This study investigates the differences in pragmatic competence between Hong Kong and Chinese mainland university students.Participants included 19 native speakers of English,115 Chinese mainland students,divided into...This study investigates the differences in pragmatic competence between Hong Kong and Chinese mainland university students.Participants included 19 native speakers of English,115 Chinese mainland students,divided into those who had spent time abroad in an English-speaking country(CM A)and those who had not(CM NA),and 97 Hong Kong students,divided into those from an English-medium secondary school(Hong Kong EMI)and those from a Chinese-medium school(Hong Kong CMI).Linguistic proficiency was measured by a C-test,and pragmatic competence by a Metapragmatic Knowledge Test,an Irony Test and a Monologic Role Play.Group scores were compared using ANCOVAs to control for differences in proficiency.The results point to a continuum of pragmatic competence—EMI>CMI>CM A>CM NA—reflecting the groups’access to English in real-life contexts.The differences between the Hong Kong groups and the Chinese mainland groups were clearest in those tests measuring processing capacity(i.e.,Irony Response Time and the Monologic Role Play).CM A,but not CM NA,performed as well as the Hong Kong groups on measures of metapragmatic awareness.The results are discussed in terms of Bialystok’s(1993)distinction between analyzed representation and control of processing.展开更多
This paper reconsiders the role of L 1 pragmatic transfer on English learning after a brief historical review of the pragmatic transfer research. As pragmatic transfer is a communicative strategy which the language le...This paper reconsiders the role of L 1 pragmatic transfer on English learning after a brief historical review of the pragmatic transfer research. As pragmatic transfer is a communicative strategy which the language learners tend to use to deal with the immediate problems and difficulties in communication and to develop their pragmatic competence of the target language, the paper comes to the conclusion that foreign language teachers should consciously introduce the pragmatic transfer as a communicative strategy into the classroom teaching, and try to find effective means to cultivate their students' abilities of pragmatic transfer in order to develop pragmatic competence.展开更多
Reading English newspapers and magazines is an effective way to help the students get the latest information worldwide and improve English levels. The present article first analyzes the features of the English newspap...Reading English newspapers and magazines is an effective way to help the students get the latest information worldwide and improve English levels. The present article first analyzes the features of the English newspapers and magazines and then proposes making good use of them through such classroom activities as discussing the hot issue and role-playing to provide more authentic situations in which the students can have chances to practice four English skills, achieving the ideal teaching result.展开更多
The paper explores the positive impact of constructivism-based course books compiling and the new mode of teaching, analyzes their effects on helping students improve their integrated English language competence, and ...The paper explores the positive impact of constructivism-based course books compiling and the new mode of teaching, analyzes their effects on helping students improve their integrated English language competence, and pointing out that the development of teaching non-English major graduate students has raised new demands for teaching devices, teaching methodology and new roles of teachers and learners. Therefore, New Century Graduate English Series, as constructivism-based course books, has made some beneficial attempts for the implementation of the new graduate English teaching reauirements.展开更多
In this paper, the author discusses implications of original reportage texts in EFL teaching and learning from the perspectives of socio-linguistics and pragmatic competence. The author also discusses a proper approac...In this paper, the author discusses implications of original reportage texts in EFL teaching and learning from the perspectives of socio-linguistics and pragmatic competence. The author also discusses a proper approach for teaching medical postgraduate students, which is centered on students and based on research. This approach for teaching and leaning has been proved effective and students have improved in their socio-linguistic and pragmatic competences. This approach should have implications to EFL teachers who teach students of other specialties.展开更多
In today' s society, there are increasingly more new requirements on English education in local colleges and universities, and also there are some problems to be exposed. A great difference exists between the languag...In today' s society, there are increasingly more new requirements on English education in local colleges and universities, and also there are some problems to be exposed. A great difference exists between the language application ability of learners and the actual conditions of teaching; great investments are put by both schools and teachers into teaching, but the teaching quality is not improved and also the teaching effect is not very ideal; the pass rate and excellent rate of CET4 and CET6 are pursued by many Chinese colleges and universities, and the strategy with an ocean of paper and examination-oriented intensive training methods are even applied, so that the internal rules of language teaching are seriously damaged.展开更多
