Key Issues in Chinese as a Second Language Research by Kecskes, Istvan; Sun, Chaofen;

Short description:

Key Issues in Chinese as a Second Language Research presents and discusses research projects that serve as theoretical grounding for improving the teaching and learning of Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) in order to help researchers and practitioners better understand the acquisition, development and use of CSL. With the exception of the first chapter, which is state-of-the-art, each chapter makes an attempt to bring together theory and practice by focusing on theory-building and theory application in practice. The book is organized around areas where most future research is needed in CSL: phonology, semantics, grammar and pragmatics. Comprised of contributions from an international group of scholars working on cutting-edge research, this is the ideal text for researchers, graduate students and practitioners in the area of Chinese as a Second or Foreign Language.

Long description:

Key Issues in Chinese as a Second Language Research presents and discusses research projects that serve as theoretical grounding for improving the teaching and learning of Chinese as a second language (CSL) in order to help researchers and practitioners better understand the acquisition, development, and use of CSL. With the exception of the first chapter, which is state-of-the-art, each chapter makes an attempt to bring together theory and practice by focusing on theory building and theory application in practice. The book is organized around areas where most future research is needed in CSL: phonology, semantics, grammar, and pragmatics. Consisting of contributions from an international group of scholars working on cutting-edge research, this is the ideal text for researchers, graduate students, and practitioners in the area of Chinese as a second or foreign language.

"In this exciting new volume, Kecskes and Sun bring together some of the top researchers in the fields of linguistics and language acquisition and present the latest studies of learning Chinese as an additional language. The chapters are both theoretically sound and empirically rich. The volume will be a key reference in Chinese as a second language research and its implication for policy and practice will be far reaching."
― Li Wei, University College London, UK

"Key Issues in Chinese as a Second Language Research is the first collection of studies examining learners’ Chinese linguistic knowledge development from perspectives of first language influence, acquisition patterns, and pedagogical implications based on research findings. The studies analyze the data by moving beyond the context of general theories of linguistics to explore unique characteristics in the acquisition of Chinese linguistic knowledge by Chinese L2 learners. This book will be highly welcomed by scholars, graduate students, and Chinese educators in the field."
― Helen H. Shen, The University of Iowa, USA
 
"For too long a time, the field of Chinese as a Second/Foreign Language has been one where practitioners argue about key questions based largely on personal experience gleaned from teaching—but often based on little empirical evidence. With this volume, the editors and chapter authors, who include scholars from six countries including both native and non-native speakers of Chinese, have made a major contribution to building and professionalizing the field. "
― Cornelius C. Kubler, Williams College, USA

"Even though it is the largest language in the world in terms of the number of native speakers, Chinese has been woefully understudied. It is therefore encouraging to see this team of international scholars present a compelling and comprehensive argument for the research of the acquisition of Chinese as an additional language that is grounded in and guided by solid research. This volume also contributes to broadening the context and scope of SLA in general."
― Agnes He, Stony Brook University, USA

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Part I. SLA Theories as Related to Chinese

Chapter 1. The Theoretical Landscape of Second Language Acquisition

Part II. Chinese Phonology

Chapter 2. De-stress in Mandarin: Clitics, Cliticoids and Phonetic Chunks

Chapter 3. The Effects of Tonal Markedness in Second Language Chinese Tones

Chapter 4. From Phonological Studies to Teaching Mandarin Tone: Some Perspectives on the Revision of the Tonal Inventory

Part III. Semantic Aspects and Vocabulary

Chapter 5. Adjectival Category

Chapter 6. Chinese Vocabulary Acquisition and Teaching: Basic Concepts and Research Results

Part IV. Chinese Grammar

Chapter 7. The Grammar of Chinese Nouns

Chapter 8. Acquisition of Word Order in Chinese as a Foreign Language: Replication and Extension

Chapter 9. The Instantiation of Binding Through Pragmatic and Syntactic Processes

Chapter 10. L2 Acquisition of Aspect in Mandarin Chinese

Part V. Pragmatic Aspects

Chapter 11. Development of Pragmatic Competence: Compliment Responses by L2 Learners of Chinese

Chapter 12. Intercultural Communicative Competence and Emotion Amongst Second Language Learners of Chinese

Chapter 13. Foundations for Content Learning in Chinese: Beyond the European Base