A Comparative Study of the L2 Pragmatic Competence of University Students in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland:The Contributions of Sociocultural Context and Linguistic Proficiency

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.

A Study on the Pedagogical Application of Chinese New Year Culture in International Chinese Language Education

Culture teaching is an inseparable part of International Chinese Language Education,and it has great significance in international Chinese language teaching.Students can enhance their interest in Chinese language learning and improve their learning effect through understanding the excellent traditional Chinese culture,at the same time,culture teaching can help to disseminate the Chinese culture and promote the development of a multicultural world.Taking the teaching of Chinese New Year culture as an example,we analyze the current teaching materials involving Chinese New Year culture with high popularity and acceptance,put forward effective teaching methods matching the feasibility of teaching Chinese New Year culture,and then present the specific teaching design of Chinese New Year culture,in order to provide references for the teaching of culture in International Chinese Language Education.

The Meaning Composition of Chinese Calligraphy Sign

This paper clarifies the composition of meaning in the art of Chinese calligraphy on the basis of American semiotician Charles Morris’s three divisions of sign,namely,“Syntactics,Semantics,Pragmatics”.The syntactical dimension of Chinese calligraphy sign is the artistic meaning of the form of Chinese character.“Semantical dimension”refers to semantic referents of linguistic signs and their literary significance,“pragmatical dimension”refers to the use and interpretation of calligraphy.The study of the three dimensions of meaning in Chinese calligraphy reveals a complex and unique composition of sign meaning.Chinese calligraphy deforms the structure and form of Chinese characters while retaining their semantic invariance.In this way,calligraphy acquires more practical semantic and symbolic meanings through the carrier of Chinese characters which are also linguistic symbols at the same time.Chinese calligraphy is dominated by the meaning of sign forms,taking into account the linguistic reference and the use of sign,and the three dimensions of meaning interact and promote each other,building a dynamic and multidimensional space of sign meaning.

The Impact of Classroom Evaluation on Chinese Learning Motivation:A Comparative Study of Oral Feedback and Written Comments

Classroom evaluation plays a critical role in shaping students’learning experiences,influencing not only their academic performance but also their motivation and engagement.In the context of primary Chinese language learning,oral feedback and written comments are two prevalent evaluation methods.This paper explores how these different types of feedback impact students’motivation,learning outcomes,and participation.By comparing the immediacy of oral feedback with the systematic nature of written comments,this study seeks to provide insights into how educators can utilize classroom evaluations more effectively to foster motivation in Chinese language learners.The findings indicate that both feedback methods have unique strengths,and a balanced approach may optimize learning outcomes.

On the Relationship between Chinese Language Education in Malaysia and Indonesia with Their National Conditions

Chinese language education exists in both Malaysia and Indonesia. The commonalities and individualities of the national conditions of both countries have an impact on their Chinese language education. The official languages scripts, and major beliefs of the two countries are quite similar, and under their influence, local Chinese have special expectations for Chinese language education. Compared to Indonesia, Malaysian Chinese have a larger proportion of the population and a tendency towards marriage, which to some extent is more conducive to the Chinese language education of local Chinese. Both countries’ national conditions and personalities have unfavorable factors for local Chinese language education.

The Role and Value of Sociolinguistics in English Language Teaching

This paper aims to explore how the study of sociolinguistics can benefit teachers,particularly in the context of teaching English as a Foreign Language(EFL)in China.The article will first examine how sociolinguistic knowledge can reshape teachers’perceptions of“English,”focusing on aspects such as English varieties,World Englishes,and Chinese English.Following that,the article discusses the necessity of rethinking current practices in English language teaching,including the nativeness paradigm and the concept of communicative competence based on a reconceptualized view of“English.”Additionally,the discussion will focus on how teachers,informed by sociolinguistic awareness of non-native teachers’identities and teacher agency,can address and resolve existing challenges in EFL teaching.Finally,the article will conclude by summarizing the key issues discussed and highlighting the significance of studying sociolinguistics for language practitioners in China.

Promoting the International Dissemination of Chinese Culture Through International Chinese Language Education: A Case Study of Chinese-English Idiomatic Equivalence

One major task of our improvement of China’s international communication capabilities is to tell China’s stories well and make China’s voice heard to communicate a comprehensive,multi-dimensional view of China in the international arena.International Chinese language education bears the dual responsibility of spreading the Chinese language and promoting the Chinese culture.How to shape global narratives for telling China’s stories and improve China’s international communication capabilities has become an important issue that concerns international Chinese language education.Chinese idioms,which are hidden treasures of the Chinese language,can play a unique role in this regard.It is therefore necessary to review the content and methods of including idioms in international Chinese language education.In this paper,instruction in idioms is approached by making a corpus-based comparative analysis from the theoretical perspectives of equivalence,cognitive metaphor,and second language acquisition.Qualitative and quantitative methods are combined to analyze idioms to be added to the vocabulary of international Chinese language education in three dimensions:word frequency,semantic transparency,and functional equivalence.This paper aims to explore a new approach to the dissemination of Chinese culture through instruction in idioms in international Chinese language education.

