Towards Lessening Learners’Aversive Emotions and Promoting Their Mental Health:Developing and Validating a Measurement of English Speaking Demotivation in the Chinese EFL Context

While a plethora of studies has been conducted to explore demotivation and its impact on mental health in second language(L2)education,scanty research focuses on demotivation in L2 speaking learning.Particularly,little research explores the measures to quantify L2 speaking demotivation.The present two-phase study attempts to develop and validate an English Speaking Demotivation Scale(ESDS).To this end,an independent sample of 207 Chinese tertiary learners of English as a Foreign Language(EFL)participated in the development phase,and another group of 188 Chinese EFL learners was recruited for the validation of the scale.Exploratory Factor Analysis(EFA)and Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA)were employed to determine the factor structure of the scale.The EFA results revealed a six-factor solution with Teacher-related Factors in Learning Spoken English(TFLSE),Interest and Valence in Learning Spoken English(IVLSE),Self-efficacy in Learning Spoken English(SELSE),Negative Peer Influence in Learning Spoken English(NPILSE),Undesirable Environment for Learning Spoken English(UELSE),and Negative Influence of Assessment and Learning Materials in speaking class(NIALM).In the validation phase,Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA)was performed to validate the internal structure of the scale.The CFA results showed that the model fits the data well.Overall,the ESDS is a robust and trustworthy psychometric tool that could be utilized to examine L2 speaking demotivation.Implications for diminishing EFL learners’demotivation,lessening their aversive emotions and promoting their mental health are also discussed.

Exploring Phonetic Differences and Cross-Linguistic Influences: A Comparative Study of English and Mandarin Chinese Pronunciation Patterns

Exploring the differences in phonemes and cross-linguistic influences, particularly by comparing the pronunciation patterns of English and Mandarin, is crucial for language learners. Such comparative studies can help learners better understand and overcome the pronunciation difficulties encountered during second language acquisition. English and Mandarin have significant differences in their vowel and consonant systems, tones, intonation, and syllable structures. A deep understanding of these differences allows learners to engage in targeted pronunciation training, reducing accent interference. This research provides guidance for improving language teaching methods, enabling teachers to design more effective pronunciation strategies and exercises based on the students’ native language backgrounds, thus enhancing learning outcomes. Additionally, cross-linguistic studies aid in improving speech recognition and conversion technologies, achieving higher accuracy and naturalness in multilingual speech processing systems. From a cultural exchange perspective, understanding and respecting the phonetic characteristics of different languages help to enhance the effectiveness and mutual understanding in cross-cultural communication. The comparative study of English and Mandarin pronunciation patterns not only provides a theoretical foundation for language education and technological applications but also promotes effective communication in multilingual environments. This thesis uses a comparative research method to elucidate the study of English and Mandarin pronunciation patterns. It begins with an analysis of the characteristics and similarities of the pronunciation patterns in both languages. The thesis then examines the differences between English and Mandarin pronunciation patterns through four aspects: the number and complexity of vowel phonemes, types and distribution of consonant phonemes, tones and stress, and intonation and phonetic phenomena. Finally, based on the comparative analysis of the differences, the thesis offers targeted policy recommendations for learning English and Mandarin.

An Introduction to the Dissemination of Chinese Culture in English Teaching in Colleges and Universities

Language and culture are closely related,and understanding the cultural knowledge embedded in the process of language learning is an important goal of English teaching in colleges and universities.At present,the dissemination of Chinese culture in English teaching in colleges and universities is lacking,which affects the improvement of students’intercultural communication skills.In order to effectively solve such problems,we need to take effective measures to disseminate Chinese culture by combining teaching content and students’characteristics.This paper summarizes the problems of Chinese culture dissemination in English teaching in colleges and universities,and explores effective countermeasures and teaching considerations,hoping to provide teachers with valuable guidelines.

A Comparative Analysis of the Origin and Formation Between Chinese Characters and English Alphabets

This research is based on the framework of social constructivism,utilizing the principle of Human Universals as a methodology to compare the similarities and differences between the ideation and formation methods of Chinese characters and English alphabets.Through comparative analysis of the ideation of English letters(pictogramme)and the origin of Chinese characters,known as the"Six Categories Theory,"we discover their alignment in terms of social,traditional,and cultural aspects.This suggests that different ethnic groups share common features in terms of life experience,learning cognitive development,and thinking habits.This study also finds that the origins of English letters and Chinese characters share similar linguistic features in their methods of constructing letters/characters,such as pictographic,ideographic,and semantic characteristics.Exploring these commonalities contributes to promoting learning and communication between Chinese and English characters.Additionally,by focusing on socio-cultural aspects,traditional customs,and cognitive learning,this study aims to break away from the traditional linguistic research approach that solely focuses on language differences.This provides a broader perspective and richer dimensions for Chinese and English language learning,facilitating the development of cross-linguistic and cross-cultural communication.

