Most non-native speakers do have difficulty in developing native-like oracy due to vast differences in pronunciation between L1 and L2, adult ESL learners in particular. As Peter and Susan pointed in Teaching American...Most non-native speakers do have difficulty in developing native-like oracy due to vast differences in pronunciation between L1 and L2, adult ESL learners in particular. As Peter and Susan pointed in Teaching American English Pronunciation(1992), there are specific problem syllables with different language groups. As an ESL teacher from China, I assume it necessary to find out whether these sounds really trouble Chinese students in the ESL class I observed. I am going to pick out the most frequently occurred problem sounds and take notes how the teacher deal with them in class. In this paper, based on classroom observation and interviews, I analyzed problematic English vowels and consonants from Chinese learners, and the corresponding mediations for ESL teacher.展开更多
While some struggle to find their path in life. for others, nature aligns things for them. This is what happened to Edward .loseph Yawson, a 26-year-old teaching assistant at the Chinese Section of the Department of M...While some struggle to find their path in life. for others, nature aligns things for them. This is what happened to Edward .loseph Yawson, a 26-year-old teaching assistant at the Chinese Section of the Department of Modern Languages, Uni versity of Ghana, Legon, who trusted his intuition when a Chinese language course was offered to him.展开更多
Purpose:This study investigates young Chinese as a second language(CSL)learners’Chinese character reading performance and its relationship with their orthographic awareness.There is a pressing need to gain a better u...Purpose:This study investigates young Chinese as a second language(CSL)learners’Chinese character reading performance and its relationship with their orthographic awareness.There is a pressing need to gain a better understanding of Hong Kong’s ethnic minority students’CSL acquisition,so that more effective instruction can be provided.Design/Approach/Methods:A total of 157 Hong Kong ethnic minority CSL students in Grade 4 were evaluated using a range of assessments:orthographic awareness in identifying and utilizing character components,listening comprehension for vocabulary terms and short texts,and reading Chinese character lists with single-and two-character words.Findings:The students performed consistently across the two lists but made fewer errors when reading the two-character word list,most of which were orthographical.Multiple regression analysis showed that the students’orthographic awareness contributed significantly to their character reading.Originality/Value:The findings suggest that orthographic awareness can help ethnic minority CSL learners improve their Chinese character reading skills.Chinese classes provided for such students,and for CSL learners in general,should place greater focus on literacy training.展开更多
Despite serious difficulties caused by the civil war in China and the military confrontation in Korea, over 1,200 Chinese students and scholars returned from the United States （U.S.） to their homeland in the 1950s. ...Despite serious difficulties caused by the civil war in China and the military confrontation in Korea, over 1,200 Chinese students and scholars returned from the United States （U.S.） to their homeland in the 1950s. While the effort made by the returnees and the Communist regime has been studied, the role played by the U.S. government remains unclear. Relying mostly on archived government documents and published individual recollections, this paper shows that Washington provided most of its assistance to the Chinese students through the emergency aid program, which not only covered all the educational costs for about three quarters of them, but also paid travel expenses for about two thirds of the returnees. In addition, Washington assisted many students in obtaining visas from the British government for their transfer in Hong Kong and offered them room, board, and other services while they were waiting for their transportation in San Francisco. The examination of the helping hand extended by Washington to these returning Chinese students can enhance our understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of Sino-American relations during the Cold War.展开更多
文摘Most non-native speakers do have difficulty in developing native-like oracy due to vast differences in pronunciation between L1 and L2, adult ESL learners in particular. As Peter and Susan pointed in Teaching American English Pronunciation(1992), there are specific problem syllables with different language groups. As an ESL teacher from China, I assume it necessary to find out whether these sounds really trouble Chinese students in the ESL class I observed. I am going to pick out the most frequently occurred problem sounds and take notes how the teacher deal with them in class. In this paper, based on classroom observation and interviews, I analyzed problematic English vowels and consonants from Chinese learners, and the corresponding mediations for ESL teacher.
文摘While some struggle to find their path in life. for others, nature aligns things for them. This is what happened to Edward .loseph Yawson, a 26-year-old teaching assistant at the Chinese Section of the Department of Modern Languages, Uni versity of Ghana, Legon, who trusted his intuition when a Chinese language course was offered to him.
基金a preliminary study of a research project funded by the Hong Kong Standing Committee on Language Education and Research(SCOLAR)(EDB(LE)/P&R/EL/175/11).
文摘Purpose:This study investigates young Chinese as a second language(CSL)learners’Chinese character reading performance and its relationship with their orthographic awareness.There is a pressing need to gain a better understanding of Hong Kong’s ethnic minority students’CSL acquisition,so that more effective instruction can be provided.Design/Approach/Methods:A total of 157 Hong Kong ethnic minority CSL students in Grade 4 were evaluated using a range of assessments:orthographic awareness in identifying and utilizing character components,listening comprehension for vocabulary terms and short texts,and reading Chinese character lists with single-and two-character words.Findings:The students performed consistently across the two lists but made fewer errors when reading the two-character word list,most of which were orthographical.Multiple regression analysis showed that the students’orthographic awareness contributed significantly to their character reading.Originality/Value:The findings suggest that orthographic awareness can help ethnic minority CSL learners improve their Chinese character reading skills.Chinese classes provided for such students,and for CSL learners in general,should place greater focus on literacy training.
文摘Despite serious difficulties caused by the civil war in China and the military confrontation in Korea, over 1,200 Chinese students and scholars returned from the United States （U.S.） to their homeland in the 1950s. While the effort made by the returnees and the Communist regime has been studied, the role played by the U.S. government remains unclear. Relying mostly on archived government documents and published individual recollections, this paper shows that Washington provided most of its assistance to the Chinese students through the emergency aid program, which not only covered all the educational costs for about three quarters of them, but also paid travel expenses for about two thirds of the returnees. In addition, Washington assisted many students in obtaining visas from the British government for their transfer in Hong Kong and offered them room, board, and other services while they were waiting for their transportation in San Francisco. The examination of the helping hand extended by Washington to these returning Chinese students can enhance our understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of Sino-American relations during the Cold War.
