Native language affects the perception of segmental phonetic structure, of stress, and of semantic and pragmatic effects of intonation. Similarly, native language might influence the perception of similarities and differences among intonation contours. To test this hypothesis, a cross-language experiment was conducted. An English utterance was…

The present study examines sociolinguistic features of a particular speech act, paying compliments, by comparing and contrasting native Chinese and native American speakers' performances. By focusing on a relatively understudied speaker group such as the Chinese, typically regarded as having rules of speaking and social norms very different from…

The purposes of this study were to identify and describe the factors that influenced the choices made by mainland Chinese students and scholars to come to the United States, to identify and describe the factors that influenced their settlement in the United States, and to identify and describe the role that higher education played in this process.…

English contains many nominals that would be absent in Chinese because Chinese makes greater use of "zero anaphora," which is an empty grammatical slot in a sentence standing for a previously mentioned referent. Native Chinese and native English speakers were compared in comprehending modified English passages from a standardized reading test with…

This study assessed the feasibility of and presents preliminary findings on a culturally enhanced, theory-driven smoking cessation intervention for adult Chinese and Korean smokers. A one-group pre-post test design was used. The intervention consisted of behavioral and nicotine replacement strategies. Participants (N=43) were recruited through…

Basic English Writing (BEW) courses have been part of English learning curricula in many universities. Some research has been conducted to investigate various class designs for English language courses. However, class designs for English writing are not yet abundantly developed to provide more experimental results. The purpose of this study was to…

This study examines how the language used at home, Putonghua or Cantonese, has influenced the Chinese reading attainment of 4335 primary school students in Hong Kong. Also examined was the influence of the birthplace and home background socioeconomic status (SES) of the reader. Although the indigenous Hong Kong population uses Cantonese, a dialect…

These lessons were developed by teacher participants in the 1994 Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad program in China. The 15 lessons include: (1) "Global Studies 1" (Robert H. Berry); (2) "Dao Beijing" (Thomas G. Buckingham, Jr.); (3) "Letters to the Past: An Integrated Curriculum on China, Hong Kong, and Macau"…

The approach taken commonly in instructional materials designed for teaching translation at the college level is examined, and an alternative is proposed. The approach under examination is the use of western translation theories to teach translation between Chinese and English, often incorporating examples from other, unfamiliar languages. It is…

This document is a collection of lessons for teaching a unit on ancient Chinese history. The unit focuses on a specific dramatic moment in history from which students can explore the deeper meanings of selected landmark events and their wider context in the great historical narrative. Continuing narrative provides the contest in which the dramatic…

Some causes of difficulty experienced by Chinese learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) in attaining communicative competence in the target language include lack of appropriate teacher strategies; teachers' limited English language proficiency; neglect of education in the target culture; lack of communicative activities; students'…

This paper describes the computerization of the libraries in the Chinese International School in Hong Kong. The Infant, Junior and Secondary libraries, with a staff of three professional librarians, one library assistant, and one audiovisual technician, needed an automated system which could support their bilingual curriculum. Two computer systems…

It is argued that a method for teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) combining the communicative approach with the traditional grammatical orientation and Chinese teaching traditions may be more effective than any one of these single approaches in the Chinese educational and cultural context. The resulting approach is termed the…

Although the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) has been administered to Chinese test takers in Taiwan and Hong Kong for more than 22 years and in China for the past decade, there is very little documentation on the history, test taker volumes, performance, or law school admission rates of these candidates. The current study addresses the following…

This paper describes a computerized listening comprehension text created using an authoring system and designed for intermediate students of Chinese as a second language. The 12 lessons, enhanced with sound, animated visuals, and feedback, guide students in using appropriate top-down and bottom-up processing strategies to improve listening…