Enlightenment from Chinese-English Differences in Thinking on Oral English Teaching of College Students

Abstract

Language is the material carrier of thinking, and the two are interdependent and inseparable. In the process of second language acquisition, learners' language thinking often has an important influence on the process and result of second language acquisition, primarily because native language thinking influences the verbal expression of the second language in daily life. Students in their native language environment and are influenced by their cultural practices develop specific native language thinking. They already have some background knowledge and cognitive comprehension of their native language in their minds before they try to learn a new language. Therefore, for them, the process of second language acquisition is not zero-based but takes the native language as the base. Moreover, because of the vast differences in grammar and expressions between English and Chinese, the casual nature of the spoken language, and the less rigorous grammatical requirements, English learners who use Chinese as their first language tend to apply their native language's habitual thinking to the use of English. Therefore, exploring the relationship between Chinese thinking and speaking is an integral part of the second language acquisition process. This paper explores the relationship between Chinese thinking and speaking, explores the influence of language thinking on speaking acquisition, and discusses how classroom teaching can help learners overcome the interference of fixed thought in Chinese and develop English thinking skills to improve learners' English-speaking performance.