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)

Presents the irregular distribution of stative co-occurrence with "zhe," and shows that the meaning of "zhe" is best elucidated under the framework of the Two-Component Theory. Properties that separate stage statives from others are examined, as is the interaction between the imperfective "zhe" and the stative…

Discussed the relationship between definiteness and word order (WO) from three aspects: the position of the unquantified noun phrases as related to their definiteness; effects of quantifiers on WO; and relative order of different noun phrases in the same clause. Data verify that the correlation between definiteness and WO is valid for larger…

Describes college classroom exercises that encourage overt appropriation of texts from modern Chinese literature, which, followed by critical analysis, subverts the covert appropriation of the dominant ideology. Notes that these activities in overt appropriation are designed to promote cultural crossings, awareness of others, and awareness of the…

An electronic version of Yu-gong Yi Shan, an ancient Chinese fable, is discussed as a prototype of the use of technology for Chinese teaching and learning. Yu-gong demonstrates how hypermedia can be designed to overcome the linear, static, and silent constraints of book technology. (four references) (Author/LB)

Considers difficulties encountered when the language of instruction is changed from a second to a first language. A survey of Chinese-speaking teachers in Hong Kong who currently instruct in English indicates that they are more confident of their ability to teach using English and questions the government's promotion of Chinese as the language of…

Proposes that the distinction between syntactic and nonsyntactic use of reflexives is not necessarily one of lexical ambiguity, positing one type of referentially dependent element (reflexives) which have two options for being related to their antecedents (syntactic binding and discourse conference). The paper focuses on Chinese reflexive ziji and…