This study aims to explore whether developing critical thinking ability from the perspective of pragmatic presupposition can help non-English majors improve their writing achievements.This empirical study employs test...This study aims to explore whether developing critical thinking ability from the perspective of pragmatic presupposition can help non-English majors improve their writing achievements.This empirical study employs tests as the instruments.126 non-English majors from a key university of Shandong Province participate in the study.The results of the Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test indicate that most subjects(95%)have inadequate or limited critical thinking ability,which leads to digression,repetitive and lengthy description,and unconvincing arguments,as well as illogical or incoherent structures in writing.After a ten-week teaching instruction from the perspective of pragmatic presupposition,students in experimental group improve their writing achievements,indicating that the instruction of critical thinking ability from the perspective of pragmatic presupposition may have certain effects on their writing performance.The study will promote the application of pragmatic presupposition to writing teaching and offer some implications for the teaching of English writing.展开更多
This paper discusses the lexical approach in college English teaching and learning. The lexical approach can help students learn to use English in an idiomatic way rather than in a Chinese way which may cause misunder...This paper discusses the lexical approach in college English teaching and learning. The lexical approach can help students learn to use English in an idiomatic way rather than in a Chinese way which may cause misunderstanding or confusion of native English speakers. As for the college English Teaching in China, the lexical approach works better than the traditional word-based teaching and learning. It can help students to learn "real" or "authentic" English and improve the students' ability to use English in all-around way.展开更多
The present paper discusses three major sources of negative effect of classroom instruction on L2 learners' pragmatic development: inadequate or inappropriate metapragmatic input, non-authentic classroom discourse a...The present paper discusses three major sources of negative effect of classroom instruction on L2 learners' pragmatic development: inadequate or inappropriate metapragmatic input, non-authentic classroom discourse and grammar-oriented pedagogy, then proposes some pedagogical suggestions on developing pragmatic competence.展开更多
Practical English test for higher vocational colleges is examining students learning effect, curriculum arrangement and teaching model rationality, and it is one of the important propositions in the study of English a...Practical English test for higher vocational colleges is examining students learning effect, curriculum arrangement and teaching model rationality, and it is one of the important propositions in the study of English application ability. In practical English test, concreteness, pertinence and practicability are emphasized. It is closely linked with the students' knowledge practice and attracts more attention from school teachers and students to a large extent. In the real interactive teaching and learning, the scores of higher vocational college students in practical English test are affected by many factors. In this paper, the factors affecting the ability of higher vocational college students in practical English test are discussed from teaching model, learning strategies, and the cultivation of the students' English comprehensive ability.展开更多
In Nigeria, almost 500 indigenous languages continue to compete with the English language that has assumed the status of a global linguistic code. The contact, in different domains between English and indigenous langu...In Nigeria, almost 500 indigenous languages continue to compete with the English language that has assumed the status of a global linguistic code. The contact, in different domains between English and indigenous languages in the country continues to affect performance in English and contact languages, making effective communication in either English or any of the indigenous languages unattainable. The purpose of this study is to show that although no particular document, so named, exists expressing the nation's policy on language, nonetheless, the country has a policy on language that accommodates the indigenous languages as substrates, while the English language holds sway in various linguistic domains. Using a simple descriptive survey with data from previous studies, this paper examines the linguistic implications of the contact between English and indigenous languages on the younger generations who are losing contact with the mother tongue, and also not demonstrating enough proficiency in the English language. It is recommended that the opportunities that competence and maturation afforded a second language learner should be latched onto to gain the needed proficiency in English thus making them effective bilinguals and communicators in a world that is fast becoming a global village, and the inhabitants global citizens.展开更多
English is used an important course of higher vocational colleges, which can greatly improve stuctents" language application ability to a great extent and it can also make students understand western culture knowledg...English is used an important course of higher vocational colleges, which can greatly improve stuctents" language application ability to a great extent and it can also make students understand western culture knowledge through foreign language learning. But in current higher vocational colleges, it faces many dilemmas. Only by correctly analyzing these dilemmas will it propose corresponding reasonab!e solutions, which is good for English education development of higher vocational colleges and improving English level of higher vocational college students.展开更多
Stomatology English as an international language in the academic field, it is the basic skill that oral medicine students uses to understand the academic from, master new technologies in clinical, and expand professio...Stomatology English as an international language in the academic field, it is the basic skill that oral medicine students uses to understand the academic from, master new technologies in clinical, and expand professional horizons. The study targets for the training the ability of applying stomatology English, exploring and practicing in the teaching materials, teacher training, teaching methods and the language application environment, thus forming a "three-step" stomatology English teaching mode and gaining effective results.展开更多
