Chinese German Research Articles

Research on Strategies for Enhancing the Ability of Chinese German Learners to Tell Chinese Stories Through Short Videos

Research on Strategies for Enhancing the Ability of Chinese German Learners to Tell Chinese Stories Through Short Videos

Analysis of Errors in English Argumentative Essays Written by Chinese University German Majors

Although many people choose to learn a third language as globalization advances, English still plays an important role in the world. However, the intervention of a third language makes the sources of errors in English composition more complex and diverse. Therefore, in order to summarize the main types and causes of errors in English writing among Chinese German college students, the author conducted an empirical study. The participants were 30 sophomores majoring in German from Northeastern University in China, with Chinese as their first language, English as a second language and German as a third language. They were asked to write an argumentative essay of about 200 words in English in 30 minutes. After collecting all the essays, the author interviewed 8 participants. According to the research of predecessors and the characteristics of student errors, the author divides errors into four levels: substance errors, lexical errors, grammatical errors, and discourse errors. Each of these error types contains subcategories. According to statistics, there were a total of 260 errors in the sample, of which grammatical errors accounted for the highest proportion, accounting for 39.7%, followed by substance errors, accounting for 27.1%, and errors of misspelling occurred the most. Combined with interviews, it is found that the main causes of errors include L1 Chinese transfer, L3 German transfer, L2 English intralingual transfer, students' fear of English writing, and negative attitude towards teacher’s feedback. Finally, according to the research results, this paper summarizes some implications of English teaching for Chinese German college students.

Diskursive Landeskunde im Unterricht Deutsch als Fremdsprache (DaF) : Entwicklung und Erprobung von literaturbasierten Online-Materialien für den chinesischen Bachelorstudiengang Germanistik

In today's globalized world, the construction of meaning for cultural activities has grown progressively more diverse and intricate. Within foreign language classrooms, enabling students to actively participate in foreign language discourse and grasp the intricacies of cultural meaning construction is essential for their enhanced ability to tackle a wide array of complex global challenges. To accomplish this, cultural teaching in German as a Foreign Language (GFL) classes has undergone a paradigm shift over the past two decades. Instead of looking at human behavior from an external perspective, cultural teaching now concentrates on individualized viewpoints regarding discursive negotiation processes. This development has also accelerated the evolution of literary didactics in GFL classes, which relies on discursive concepts such as Diskursive Landeskunde. However, the lack of training in discursive ability in both cultural and literary courses in the Bachelor's program of German Studies at the investigated university, ECNU, can lead to a superficial and narrow understanding of cultural activities. This study addresses this issue and adopts the research method of Design-Based research, designing and testing literature-based course materials on the topic of Migration and Home. The goal is to enhance both the discursive and aesthetic abilities of students in the Chinese German Studies program.

Der Gebrauch von Konnektoren bei chinesischen DaF-LernerInnen. Eine korpuslinguistische Untersuchung argumentativer Lernertexte

Connectors are linguistic elements that link statements between textual units (Duden, 2016, p. 1083) and function as conjunctions (Heringer, 1989, p. 353). Many scholars have studied English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ connector usage, but few studies have occurred in fields related to German, with deficiencies still present regarding issues such as the relatively limited classification of connectors, insufficient analytical dimensions, and lack of studies on learners at different levels. This study is based on the dynamic systems theory and uses 168 argumentative essays as its data basis, with 155 having been selected from Lerner Corpus and covering four learning stages and the rest from the FalkoEssayL1 corpus. The study uses frequency, diversity, and accuracy as three variables in the quantitative and qualitative analyses of Chinese German as a Foreign Language (GFL) learners’ acquisition of connectors. The results indicate Chinese GFL-learners’ acquisition of connectors to show a non-unidirectional, non-linear, and interactive developmental tendency. Their usage of connectors also shows certain characteristics compared to native German speakers. In addition, the phenomena of lexical plateau and fossilization are also observable among GFL-learners during certain specific learning stages. Accordingly, this study verifies and even enriches the dynamic systems theory with specific lexical data. Based on the obtained results, the influencing factors on the usage of connectors is attributable to four aspects: language input, linguistic interference, learning strategies, and thought patterns. The final section of the article discusses didactic suggestions based on these results. 

In a Cage of Law: Liability Imputation System in the Tort Law on Kept Animals – A Chinese–German Comparative Study

The imputation of liability for damages caused by kept animals found in China’s Tort Law is a unique, synthetic, and multidimensional dual system. On the one hand, hazard-based liability is the dominant factor, and on the other is fault-based liability the auxiliary factor. The Tort Law on kept animals is oriented towards the types of liability for damages caused by kept animals, rather than towards categories of animal types, and it categorizes liability degrees under both normal and special circumstances. While underlining the merits achieved by this liability imputation system in terms of its structure (on the macro-level), this Article also probes into the problems and difficulties arising out of some key junctures (on the micro-level), especially as the system is put into practice and its operational complexity is revealed. Because of the strong affinity of the Chinese civil law, and especially tort law, with its German counterpart, this Article references the German tort law on animal keeper’s liability for an historical and comparative legal analysis, bringing more light to the Chinese system of liability. The imputation of liability for damages caused by kept animals found in China’s Tort Law is a unique, synthetic, and multidimensional dual system. On the one hand, hazard-based liability is the dominant factor, and on the other is fault-based liability the auxiliary factor. The Tort Law on kept animals is oriented towards the types of liability for damages caused by kept animals, rather than towards categories of animal types, and it categorizes liability degrees under both normal and special circumstances. While underlining the merits achieved by this liability imputation system in terms of its structure (on the macro-level), this Article also probes into the problems and difficulties arising out of some key junctures (on the micro-level), especially as the system is put into practice and its operational complexity is revealed. Because of the strong affinity of the Chinese civil law, and especially tort law, with its German counterpart, this Article references the German tort law on animal keeper’s liability for an historical and comparative legal analysis, bringing more light to the Chinese system of liability.