Research on the Application of Chinese-Style Songs in the Field of Chinese Second Language Teaching

In recent years,traditional Chinese culture has been continuously revived,integrated into the times and entered people’s daily lives.Chinese-style songs,as a combination of traditional cultural connotations and emerging song forms,have gradually emerged on the music stage in China and even around the world.In the field of teaching Chinese as a second language,the research on teaching Chinese songs has received increasing attention.This article combines the theory of the association between music and language to summarize the research results of Chinese-style songs and their application in the field of teaching Chinese as a second language in the past 30 years.The current research problems are discussed,and suggestions are proposed in order to provide some reference value for teaching Chinese as a second language.

Development of International Chinese Language Education in Iran:An Analysis in the Context of Iran’s Foreign Language Policy Characteristics

This paper focuses on examining the relevant policies concerning Chinese language education within Iran’s foreign language education policy framework from the perspective of its historical context.By analyzing the characteristics of Iran’s foreign language policy and the current situation of Chinese language teaching in Iran,this paper studies the future development of international Chinese language education in Iran.

A Comparative Study of Chinese and English Refusal Language Strategies

Using 80 short video examples about refusal language strategies on Douyin short videos as a corpus,this study explores the commonality and individuality,as well as the contradictory relationship between Chinese and British countries in the use of refusal language strategies by combining manual and graphical data analyses.It is found that Chinese people use more indirect ways of using refusal speech acts,and British and American countries use more direct ways of using refusal speech acts.In addition to this,both Chinese and British countries use non-verbal behavior to reject speech as a way of protecting the positive face of the addressee and reducing the threatening behavior to the face of the other party.This study also found that the ambivalent relationship between the emergence of refusal language strategies in both China and Britain is related to their personal psychological state,social values,and personal face.The results of this study have some values for sociology as well as pragmatics,which is conducive to the maintenance of interpersonal relationships.

Knowledge Graph Analysis of International Chinese Language Textbooks Based on CiteSpace

Drawing upon relevant papers from Chinese core journals and CSSCI source journals in the CNKI China Academic Journals Full-Text Database spanning from 1992 to 2023,this study utilizes CiteSpace as a research tool to visually analyze the knowledge graph structure of research on international Chinese language textbooks in China.The study maps out the publication timeline,authors,institutions,collaborative networks,and keywords pertaining to research on international Chinese language textbooks.The findings indicate that research on international Chinese language textbooks commenced early and continues to maintain a certain level of research interest,yet lacks sufficient research output.Research institutions predominantly reside in universities and publishing groups specializing in language or education,with collaboration between institutions being relatively scarce.High-frequency keywords in recent research on international Chinese language textbooks include“Chinese language textbooks for the Foreigners,”“Chinese language textbooks,”“Teaching Chinese Language for the Foreigners,”“Textbook compilation,”“International Chinese Language Education and Localization,”which reflect a diversified research perspective with interdisciplinary trends.Future research priorities encompass research on localization,customization of textbooks,and evaluation of textbooks which represent forefront directions of research.

The Influence of Combining Computer-Assisted Language Learning With Instruction on Chinese College Students’L2 Pragmatic Ability

In the area of computer-assisted language learning(CALL),although a number of studies have adopted various CALL-based devices(e.g.,blogs,gaming,and synthetic environments)to foster second language(L2)acquisition,the vital component of instruction has received little attention.The present study explored the usefulness of CALL-based communication in conjunction with instruction on EFL learners’L2 pragmatic development.Sixty-two EFL students from a university in China were recruited for the current research.The experimental group communicated with a native English speaker through synchronous messaging via Skype and had two instructional sessions pertinent to compliment responses,while the control group interacted with a native English speaker via Skype without having the teaching intervention.Findings from an independent samples t-test demonstrated that the experimental group produced significantly more proper compliment responses in the immediate posttest than the control group(p<.001).Moreover,a significant difference(p<.001)was found for the experimental group between the preintervention and delayed post-intervention mean scores,suggesting that CALL coupled with teaching intervention had a long-term impact on learners’L2 pragmatic development.These findings enrich our understanding of the beneficial and lasting influence of combining CALL with instruction on EFL students’pragmatic development.In addition,pedagogical implications for deploying CALL paired with L2 pragmatics instruction are provided.

