华文水平测试(HSC)的基本理念

The Designing Principles of Heritage Chinese Language Proficiency Test

华文水平测试是汉考家族的新成员,是为测量海外华裔的祖语水平而设计的测试。在华测的视角下,海外华裔是一个独特的群体:(1)身份特殊,不同于一般外国人;(2)语言状况特殊,一是中文水平参差不齐,二是中文水平自移民后呈衰退趋势;(3)在情感、精神上仍归属于中华文化;(4)诉求特殊,他们希望向母语者靠拢,通过比照国内母语者水平来定位自己的中文水平。因此,为了能服务于这个特殊的考试群体,华测在总体设计上提出以下五个基本理念:(1)标准加常模的参照体系;(2)认知加语言的等级结构;(3)听说和读写尽可能严格区分的试题追求;(4)强化对汉字能力的要求;(5)强化中华文化背景的存在。

This paper examines the designing principles of Heritage Chinese Language Profi ciency Test, shortened as HSC. HSC is a new form of Chinese language test designed for measuring heritage language levels of overseas Chinese people. Compared with other test-takers, overseas Chinese people constitute a special ethnic group in at least four aspects. Firstly, their ethnic identity determines that they are different from other foreigners. Secondly, their Chinese language profi ciency varies greatly, and it is on the decline since their immigration. Thirdly, they are still attached to Chinese culture emotionally and spiritually. Lastly, they have a desire to improve their Chinese language to a level as high as Chinese native speakers'. In light of these characteristics of overseas Chinese, we propose that HSC shall be guided by some special designing principles in order to cater to the needs of this group of test takers. First, the Chinese language standards of native speakers and overseas Chinese speakers should be treated separately. Second, cognition and language use should be integrated in the profi ciency descriptors. Third, listening and speaking skills should be treated differently from reading and writing skills in the test. Forth, Chinese literacy should be reinforced in the test. Fifth, Chinese cultural knowledge should be highlighted. These principles can be signifi cant to make HSC an effective Chinese language profi ciency test for overseas Chinese speakers.