The requirements of the college English curriculum teaching put forward the teaching objectives to cultivate the English comprehensive application abilities of the students, and improve their cultural qualities and th...The requirements of the college English curriculum teaching put forward the teaching objectives to cultivate the English comprehensive application abilities of the students, and improve their cultural qualities and their abilities of the independent learning, which pointed out the direction for the reform of the college English teaching. The language teaching mode based on the contents of the subject advocates that the knowledge learning and the language learning with the combination of the contents of the discipline, to develop the students' independent learning abilities, is a feasible and effective way to achieve the goal of the college English teaching. To cultivate the students' practical ability of using English is the basic task of the English teaching and learning. But China's current college English education failed to organically and effectively combine the teaching of the language knowledge and the cultivation of the language abilities and the teaching of the knowledge, leading to the existence of the obvious price scissors in the students' language knowledge and the language abilities. Therefore, the key to the reform of the college English teaching is to correctly position the roles of the foreign language teachers, change the classroom teaching into the process of the two-way interaction between the teachers and the students, focus on the cultivation of the students' intercultural communicative competence, so that the students' language knowledge and their language abilities can promote each other, and obtain the coordinative development, to better adapt to the requirements of the times.展开更多
Chinese college students have some drawbacks in English learning and mastering. Through a dozen years of English learning, some of them have high ability of passing examinations, but the practical application ability ...Chinese college students have some drawbacks in English learning and mastering. Through a dozen years of English learning, some of them have high ability of passing examinations, but the practical application ability is barely satisfactory with relatively poor listening level and oral expression ability. The objective cause for this situation is the relatively single and stylization English teaching model used by traditional colleges and universities. This model only emphasizes learning on class which greatly harms students' English learning enthusiasm and initiatives. The result is that although the students passed CET4 and CET6 long time before their graduation, they still not dare to open their mouth to speaking concerning face to face English communications. Over the years, the researches on how to improve college students' English application ability never stop and they did obtain some achievements and show some opportunities, for example, if we can bring APP (application programs) into college English listening class, it will largely meet students requirements on English learning and this can also replenish and perfect traditional English teaching model.展开更多
This study investigates the relationship between Iranian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners' sensory preferences: Visual, Audial, and Haptic (VAH) and the learners' speaking strategy use across profic...This study investigates the relationship between Iranian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners' sensory preferences: Visual, Audial, and Haptic (VAH) and the learners' speaking strategy use across proficiency. To this end 146 Iranian EFL learners studying English at different levels of language proficiency, participated in this study. O'Brien's (1990) learning channel preference checklist was given to students to determine their sensory preferences In addition, a Speaking Strategy questionnaire (an adaptation of strategy inventory for language learning (SILL), focusing on strategies used at the time of Speaking) was also given to the students in another session. The data were analyzed using multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) in order to probe the relationship between Iranian EFL Learners' Learning Style Sensory Preferences and their speaking strategy use across proficiency. Based on the results, it can be claimed that there was a weak to moderate interaction between the proficiency levels and preference of speaking strategies on the learning styles of the Iranian EFL learners.展开更多
Pragmatic competence is generally considered to involve two kinds of ability. In part it means knowing how to use languag1 in order to achieve certain communicative goals or intentions.
文摘This study investigates the differences in pragmatic competence between Hong Kong and Chinese mainland university students.Participants included 19 native speakers of English,115 Chinese mainland students,divided into those who had spent time abroad in an English-speaking country(CM A)and those who had not(CM NA),and 97 Hong Kong students,divided into those from an English-medium secondary school(Hong Kong EMI)and those from a Chinese-medium school(Hong Kong CMI).Linguistic proficiency was measured by a C-test,and pragmatic competence by a Metapragmatic Knowledge Test,an Irony Test and a Monologic Role Play.Group scores were compared using ANCOVAs to control for differences in proficiency.The results point to a continuum of pragmatic competence—EMI>CMI>CM A>CM NA—reflecting the groups’access to English in real-life contexts.The differences between the Hong Kong groups and the Chinese mainland groups were clearest in those tests measuring processing capacity(i.e.,Irony Response Time and the Monologic Role Play).CM A,but not CM NA,performed as well as the Hong Kong groups on measures of metapragmatic awareness.The results are discussed in terms of Bialystok’s(1993)distinction between analyzed representation and control of processing.
