different from many other languages. You will learn the basic concepts of linguistics, get to know some of the key features of big and small languages and get insight into what linguists do. This course gives an introduction into the study of languages, the field of linguistics. With the support of the basic linguistic terminology that is offered in the course, you will soon be able to comment both on variety between languages, as well as on a single language’s internal structure. Anyone who wishes to understand how languages work, and how they can give us insight into the human mind is very welcome to join. The course is useful if you want to get a fairly quick introduction into linguistics, for instance because you are considering studying it further, or because you are interested in a neighbouring discipline such as psychology, computer science or anthropology. Furthermore, the course will help you develop analytical skills. If you are curious to understand how language works and how it gives insight into the human mind, this course is definitely for you!

Nowadays, there is an increasing number of people who are interested in Chinese culture and language. And it is useful to know about the language when coming to China for travel or business. This is an ABC Chinese course for beginners, including introduction of phonetics and daily expressions. After taking this class, learners can have a basic understanding of Chinese Mandarin and make basic conversations of daily living such as exchanging personal information, talking about daily arrangements and food, asking about price, introducing the city and the weather, telling your hobbies etc. Selected topics and situations come from real life scenarios and can be used for everyday communications. In addition to the dialogues, the selection of reading materials and practice activities will make the content as rich and varied as possible, in order to stimulate the learners’ interests. This is an elementary course on Chinese speaking. The learners don’t need to study Chinese characters, so it is easier to follow and complete this course.

Welcome to Learn to Speak Korean 1! This course is for beginner students who are familiar with the Korean alphabet, Hangeul. Through this course students will learn the skills essential for daily interactions with Koreans while living in Korea. This course consists of six modules, and each module is composed of five units. Each unit has vocabulary, grammar and expressions, conversation practice, video clips, quizzes, a workbook, and vocabulary lists. In order to assist students with their independent studies, Korean learning materials such as lecture notes, workbooks, and vocabulary lists detailing each day’s lecture are also provided. The vocabulary lists are accompanied by English, Chinese, and Japanese translations. I hope that you enjoy all this program has to offer over the next six weeks. After studying in this program, you will be able to have a real Korean conversation with your newly acquired knowledge of the Korean language. Thank you! Your Course Team Chief Contents Developer: Sang Mee Han Contents Developers: Bock Ja Lee, Yoo Kyung Choi, Ha Min Cho, Ju Eun Kim Production Assistants: Jin Hee Kim, Eun Hye Kim