Volume 4, 2023

Researching and Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language 2023年第4卷第1期共刊文7篇。6篇研究论文，1篇特刊编辑导论，开篇引入语言学泰斗乔姆斯基先生关于生物语言学的起源、意义和应用的论述，随后介绍wh-句式构思与表达以及语言递归的问题，其他研究方向包括传统语言的汉语教学、家庭语言对早期双语习得的影响、 加拿大华裔学习者的早期双语维护、以及超多样性背景下的中华遗产语言维护等。欢迎转发扩散！

目录

Vol. 4 No.1

Articles

■  Language and the Miracle Creed, by Noam Chomsky, Pages 1-12.

■Internal 'Wh'-Thought and External 'Wh'-Expressions, by Ning Chunyan, Pages 13-23.

■ A Uniform Acquisitional Path for Linguistic Recursion: Evidence from the Acquisition of Mandarin Chinese DeP Recursion, by Tiaoyuan Mao, Xiangyu Chang, Pages 24-40.

Special Issue Editorial 

■ Teaching and Learning Chinese as a Heritage Language (CHL), by Yang (Frank) Gong, Huichao (Claire) Zhang, Pages 41-48.

Articles

■ Early Bidialectal Maintenance among Chinese Heritage Learners in Canada: A Family Language Policy Perspective, by Guofang Li, Senyao Shen, Pages 49-72.

■ What Really Matters in Early Bilingual and Biliteracy Acquisition?Home Language and Literacy Input in Chinese Heritage Language Learners, by Sihui (Echo) Ke, Yuyan Xia, Jing Zhang, Pages 73-96. 

■Chinese Heritage Language Maintenance in the Context of Superdiversity: Perspectives from Dialect-background Heritage Learners, by Lin Chen, Danping Wang, Pages 97-117.

第1期摘要

Language and the Miracle Creed

Noam Chomsky, University of Arizona and MIT

Abstract Since Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini’s coining of the term biolinguistics in 1974, biolinguistics research has attracted numerous attentions from the linguistic circle and its neighbouring fields, triggering various ways of pursuing it. The current paper makes clear the origin, significance, and implications of biolinguistics, especially, the reason why the biolinguistics enterprise realizes the miracle creed firstly assumed by Albert Einstein. In this way, the controversies and mis-conceptualization of biolinguistics in current  linguistic  literature  can  be  clarified,  paving  the  solid  foundation  for  future  biolinguistics research.

Key words Biolinguistics; miracle creed; basic property of language; structural dependence; language acquisition

Internal 'Wh'-Thought and External 'Wh'-Expressions

Ning Chunyan, Tianjin Normal University; Hunan University

Abstract This article attempts to challenge the model in which a universal wh-thought as represented in LF/SEM is derived from grammatical wh-expressions, and further proposes a model with a prelinguistic Conceptual-Intensional Interface, where wh-thoughts are generated in-language a priori to their externalization into grammatical or ungrammatical wh-expressions, in conformity with Chomsky’s proposal of separating thought from expressions and his dictum of ‘meaning with sound’ rather than ‘sound with meaning’. The article also highlights how the saltation from animal cognition to human cognition makes Merge workable to yield Conceptual Hierarchic Structure for internal wh-thought.

Key words a priori 'wh'-thought, posteriori 'wh'-expressions, online perception, offline conception

A Uniform Acquisitional Path for Linguistic Recursion

Evidence from the Acquisition of Mandarin Chinese DeP Recursion

Tiaoyuan Mao, Xiangyu Chang, Beijing Foreign Studies University

Abstract While children’s acquisition of recursion has drawn extensive attention in the field, there is less research offering proper evidence for the uniform developmental path of linguistic recursion. To address this issue cross-linguistically, this study examines how 84 Mandarin-speaking children aged between three and six comprehend two to four-level DeP recursion through a pointing task. The results reveal that two and three-level DeP recursion is successfully generated by four-year-old children first, and then five-year-old children fully master four-level DeP recursion. The findings are consistent with the developmental route-map of Japanese children’s acquisition of recursive possessives. Meanwhile, the analysis shows that the biological maturation of the recursive mechanism and the enhancement of computational efficiency of the linguistic mechanism mainly account for the step-by-step development.