The Study on the Differences of Sense of Words between English and Chinese in Translation

Translation is not only the process of transforming langue form, but also the process of interacting one thinking means and concept with another. Moreover, so as to ensure accuracy of translation, one needs to comprehend the sense of words in the source language correctly, and take appropriate approach to resolve the differences between Chinese and English through analyzing the causes. Therefore, this paper will study the differences of sense of words between English and Chinese in translation.

The Differences of Cultural Connotations between English and Chinese Idioms

The paper analyses the cultural differences in English and Chinese idioms from three aspects and tries to figures out the underlying reasons of those differences.It is necessary for us to understand and learn about the cultural differences between English and Chinese idioms and a good mastery of those differences can help us get rid of the communicative barriers and understanding barriers.

On Cultural Differences between English and Chinese --From the Aspect of Seven Types of Meaning

This paper analyzes cultural differences of English and Chinese in terms of Seven Types of Meaning . It proceeds from the theory of Leech’s Seven Types of meaning , then comparatively illustrates with analysis of each type of meaning and cultural differences. And concludes with the cause of cultural differences and problems of it in cross-cultural communication with the hope that Chinese student could avoid Chinglish in learning and both Chinese and foreigners could avoid cultural shock when communicating with each other.

Four Dimensions of Integrating Chinese Culture Into College English Teaching From the Perspective of Tyler’s Basic Principles

Integrating Chinese culture into college English can not only enhance students’humanities literacy and cultivate their cultural confidence,but also facilitate the inheritance and international dissemination of Chinese culture.Taking Tyler’s curriculum framework as the starting point,this paper analyzes some factors that affect the integration of Chinese culture into the college English teaching and proposes some strategies for the integration of Chinese culture into college English teaching by innovating teaching objectives,enriching teaching contents,transforming modes of course delivery,and reconstructing the assessment system.

A Study on the Integration of Chinese Culture in High School English Teaching

The inseparable relationship between language and culture indicates that culture teaching is indispensable in English teaching.The ultimate goal of culture teaching in English teaching is to cultivate learners’cross-cultural communication skills.Cross-cultural communication is a two-way process,which requires not only knowledge of English culture but also the use of English as a medium for disseminating Chinese culture to the outside world.However,in actual English teaching,the teaching of Chinese culture is a mere formality,and the teaching effect is not obvious.Therefore,it is necessary to conduct a survey and research on Chinese culture teaching in high school English classrooms to understand its current situation,existing problems,and their causes,so as to provide suggestions for Chinese culture teaching in high school.

A Brief Discussion on the Cultural Differences Reflected in the Translation between Chinese and English in the Film Works

With the increasingly frequent economic and political exchanges and close ties between countries in the world, the cul-tural carriers represented by film works have become an important form of communication between countries. In this context, moreand more attention has been paid to the translation of film works, and practitioners in this field also want to bring more smooth anddeep viewing experience to other audiences. Starting from the difference between Chinese translation and English translation, thispaper explores the specific elements of cultural differences and the reasons for this phenomenon, hoping to contribute to a compre-hensive and in-depth exchange of world culture.

A Tentative Study of the Differences of Politeness Principle between Chinese and English Cultures

Intercultural communication is getting more important and cultures are emphasized，in which politeness plays a very important role. In both cultures of English and Chinese，politeness has the same social functions but common polite languages and principles are not always the same. These differences often become the source of failure in cross-cultural communication. Focusing on the studies of politeness principles，the paper presents the linguistic studies of politeness in English-speaking countries and China respectively. Three causes listed account for those differences.

On Cultural Differences Between Chinese and Western Countries and Their Impact on English Teaching

This paper first introduces some important notions about culture, cultural differences and the relationship between culture and language. Additionally, through the differences between Chinese and western countries in many ways, the author points out that we should find out the impact of the existence of cultural differences on English teaching. Finally, it puts forward some solutions to solve this impact in English teaching.

The Differences between Chinese and English Vocabulary

Vocabulary is critical for students’language learning.This paper means to investigate the vocabulary challenges thatstudents with L1 Chinese may face in their study process and suggest some possible ways for teachers to help them.

An Analysis of Value Differences in English and Chinese Idioms from the Perspective of Intercultural Communication

Idioms are the essence and gems of human wisdom and an important carrier of national culture. As a special form of language, they play an important role in intercultural communication. Due to the uniqueness of each culture, English and Chinese idioms are different in many aspects, values included. The present paper attempts to analyze the different values in English and Chinese idioms from three aspects: dependence vs independence, past-time orientation vs future-time orientation, and harmony vs competition. And the authors hope that it will be of some practical significance in people's intercultural communication.

Analysis of the Differences between Chinese and Western Culture from Love Literature

Love is an eternal theme of world literature.Both the ancient and the modern literature tend to take marriage and love as their paramount theme;however,there is rarely any research sorting out these themes from the perspective of cultural difference.Being engaged in exploring the love literature,this paper intends to make a comparison with Chinese and western perspectives of love and analyzes the embodied culture essences and differences from the comparative researches on their literary status,attitudes towards love,and the choice of themes.