Volume 9, Issue 1 -

This study tests for evidence of tonal coarticulation effects, especially anticipatory effects, in production of non-native Chinese contour tones. Eighty second language learners of Chinese and ten native speakers participated in a main experiment and two supplementary experiments in which they produced both real and pseudo disyllabic words. Findings indicate that anticipatory coarticulation is relevant in L2 contour tone production. L2 speakers’ Tone 2 and to some extent Tone 4 tend to be less intelligible to native listeners when followed by tones starting with a high onset (Tone 1 or Tone 4) due to anticipatory coarticulation. Some similar and different tonal coarticulation effects between native Chinese speakers and second language learners of Chinese are also noted in the paper based on the experiment results. This study argues that a ‘universal’ coarticulatory constraint plays a role in shaping second language Chinese tone phonology.

Grammatical notions like that of ‘subject’ are widely used in second language teaching. However, while the grammatical subject is generally regarded as easily identifiable in the Indo-European languages of Europe, as e.g. English, French or Italian, and is a key element in determining word order, the application of this notion to Chinese has given rise to endless controversies. On the other hand, pragmatic-discourse considerations such as topichood, world knowledge, and context, and semantic notions such as agency, causation, and the roles of participants in the described event, appear to be more significant in Chinese as factors determining word order and interpretation of utterances. In this paper, we first provide an overview of the main differences concerning subjecthood, topichood and word order in English, Italian and Chinese, highlighting their impact on learner varieties of Chinese. We then summarise the state-of-the-art of research on subject and topic, with a focus on Chinese. Lastly, we discuss the implications of these theoretical issues for Chinese as a Second/Foreign Language teaching: to this end, we propose a critical overview of how the issue of topichood and subjecthood are treated in a sample of recent English-language, Italian-language and Chinese-language coursebooks and reference materials, and propose some recommendations for instructors.

This study investigates whether the similarities and differences between a learner’s source language (L1) and target language (L2) affect the spatial containment and support concept mapping and acquisition processes onto their L2 language. I specifically investigated how learners’ accuracy rates for both congruent and noncongruent stimuli are affected by proficiency level. A t test of the results indicated that there is a significant effect of the L1 on learners’ L2 accuracy. The results are discussed from the perspective of the degree of congruency between languages in terms of cross-linguistic similarities/differences.

提要 本文在已有研究的基础上提出一个普通话语气词的新系统，包括两大部分。第一部分，首先，依据附着对象、迭用顺序、有无、异同和多寡是否影响句子的合语法性和命题这 3 个标准，将语气词聚合系统暂定为 29 个成员。而后，依据附着对象、强制性共现成分、迭用自由度、功能和语法化来源等，将语气词划分为两类 3 个功能子系统。其中述题语气词 26 个，话题语气词 9 个，准话语语气词 6 个。第二部分，分别讨论两类 3 个语气词功能子系统。（一）述题语气词能 2/3 个右向迭用并构成 116 个迭用式，能和句调或疑问标记以不同频次同层或跨层共现关系而构成述题的语气结构——句调/疑问标记 语气 (mood) n=1 +语气词 口气 (tone) n=0≥3 ，其中句调（或疑问标记）表示语气，述题语气词分别以 4 种基本语气为上位范畴并表示其下位口气，共构成 75 式语气结构，表示 75 种 “语气+口气” 综合值。在这 75 式语气结构里，述题语气词和上位语气之间功能绝对一致的原型语气结构、基本一致的准原型语气结构和不一致的边缘语气结构。据此推论出，不定语气以是非问为上位范畴，建议语气词以祈使为上位范畴，肯定语气词以陈述为上位范畴，惊讶语气词以感叹为上位范畴。进而据此将语气词的功能模式假设为 “±肯定/惊讶及其程度±风格/确信/态度” 。其中，肯定语气词表肯定而有程度、风格差异，惊讶语气词表惊讶而有程度、风格不同，不定语气词表确信而程度、态度有别，建议语气词表态度而有直接、委婉之分。而且，在原型语气结构里，述题语气词分别表示各自的典型口气；在边缘语气结构里，肯定、惊讶语气词有时与非陈述或非感叹语气一起浮现出特定语用效应。（二）话题语气词的功能模式为 “标记/强化话题+标记话题信息类型+交互主观性” 。前者是无标记功能，后两者是有标记功能，从而造成了话题语气词的使用倾向性，有的主要附着现实话题，有的只附着非现实话题。（三）准话语语气词，在句法上附着话题或述题里的列举成分、反复成分，将它们重组为例举语块、描摹语块和呼语语块，然后单独或与话题前标、列举助词一起作话题、述题或其中的句法成分及其成分；语义上，例举语块转指同类所有成员，描摹短语表示长时反复，呼语语块带有情感色彩；韵律上，将松散无序、长短不一、类型各异、多寡不等的成分临时整合为更大语块，以控制在线句子的模块数量。此外， “啊” 还能明示逻辑背景或焦点并具有衬音作用， “来” 能衔接音节组。据此，它们的功能模式可简示为 “句法功能+语义功能+韵律功能±逻辑功能±音乐功能” 。总之，在语气词的新功能系统中，每个语气词都各居其位，各司其职，井然有序。

提要 本文根据汉语学习者对把字句和被动句的习得现象，检视语态句式在对外汉语教学中的问题，以本体研究成果为基础对语态句式进行梳理和总结。首先，通过与以主动宾为顺序的普通句对比，得出了把字句的语法意义、句法条件和语用规则。语义上，把字句是有标记的强式主动句，完整叙述了施事对受事从起点经动作到结点强式改变的动态过程，是对整个动态过程的语言模拟。句法上，把字句的动词要有改变转换功能的词汇意义，受事改变前后的起点和结点必须同现于动词前后，动词和补语部分必须满足受事改变后的完结状态。语用上，说话人可以根据语态意义的表达程度、语体风格、语用功能以及表达焦点来选择把字句或普通句。其次，本文提出汉语的语态范畴系统是一个在语法意义、句法形式和语用选择上都对称的线性模型：强式主动←一般主动↔一般被动→强式被动，并用图表对模型解释说明。这个模型认为，汉语的主动和被动语态各有两种句式表达了不同程度的语态意义，强式或一般；语态意义的强弱由相应的句法标记来表达。四种句式在句法结构和语态意义上具有对应相关性，在语用选择上具有互补关联性。最后，本文提出在对外汉语教学中采用“全景式”的教学模式，即教授一个语法点时，通过简要介绍完整的范畴系统来提供个体语法点的背景信息，帮助学习者更清楚地认识和理解这个语法点。并建议教学语法应以微观的本体研究成果为基础，多开展宏观研究，整理和归纳各语法范畴的系统。

提要 本文為一個融入多元文化以改變學生學習興趣的行動研究，藉以推動更長遠的學習成效。研究者為本地中學中文教師，主要負責教授非華語學生，研究對象為 18 名中三非華語學生，並藉著課堂觀察、實際教學施行、學生訪談及自我檢討等方法，以驗證運用「文化關聯教學法」的實際成效。研究結果顯示，研究對象在研究者融入「文化關聯教學法」後，中文學習興趣有所提升，對單元的理解及認知皆有增益。