This is the first of 16 volumes of audiolingual classroom instruction in Mandarin Chinese. The course is designed to train native English speakers to Level 3 Foreign Service Institute proficiency in comprehension and speaking, and to Level 2 proficiency in reading and writing Mandarin. The introduction to Volume I discusses the main features of Chinese pronunciation, including consonants and vowels, initial and final sounds, stress, and tone. Instructional materials in the 15 lessons include dialogues, pictorial aids, vocabulary lists, grammar analyses, translation exercises, and pronunciation drills. Mandarin words are presented in phonetic transcription only. The emphasis of the course is on military science. (JB)