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Differentiation of radical processing strategies in character decoding by L2 learners of Chinese according to L1-type

  • Clay Williams EMAIL logo and Yuko Uchima
Published/Copyright: November 2, 2020
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Global Chinese
From the journal Global Chinese Volume 6 Issue 2

Abstract

This study investigates the productive use of semantic and phonetic radicals for Chinese character decoding by Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) learners at different levels of L2 proficiency, focusing on the application of radical knowledge according to the learners’ L1 language families. Using a pseudo-word test developed by Williams, Clay. 2014. The development of intra-character radical awareness in L1 Chinese children: Changing strategies. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association 49(2). 1–26 to measure subject preference for semantic versus phonological decoding processes, subjects are asked to match a provided definition and pronunciation with a character in a multiple choice format which included two pseudo characters designed with radicals which corresponded with the provided definition or pronunciation, respectively. The results demonstrate that reliance on semantic or phonological radicals for character identification varies according to the L1 of the CFL learners; subjects whose L1 is relatively orthographically transparent predominantly make use of phonological processing strategies at all levels of proficiency, whereas those whose L1 are more orthographically opaque demonstrate more malleable processing preferences, with relatively strong semantic radical reliance in the early stage of their language learning, and considerable variability between semantic and phonological processing at intermediate and advanced proficiency levels. The findings suggest that developmental trends of using radical decoding strategies differ among CFL learner groups with varying L1 literacy strategy preferences.

Keywords: learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL); Chinese character processing; second language acquisition; semantic activation; phonological activation
Corresponding author: Clay Williams, Akita International University, Akita, Japan, E-mail:

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Published Online: 2020-11-02
Published in Print: 2020-09-25

© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Special section: Chinese Language Education Research in the Asia Pacific Contexts; Guest editor: Danping Wang
  3. Introduction to special issue
  4. Motivational strategies in Chinese language classrooms: A comparative study of novice and experienced teachers
  5. Interacting with native speakers of Chinese through online learning communities: A case study with East Asian learners
  6. Chinese vocabulary learning strategies by English-speaking learners: A think-aloud study
  7. Localising Chinese language curriculum construction: A case study in an Australian primary school
  8. Learning Mandarin tones through pitch-time diagrams: A computer-assisted visual approach
  9. Special section: Developing Chinese Language Skills and Intercultural Competence; Guest editor: Irene Shidong An
  10. Differentiation of radical processing strategies in character decoding by L2 learners of Chinese according to L1-type
  11. Teachers’ perceptions of effective strategies for developing intercultural competence
  12. Introducing Chinese Hanzi at the beginning of teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL)
  13. 影响少数民族学生阅读理解能力的语言及认知因子研究———以藏族和彝族小学生为例
https://doi.org/10.1515/glochi-2020-0016
Keywords for this article
learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL); Chinese character processing; second language acquisition; semantic activation; phonological activation

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Special section: Chinese Language Education Research in the Asia Pacific Contexts; Guest editor: Danping Wang
  3. Introduction to special issue
  4. Motivational strategies in Chinese language classrooms: A comparative study of novice and experienced teachers
  5. Interacting with native speakers of Chinese through online learning communities: A case study with East Asian learners
  6. Chinese vocabulary learning strategies by English-speaking learners: A think-aloud study
  7. Localising Chinese language curriculum construction: A case study in an Australian primary school
  8. Learning Mandarin tones through pitch-time diagrams: A computer-assisted visual approach
  9. Special section: Developing Chinese Language Skills and Intercultural Competence; Guest editor: Irene Shidong An
  10. Differentiation of radical processing strategies in character decoding by L2 learners of Chinese according to L1-type
  11. Teachers’ perceptions of effective strategies for developing intercultural competence
  12. Introducing Chinese Hanzi at the beginning of teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL)
  13. 影响少数民族学生阅读理解能力的语言及认知因子研究———以藏族和彝族小学生为例
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