Examines the relationship between phonetic substitution patterns in child speech and sound change patterns in dialects of adult language, basing an explanation of these phenomena on acoustic data and language universals. (AM)

Presents a tongue-in-cheek monologue on the value of languages to the culture and economic life of Australia and its students. Touches on the number of languages spoken in Australia, the schools' role, languages other than English, student motivation, educational objectives, immigrants, and multiculturalism. (Author/CK)

Investigates the motivational factors of students of Asian and Asian-American backgrounds learning Chinese at the university level in the United States. Results indicate that intrinsic interest in Chinese culture and the desire to understand one's own cultural heritage are the initial motivation for students to learn the language and that…

Analyzes the official (Kuomintang) language policy in Taiwan, which had exalted Mandarin and suppressed other local languages, and the efforts during the last decade to revive Tai-yu, a major language in the post-war period. The dynamics of the Tai-yu language movement reveal a pressing problem facing Taiwan: how to balance national cohesion with…

Reviews the educational reform and philosophy of Confucianism, the communist ideology, the psychological characteristics of the Chinese, and the Chinese language as the cultural context of school science teaching and learning in the People's Republic of China. Focuses on the effects of cultural influences. Contains 28 references. (DDR)

Describes the development of the Cooperative Remotely Accessible Learning (CORAL) system on the Internet at National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan) that promotes cooperative constructive distance learning and provides the first comprehensive and networked courseware written in Chinese. Results of formative evaluation are described and future…

Examines assumptions underlying the use of groupwork in the teaching of English as a foreign language (FL) in China. The article concludes that the primary role of small group discussion in FL learning should be in the development of collaborative learning strategies to master content rather than interpersonal communication in the target language.…

A short measure of trait and state negative and positive affect, the Chinese Affect Scale, was developed for Chinese-speaking people and tested in Hong Kong with 306 community adults and 314 college students. Scores had reasonable internal and retest reliabilities and high convergent and discriminant validity. (SLD)

Explores whether culture-specific rhetorical conventions affect the reading recall of Chinese English-as-a-Foreign-Language college students at two grade levels. Four English passages verified as using Chinese rhetorical conventions were modified into four counterpart versions reflecting English rhetorical conventions. Taiwanese freshman and…

Reports results of a study investigating patterns of publication for 14 Western-trained Chinese TESOL professionals in China. Open-ended interviews revealed trends in publishing practices, including the perceived influence of English on their writing of Chinese. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the difficulties inherent in creating an authentic Chinese text of the legislation of Hong Kong. The article argues that the real difficulty lies in the need for a change in perspective, and once this change occurs, what remains is the technicality of linguistic manipulation. "Law" Chinese will best develop out of the English…

Describes a pilot study of a computerized program for learning Chinese characters. The program, HyperCharacters, uses graphic symbols, sounds and animated presentation to produce an integrated learning environment. Study findings indicate that the program has proved its value via experimental study and interviews with students. (Two references)…

Examined whether Chinese is used in tertiary-level English classrooms in China, and if so, how often and for what purposes. Also examined the attitudes of the students and teachers toward using Chinese in the EFL classroom. (Author/VWL)

Reports on a research study that highlights educational and pedagogical issues in nonformal programs for teaching the visual and performing arts in a midwestern province of China. Finds that government subsidizing has lead to some amount of success but that this very interference creates problems of both a financial and political nature. (KO)

Provides a brief history of the Chinese in the British Caribbean. Examines the phenomenon of creolization among the Chinese in Guyana, Trinidad, and Jamaica. Compares differences in the extent of creolization within each country. Discusses factors behind these variations of enculturation into Caribbean culture. (JS)