This study investigates how Chinese logogriphs are comprehended by learners of Chinese as a foreign language(CFL)with different Chinese proficiencies and cultural backgrounds.Eighty-eight CFL learners from four cultur...This study investigates how Chinese logogriphs are comprehended by learners of Chinese as a foreign language(CFL)with different Chinese proficiencies and cultural backgrounds.Eighty-eight CFL learners from four cultures(South Koreans,Southeast Asians,Western Caucasians and Arabs)were divided into two Chinese proficiency groups according to their HSK scores,and 15 L1 Chinese speakers also took part in the experiment as a control group.The participants were asked to write down how they interpreted Chinese logogriphs in questionnaires.An ANOVA analysis was conducted to examine the effects of Chinese proficiency and cultural background on logogriph comprehension.The results indicate that the accuracy of logogriph comprehension and the frequency of adopting logogriph-solving strategies positively correlated with the learners’Chinese proficiency,and that those with higher proficiency used more linguistic and cultural knowledge of the target language.As for cultural influence,Western Caucasians tended to think more visually than the other three cultural groups,and South Koreans and Southeast Asians were better at activating Chinese semantic knowledge.The closer the CFL learners’culture is to Chinese culture,the more similar strategies they adopted to those of L1 Chinese participants.Moreover,the participants’Chinese proficiency and cultural background show an interactive effect on their logogriph comprehension,with the former factor having a greater influence than the latter in this process.展开更多
The experience of＂The Other＂ has become a common one for people in the 21st century, and yet it continues to be a major problem for everyone involved. Increasingly, however, immigrants and their descendants adjust a...The experience of＂The Other＂ has become a common one for people in the 21st century, and yet it continues to be a major problem for everyone involved. Increasingly, however, immigrants and their descendants adjust and soon participate in and with the new culture（s）. At the same time, those who encounter ＂The Other＂ through the contact with immigrants, have also to adapt, to learn, and to realize considerable changes in themselves in that process. Recently, a new German novelist, Renate Ahrens, has created several major works in which she reflects on this intricate phenomenon typical of our times. The present study might well be the first critical analysis of her last two novels, Zeit der Wahrheit （Time of Truth, 2005） and Fremde Schwestern （Alienated Sisters, 2011）, which prove to be outstanding and first-rate literary treatments of the theme of＂The Other＂ in an intercultural context. As Ahrens illustrates in both novels, each individual carries a heavy baggage imposed on them by the own family history, and so in both cases the confrontation with ＂The Other＂ serves exceedingly well to break open the shell of self-isolation and self-alienation. Love finally overcomes ancient conflicts and paves the way for new integrative forces supporting the formation of the ＂global village＂ we all are really living in.展开更多
As the world becomes more interconnected, learning a foreign language in the associated cultural context proves to be more efficient and effective. EFL （English as a Foreign Language） Teachers are sparing no efforts...As the world becomes more interconnected, learning a foreign language in the associated cultural context proves to be more efficient and effective. EFL （English as a Foreign Language） Teachers are sparing no efforts to raise students＇ awareness and understanding of the culture and to help students become interculturally competent. On the basis of thorough literature review on cultural study, this paper probes into theoretical analysis and strategic approaches of cultural learning in EFL classes. The extensive strategies are discussed and presented in the paper so as for more confidence and capabilities from practitioners incorporating sufficient cultural knowledge and understanding into successful EFL classroom.展开更多
文摘This study investigates how Chinese logogriphs are comprehended by learners of Chinese as a foreign language(CFL)with different Chinese proficiencies and cultural backgrounds.Eighty-eight CFL learners from four cultures(South Koreans,Southeast Asians,Western Caucasians and Arabs)were divided into two Chinese proficiency groups according to their HSK scores,and 15 L1 Chinese speakers also took part in the experiment as a control group.The participants were asked to write down how they interpreted Chinese logogriphs in questionnaires.An ANOVA analysis was conducted to examine the effects of Chinese proficiency and cultural background on logogriph comprehension.The results indicate that the accuracy of logogriph comprehension and the frequency of adopting logogriph-solving strategies positively correlated with the learners’Chinese proficiency,and that those with higher proficiency used more linguistic and cultural knowledge of the target language.As for cultural influence,Western Caucasians tended to think more visually than the other three cultural groups,and South Koreans and Southeast Asians were better at activating Chinese semantic knowledge.The closer the CFL learners’culture is to Chinese culture,the more similar strategies they adopted to those of L1 Chinese participants.Moreover,the participants’Chinese proficiency and cultural background show an interactive effect on their logogriph comprehension,with the former factor having a greater influence than the latter in this process.
文摘The experience of＂The Other＂ has become a common one for people in the 21st century, and yet it continues to be a major problem for everyone involved. Increasingly, however, immigrants and their descendants adjust and soon participate in and with the new culture（s）. At the same time, those who encounter ＂The Other＂ through the contact with immigrants, have also to adapt, to learn, and to realize considerable changes in themselves in that process. Recently, a new German novelist, Renate Ahrens, has created several major works in which she reflects on this intricate phenomenon typical of our times. The present study might well be the first critical analysis of her last two novels, Zeit der Wahrheit （Time of Truth, 2005） and Fremde Schwestern （Alienated Sisters, 2011）, which prove to be outstanding and first-rate literary treatments of the theme of＂The Other＂ in an intercultural context. As Ahrens illustrates in both novels, each individual carries a heavy baggage imposed on them by the own family history, and so in both cases the confrontation with ＂The Other＂ serves exceedingly well to break open the shell of self-isolation and self-alienation. Love finally overcomes ancient conflicts and paves the way for new integrative forces supporting the formation of the ＂global village＂ we all are really living in.
文摘As the world becomes more interconnected, learning a foreign language in the associated cultural context proves to be more efficient and effective. EFL （English as a Foreign Language） Teachers are sparing no efforts to raise students＇ awareness and understanding of the culture and to help students become interculturally competent. On the basis of thorough literature review on cultural study, this paper probes into theoretical analysis and strategic approaches of cultural learning in EFL classes. The extensive strategies are discussed and presented in the paper so as for more confidence and capabilities from practitioners incorporating sufficient cultural knowledge and understanding into successful EFL classroom.