On News Language from the Perspective of Pragmatics——By Applying Adaption Theory

News is an important medium to transmit social information and reflect social reality. Its effects are irreplaceable and the news language which is a carrier to spread information is in fact influenced by many factors such as society, economy and culture. In order to exert its function to gain different social ends, the presentation of news language owns distinguishing features. This article starts from Verschueren's Adaption Theory to have the final conclusion that the adaption to the social, mental and physical world is the key element for the determination of the originality in news language.

Promoting the Learners’Motivation in Learning Chinese as a Second Language:From Demotivation to Motivational Strategies

Motivation is a key factor that influences the outcome of second language(L2)learning.Chinese as a second language(CSL)learners,however,may experience demotivation in their Chinese learning process which will,more often than not,reduce their learning interest and eventually affect their learning effect,therefore,it is necessary to enhance the learners’motivation level.This article first reviews the research literature in motivation in general,then discusses the CSL learners’demotivation in their Chinses learning process studying in China.Finally,it introduces motivational strategies to activate CSL learners’motivation in learning Chinese.

Task-based Language Teaching in the Chinese Classroom

This article discusses Task-based Language Teaching(TBLT)implemented in the Chinese classroom.TBLT involves a three-phase pedagogical sequence,including pre-task,on-task,and post-task.Different task-based learning activities are designed to promote learners’language acquisition through the performance of tasks.Learners are engaged in interactive and collaborative communication to accomplish meaningful and relevant real life tasks.This article explores the application of one TBLT unit in Chinese for learners’language development in terms of both fluency and accuracy.

On untranslatability of classical Chinese poetry： From the perspective of aesthetic function of language

The author analyzes the untranslatability of the classical Chinese poetry from the perspective of aesthetic function of language. The untranslatability lies firstly in the heterogeneity, indeterminism and the ambiguity of the Chinese language itself. Moreover, the classical Chinese poetry displays its unique features and beauty which can not be rendered into English in terms of aesthetic function of language.

The Perceptions of Chinese ELT Stakeholders on the Employment of Foreign English Language Teachers

This article reports on part of the findings of an investigation into the perceptions of Chinese English as a foreign language(EFL)education stakeholders on native-speakerism.Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 26 students,14 teachers and eight EFL program administrators from six Chinese universities.The analysis of data reveals that the three groups of participants as an entirety expected their universities to hire native English speaker teachers(NESTs),particularly those from Britain and/or America and a certain proportion of them expressed preference for white native English speaker(NES)teachers.The vast majority of the students and teachers were also found to be unaware of workplace inequalities between NNESTs and local Chinese EFL teachers,contending that NESTs deserve better treatment.Although many administrators displayed critical awareness on this issue,they argued that the inequalities need tolerating for the well-being of their EFL programs.All these findings are indicative of the persistence of native-speakerism among Chinese ELT stakeholders and by extension the tenacity of this chauvinistic ideology across the terrain of EFL education in China.

Macroscopic Contrast of English,Chinese and the Shui Language Syntactic Features and Thought Patterns

This paper is to explore the syntactic features and thought patterns among English,Chinese and the Shui language,discussing this topic from macroscopic,giving a brief contrast and comparison on macroscopic of English,Chinese and the Shui language.

Language Interaction and the Influence of the Chinese Language

It is necessary that each era has its own value orientation of the language civilization,which forms the motivation,model and pragmatic hypothesis.As for the Chinese language,it is the Chinese philosophical semantics.Language and civilization integrate into each other,so when analyzing linguistics,we shall separate the lexeme on the basis of context.Pragmatics establishes the context for the Chinese language,the basis of which is boosting the education of the Chinese language.As result,pragmatics is not only a branch of linguistics but also the construction of popular linguistics.The Chinese language course is only the concrete implementation of pragmatics and the basic project for the language context in a popular and globalizational style.

A Discussion of Foreign Language Listening Problems and Their Causes among Intermediate EFL learners in Chinese universities

Listening has been considered as the most important language skill by many researchers but in Chinese context it has been overlooked for years.The Foreign Language(FL)listening problems gradually reveal when students attend to the Listening Course in universities or colleges.This paper at first illustrates the importance of listening in foreign language learning and provides a discussion on the top-down and bottom-up processes with the analysis of Anderson's three-model of language comprehension[9]as well as the factors affecting listening comprehension in Foreign Language in general,aiming at the illustration of the necessity on one of the bottom-up processes-the Spoken Word Recognition(SWR).The analysis of two issued official guiding documents for Chinese university students and the current situation of English listening teaching in Chinese universities are followed,providing a general background on English listening teaching in Chinese context.Three possible foreign language listening problems and their causes are proposed,followed by the pedagogical suggestions to EFL learners who are improving their listening skills and instructors who are advancing their teaching procedures.