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Rating: 
Summary: A Fully Integrated and Logical Approach to Learning Chinese
Review:
Integrated Chinese is one of two programs commonly used in U.S. University and College Chinese programs, and is, in my opinion, the best program for English speakers to learn Chinese that I've ever seen. [The other program, the Practical Chinese Reader series, is also reasonably good, but doesn't introduce the key grammar, writing and pronounciation rules from the beginning, doesn't focus as heavily on radicals early on as it should, and the sequence of lessons isn't as useful.]Unlike so many other programs, IC doesn't just focus on speaking the language, but incorporates all areas that make learning a language complete (listening, speaking, reading and writing). But, what makes this program excellent isn't merely the integrated approach, but its sequence and methodology that lay a solid foundation to build upon, making learning the language much easier and faster. All language components are introduced to the reader from the very beginning, and this text quickly gets to the basics of the language. Chinese characters and their Pinyin Romanizations in simplified Chinese are covered in a logical sequence that increases retention. [Traditional characters are included in the back of the text in Level 1, Parts 1 & 2, while they are provided along side the simplified characters in Level 2.] A good explanation of character formulation and stroke order (keys to writing/reading) and thorough coverage of pronounciation (keys to listening and speaking) get you going quickly. An important note: Pinyin, unfortunately, does not always indicate pronounciation very well, so, for this program to really be effective, you need the textbook and accompanying audio at the very minimum. Trying to decipher Chinese sounds in writing is far from helpful. (Do you know what a bilabial aspirative plosive or a voiceless blade-palatal fricative are? If not, you won't get far without the accompanying audio.) Using the workbook, workbook audio and character workbook make this a really complete learning sytem. I've been blown away by how much I've learned in a short time using this program. I cannot recommend it enough for anyone serious about learning Chinese. Best of luck. [This review refers to the Simplified Edition of the Integrated Chinese text book in particular, and the program in general. Level 1, Parts 1 & 2 are also available in a Traditional Character edition]
Rating: 
Summary: You should avoid this book!!!
Review: I am a native Chinese instructor teaching in the US. IC is a poorly wrtitten book with lots of typos and confusing English explanations of the Chinese grammar. This is not only my impression. Almost all my students complained to me about this. They often tell me that they couldn't understand what the book was saying and ask me to explain it in a more reader-friendly way. Don't get me wrong. Most of my american students have master degrees from prestigious universities. Besides a lot of Chinese usages in this book are out of date. This is a major problem as its very important for students to learn today's Chinese not the Chinese spoken in the 70s. Also the translation of the Chinese vocabulary is not accurate in many cases and very often misleading. So if you really want to learn proper Chinese, you should try another book.
Rating:
Summary: Good Chinese introductory
Review: This book is good because: 1. it categorizes topics (shopping, hobbies, weather, etc) 2. it starts with characters and ends with dialogues 3. Nice fonts, both English and Chinese chars 4. It has index, about where to find specific characters in the book... 5. The index also has definition for each characters, sorta make the index itself a small dictionary 6. The grammar section explains not only the correct structure, but also the Chinese people 'normally' use in everyday use or custom, if you will.
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