文摘This paper reconsiders the role of L 1 pragmatic transfer on English learning after a brief historical review of the pragmatic transfer research. As pragmatic transfer is a communicative strategy which the language learners tend to use to deal with the immediate problems and difficulties in communication and to develop their pragmatic competence of the target language, the paper comes to the conclusion that foreign language teachers should consciously introduce the pragmatic transfer as a communicative strategy into the classroom teaching, and try to find effective means to cultivate their students' abilities of pragmatic transfer in order to develop pragmatic competence.
文摘Reading English newspapers and magazines is an effective way to help the students get the latest information worldwide and improve English levels. The present article first analyzes the features of the English newspapers and magazines and then proposes making good use of them through such classroom activities as discussing the hot issue and role-playing to provide more authentic situations in which the students can have chances to practice four English skills, achieving the ideal teaching result.
文摘The paper explores the positive impact of constructivism-based course books compiling and the new mode of teaching, analyzes their effects on helping students improve their integrated English language competence, and pointing out that the development of teaching non-English major graduate students has raised new demands for teaching devices, teaching methodology and new roles of teachers and learners. Therefore, New Century Graduate English Series, as constructivism-based course books, has made some beneficial attempts for the implementation of the new graduate English teaching reauirements.
文摘In this paper, the author discusses implications of original reportage texts in EFL teaching and learning from the perspectives of socio-linguistics and pragmatic competence. The author also discusses a proper approach for teaching medical postgraduate students, which is centered on students and based on research. This approach for teaching and leaning has been proved effective and students have improved in their socio-linguistic and pragmatic competences. This approach should have implications to EFL teachers who teach students of other specialties.
文摘In today' s society, there are increasingly more new requirements on English education in local colleges and universities, and also there are some problems to be exposed. A great difference exists between the language application ability of learners and the actual conditions of teaching; great investments are put by both schools and teachers into teaching, but the teaching quality is not improved and also the teaching effect is not very ideal; the pass rate and excellent rate of CET4 and CET6 are pursued by many Chinese colleges and universities, and the strategy with an ocean of paper and examination-oriented intensive training methods are even applied, so that the internal rules of language teaching are seriously damaged.
文摘This study aims to explore whether developing critical thinking ability from the perspective of pragmatic presupposition can help non-English majors improve their writing achievements.This empirical study employs tests as the instruments.126 non-English majors from a key university of Shandong Province participate in the study.The results of the Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test indicate that most subjects(95%)have inadequate or limited critical thinking ability,which leads to digression,repetitive and lengthy description,and unconvincing arguments,as well as illogical or incoherent structures in writing.After a ten-week teaching instruction from the perspective of pragmatic presupposition,students in experimental group improve their writing achievements,indicating that the instruction of critical thinking ability from the perspective of pragmatic presupposition may have certain effects on their writing performance.The study will promote the application of pragmatic presupposition to writing teaching and offer some implications for the teaching of English writing.
文摘This paper discusses the lexical approach in college English teaching and learning. The lexical approach can help students learn to use English in an idiomatic way rather than in a Chinese way which may cause misunderstanding or confusion of native English speakers. As for the college English Teaching in China, the lexical approach works better than the traditional word-based teaching and learning. It can help students to learn "real" or "authentic" English and improve the students' ability to use English in all-around way.
文摘The present paper discusses three major sources of negative effect of classroom instruction on L2 learners' pragmatic development: inadequate or inappropriate metapragmatic input, non-authentic classroom discourse and grammar-oriented pedagogy, then proposes some pedagogical suggestions on developing pragmatic competence.
文摘Practical English test for higher vocational colleges is examining students learning effect, curriculum arrangement and teaching model rationality, and it is one of the important propositions in the study of English application ability. In practical English test, concreteness, pertinence and practicability are emphasized. It is closely linked with the students' knowledge practice and attracts more attention from school teachers and students to a large extent. In the real interactive teaching and learning, the scores of higher vocational college students in practical English test are affected by many factors. In this paper, the factors affecting the ability of higher vocational college students in practical English test are discussed from teaching model, learning strategies, and the cultivation of the students' English comprehensive ability.