Key words recursion acquisition, developmental path, Chinese DeP recursion, Chinese-speaking children

Early Bidialectal Maintenance among Chinese Heritage Learners in Canada：A Family Language Policy Perspective

Guofang Li, Senyao Shen, University of British Columbia

Abstract Research on Chinese heritage-language maintenance has predominantly focused on Mandarin as the default mother tongue and has largely ignored learners’ dialects or language varieties. As a result, we know little about dialect speakers’ beliefs and practices of maintaining their language varieties other than Mandarin, particularly in the home domain. Using family language policy (FLP) as the theoretical framework, this multiple case study examined six Chinese families’ beliefs and practices in early bidialectal (Mandarin and dialect) maintenance over three years when their children moved through kindergarten to Grade 3. Findings indicated that parents subscribed to the dominant language ideologies and placed their dialects at the bottom of the language hierarchy. However, the parents differed in their beliefs in the value of their dialects; and families who celebrated bidialectalism actively maintained their dialects while those who did not gradually gave up on passing their dialects to their children, even when grandparents were involved in the maintenance efforts. The findings have important implications for supporting and achieving bidialectalism in immigrant countries.

Key words Mandarin, dialect, heritage-Chinese maintenence, family language policy

What Really Matters in Early Bilingual and Biliteracy Acquisition?

Home Language and Literacy Input in Chinese Heritage Language Learners

Sihui (Echo) Ke, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Yuyan Xia, Jing Zhang, University of Kentucky

Abstract Home language and literacy input (HLLI) is critical for linguistic and literacy development in bilingual children. This exploratory study investigated home oral, and print input for Chinese heritage language learners between four and six years old in the United States and aimed to identify salient types of input associated with speaking and reading abilities in the heritage language (Chinese) and the societal language (English). Fifty-three parents completed a HLLI questionnaire and rated the speaking and reading competencies in Chinese and English of their children. The relationships between HLLI and bilingual abilities were examined via principal component analysis and regression. There were two major findings: first, Chinese speaking ability mainly depended on oral language exchange between parents and their children, as well as print exposure to Chinese; Chinese reading ability was associated with oral language exchange between parents and their children, as well as pinyin/bopomofo practice at home. Second, both speaking and reading abilities in English were significantly and positively related to children’s interest in reading English only. Evidence-based recommendations are provided regarding home language and literacy practices for young Chinese heritage language learners in the United States.

Key words  home language input, heritage language, Chinese, bilingual and biliteracy development

Chinese Heritage Language Maintenance in the Context of Superdiversity: Perspectives from Dialect-background Heritage Learners

Lin Chen, Danping Wang, University of Auckland

Abstract Situated in the context of migration trends toward superdiversity in Anglophone countries, this study conceptualizes Chinese heritage language (CHL) learners as complex social beings with increasingly diverse language repertories, migration histories, and socioeconomic statuses. Failing to understand such diversity in language maintenance and language shift may lead to oversimplifying the process of Chinese language maintenance and consequently perpetuating educational inequities in overseas Chinese education. The study analysed questionnaire data from 56 CHL learners who identified as dialect speakers in a New Zealand university. Findings show that CHL learners are indeed a linguistically and socioculturally diverse group. There is a clear shift towards English among participants as they approached adulthood, with some also speaking non-Chinese languages like Khmer. While Chinese dialects remain prevalent within their homes, younger generations exhibit a decrease in the number of Chinese dialects spoken. Surprisingly, Mandarin, despite being the primary language resource for Chinese education, is underutilized and tends to remain at a low proficiency level. This study concludes by offering implications to policymakers and Chinese curriculum developers to provide genuine support for maintaining and learning the Chinese language within the increasingly diverse Chinese diaspora.

Key words Chinese heritage language learners, language maintenance, language shift, Chinese dialect, superdiversity

期刊简介

In recent years there has been a global upsurge of interest in all aspects of Chinese culture, economy and society and along with this, an increasing demand for instruction in the Chinese language. This new, fully refereed, journal is intended for an international audience of scholars, applied linguists, educators and policy makers engaged with Chinese as a foreign language. It offers a forum for presenting work from a range of linguistic sub-fields related to Chinese linguistics, language pedagogy, second-language acquisition, assessment, teacher training and curriculum design.

近年来，全球对中国文化、经济、社会各方面的兴趣高涨，对汉语教学的需求也随之增加。这本全新的、经过全面参考的期刊面向国际读者，包括从事对外汉语研究的学者、应用语言学家、教育工作者和政策制定者。它提供了一个论坛，展示与汉语语言学、语言教育学、第二语言习得、评估、教师培训和课程设计相关的一系列语言子领域的工作。

Researching and Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language seeks empirical contributions as well as papers that address theoretical and methodological concerns. In additional to articles, the journal publishes book reviews and conference reports. The language of the journal is English.

《汉语研究与教学》寻求实证贡献以及解决理论和方法问题的论文。除了文章之外，该杂志还发表书评和会议报告。该期刊的语言是英语。

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