This study examined 2,570 Chinese characters taught in Chinese elementary schools. Findings indicated that visual complexity, phonetic regularity, and semantic transparency of characters increased from early to later grades. Characters introduced in first/second grade contained fewer strokes but were less likely to be regular or transparent than…

Ten native Chinese speaking children and adolescents who immigrated to the United States between the ages of 5 and 16 were studied for 3 years. Changes in their language preferences, language environments, and proficiency in English (their second language), as well as Chinese (their first language), were measured quantitatively and qualitatively.…

Presents a case example of an application of an ecological model for career development in counseling a Chinese American lesbian regarding her career decisions in the U.S. Details the proposed intervention for counseling and information on the potential barriers to effective counseling. (GCP)

Notes that an unusually large number of Chinese nursery rhymes provide realistic depictions of women's life experiences over the long history of China. Describes how they tell about women's fears and concerns as well as hopes and dreams and even sufferings. Divides those rhymes into three categories that represent three stages of a woman's life.…

Explores the role of national and professional cultures in Sino-Western negotiations. Considers the way participants accounted for their experiences in an effort to gain more insight into Sino-Western negotiations. Discusses three successful strategies for both Chinese and Western groups: Adequate preparation, image work, and good relationship.…

Discusses the Little Man's Book, a highly acclaimed literary form that enlightens and educates Chinese youth. Notes that the literary and artistic beauty of these picture storybooks lead Chinese youngsters to regard the books as excellent teachers and good friends. Argues that these books are an important aspect of Chinese cultural life. (RS)

Examines a recently (1985) compiled list of the 3,000 most commonly used Chinese characters, drawn from a sample of 11 million characters, and discusses the list's potential use as the basis for textbooks and vocabulary study programs, and as a database for computer assisted instruction. (CB)

Argues that instruction in etymology, although presently neglected in second language instruction, could offer meaningful linguistic information and principles to the intermediate and advanced second language learner. Practical illustrations of how etymology was integrated into a second language program in Hong Kong are presented. (Author/CB)

This article examines the position of the Tamil language in Singapore. It is one of the four languages in Singapore but shows signs of decline in recent years relative to English, Chinese, and Malay. The reasons for this are explored. (Contains 24 references.) (JL)

Examines the effect of graphic, phonological, and graphic-and-phonological information on Chinese character identification by 22 Mandarin-speaking Taiwanese graduate students. Finds that graphic information plays an essential role in Chinese character identification, while phonological information does not enhance the accuracy of identification.…

Examines the film "The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus" and the text upon which it is loosely based, the "Chin P'ing Mei," and the relationship between it and modern Chinese culture. States that the film's screenplay is much less an adaptation of the source novel than it is a female-centered reworking of a particular narrative…

Argues that one of the formative texts of Taoism, the "Chuang Tzu," is worthy of study by rhetoric scholars because it reveals a unique approach to rhetoric in its attempt to disclose the mind of the sage not through logic but through intuition, and it shows how storytelling can acquaint people with previously unsuspected possibilities of thought…

Examined how speakers of languages with zero pronouns (Japanese) and without them (English) use zero pronouns when acquiring a second language (L2) that has them (Mandarin Chinese). The findings show that L2 learners do not use zero pronouns as often as native speakers and that their use increases with proficiency. (51 references) (MDM)

After critiquing speech act treatment of inviting as either single or cooperative speech act, it is proposed that Chinese invitation is type of discourse that features tripartite structure and embodies dual politeness strategy. It is argued that such a discourse accords to its participants a cultural identity that attends both "a public…

Evidence is presented in support of a genetic relationship between Old Chinese and Reconstructed Austronesian: the phonological evidence links Chinese monosyllables with the final syllable of Austronesian words. (54 references) (JL)