文摘In Nigeria, almost 500 indigenous languages continue to compete with the English language that has assumed the status of a global linguistic code. The contact, in different domains between English and indigenous languages in the country continues to affect performance in English and contact languages, making effective communication in either English or any of the indigenous languages unattainable. The purpose of this study is to show that although no particular document, so named, exists expressing the nation's policy on language, nonetheless, the country has a policy on language that accommodates the indigenous languages as substrates, while the English language holds sway in various linguistic domains. Using a simple descriptive survey with data from previous studies, this paper examines the linguistic implications of the contact between English and indigenous languages on the younger generations who are losing contact with the mother tongue, and also not demonstrating enough proficiency in the English language. It is recommended that the opportunities that competence and maturation afforded a second language learner should be latched onto to gain the needed proficiency in English thus making them effective bilinguals and communicators in a world that is fast becoming a global village, and the inhabitants global citizens.
文摘English is used an important course of higher vocational colleges, which can greatly improve stuctents" language application ability to a great extent and it can also make students understand western culture knowledge through foreign language learning. But in current higher vocational colleges, it faces many dilemmas. Only by correctly analyzing these dilemmas will it propose corresponding reasonab!e solutions, which is good for English education development of higher vocational colleges and improving English level of higher vocational college students.
文摘Stomatology English as an international language in the academic field, it is the basic skill that oral medicine students uses to understand the academic from, master new technologies in clinical, and expand professional horizons. The study targets for the training the ability of applying stomatology English, exploring and practicing in the teaching materials, teacher training, teaching methods and the language application environment, thus forming a "three-step" stomatology English teaching mode and gaining effective results.
文摘The requirements of the college English curriculum teaching put forward the teaching objectives to cultivate the English comprehensive application abilities of the students, and improve their cultural qualities and their abilities of the independent learning, which pointed out the direction for the reform of the college English teaching. The language teaching mode based on the contents of the subject advocates that the knowledge learning and the language learning with the combination of the contents of the discipline, to develop the students' independent learning abilities, is a feasible and effective way to achieve the goal of the college English teaching. To cultivate the students' practical ability of using English is the basic task of the English teaching and learning. But China's current college English education failed to organically and effectively combine the teaching of the language knowledge and the cultivation of the language abilities and the teaching of the knowledge, leading to the existence of the obvious price scissors in the students' language knowledge and the language abilities. Therefore, the key to the reform of the college English teaching is to correctly position the roles of the foreign language teachers, change the classroom teaching into the process of the two-way interaction between the teachers and the students, focus on the cultivation of the students' intercultural communicative competence, so that the students' language knowledge and their language abilities can promote each other, and obtain the coordinative development, to better adapt to the requirements of the times.
文摘Chinese college students have some drawbacks in English learning and mastering. Through a dozen years of English learning, some of them have high ability of passing examinations, but the practical application ability is barely satisfactory with relatively poor listening level and oral expression ability. The objective cause for this situation is the relatively single and stylization English teaching model used by traditional colleges and universities. This model only emphasizes learning on class which greatly harms students' English learning enthusiasm and initiatives. The result is that although the students passed CET4 and CET6 long time before their graduation, they still not dare to open their mouth to speaking concerning face to face English communications. Over the years, the researches on how to improve college students' English application ability never stop and they did obtain some achievements and show some opportunities, for example, if we can bring APP (application programs) into college English listening class, it will largely meet students requirements on English learning and this can also replenish and perfect traditional English teaching model.
文摘This study investigates the relationship between Iranian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners' sensory preferences: Visual, Audial, and Haptic (VAH) and the learners' speaking strategy use across proficiency. To this end 146 Iranian EFL learners studying English at different levels of language proficiency, participated in this study. O'Brien's (1990) learning channel preference checklist was given to students to determine their sensory preferences In addition, a Speaking Strategy questionnaire (an adaptation of strategy inventory for language learning (SILL), focusing on strategies used at the time of Speaking) was also given to the students in another session. The data were analyzed using multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) in order to probe the relationship between Iranian EFL Learners' Learning Style Sensory Preferences and their speaking strategy use across proficiency. Based on the results, it can be claimed that there was a weak to moderate interaction between the proficiency levels and preference of speaking strategies on the learning styles of the Iranian EFL learners.
文摘Pragmatic competence is generally considered to involve two kinds of ability. In part it means knowing how to use languag1 in order to achieve certain communicative goals or intentions.