中国德语学习者的名词复数结构—一个关于语言迁移现象的实践研究

中国德语学习者的名词复数结构—一个关于语言迁移现象的实践研究

Successful Chinese German Collaborations in Historical Dresden

Successful Chinese German Collaborations in Historical Dresden

Chinese–German Computational and Applied Mathematics

Abstract This short article is the epilog of the 14 preceding papers in this and the previous issue of CMAM. All are extracted from the 5th Chinese–German Workshop on Computational and Applied Mathematics at Augsburg but submitted as individual papers to the journal.

Engaging a temporal–spatial stretch: An inquiry into the role of the state in cultivating and claiming the Chinese knowledge diaspora

This paper examines the role of the state in cultivating and claiming the Chinese knowledge diaspora for development, focusing on the Chinese–German academic space. It calls for a temporal–spatial stretch in conceptualising the state in this policy arena. The spatial stretch broadens the usual analysis of the state to go beyond the sending nation-state framework. It illustrates that the state, rather than functioning as a unitary body, comprises different agencies and exists in a multiplicity of forms. Examples demonstrate that the Chinese state at various geographical levels and localities as well as states in other countries engage with one another in making and tapping the Chinese knowledge diaspora. The temporal stretch necessitates an extension of our analytical optic from the conventional focus on how the state claims the diaspora ‘out there’ towards recognising its important role in the strategic and selective production of the diaspora. Furthermore, this paper calls for a higher sensitivity to other temporal characteristics in state policies and practices. Moving away from an expectation of a permanent return of its talents overseas, the Chinese state has turned to the ‘diaspora option’, which refers to regulating and tapping the potential of the Chinese knowledge network that contributes from afar and/or circulates transnationally. Other mechanisms to control the temporality of knowledge diaspora engagement will also be illustrated. Finally, the paper provides an analysis of the complex, sometimes collaborative while other times competitive relationship, between the Chinese and German states in producing and regulating the Chinese knowledge diaspora.

When East meets West at the bargaining table: adaptation, behavior and outcomes in intra- and intercultural German–Chinese business negotiations

This study analyzes how negotiators from Germany and China deal with a foreign opponent compared to a compatriot. Hypotheses about negotiation behavior and behavioral adaptation are derived from differences in cooperative and competitive motivational orientation represented by the cultural values of assertiveness and humane orientation. Additionally, negotiation outcomes in this cultural setting are assessed in order to shed light on this economically very important, but currently much under researched bilateral trade relationship. To this end, 45 German, 41 Chinese, 42 German–Chinese, and 45 Chinese–German negotiation dyads had to solve a complex, integrative bargaining task through internet chats. Negotiation behavior was content-coded and subjected to logistic regression analysis. In the intracultural negotiations, German negotiators used more integrative and less distributive tactics compared to Chinese negotiators. When changing the setting from intra- to intercultural, the Chinese negotiators did not change behavior, but the German negotiators increased their level of distributive behavior. Since they did not significantly change their level of integrative behavior, we found (partial) behavioral adaptation of the German negotiators. As a result, the joint gains achieved by intercultural dyads are lower than the joint gains of German intracultural dyads, but higher than those of Chinese intracultural dyads.

Project based learning in mechatronics education in close collaboration with industrial: Methodologies, examples and experiences

The paper describes how the philosophy of project based learning (PBL) was integrated into the mechatronics capstone design course “Mechatronics Project Design and Management (MPDM)” at The Chinese–German School of Applied Sciences (Chinesisch–Deutsche Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, CDHAW) of Tongji University, Shanghai, China. The course teaching philosophy, implementation methodologies, examples and experiences were discussed.

The Yangtze-Hydro Project: a Chinese–German environmental program

Water of good quality is one of the basic needs of human life. Worldwide, great efforts are being undertaken for an assured water supply. In this respect, one of the largest water technology projects worldwide is the Yangtze Three Gorges Dam in China. There is a need for extensive scientific and technical understanding of the challenges arising from this large hydrological engineering project. German and Chinese groups from various scientific fields are collaborating to provide knowledge for the sustainable management of the reservoir. In this project description, the Yangtze Three Gorges Dam Project, its goals and challenges, are described in brief, and the contributions of the German research projects are presented.

Not in the Year 2525 …︁

Not in the Year 2525 …︁

Mechatronics education at CDHAW of Tongji University: Laboratory guidelines, framework, implementations and improvements

Engineering education is facing unprecedented challenges and exciting opportunities, particularly in the mechatronics engineering education area. Due to the highly applied nature of mechatronics engineering, mechatronics students need a focused laboratory environment which is as close as possible to the real-world situation to apply and absorb mechatronics concepts, and to assist them in the development of “hands-on” skills. The Chinese–German School of Applied Sciences (Chinesisch-Deutsche Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, CDHAW) is an educational project of the Chinese Ministry of Education and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, implemented by the Tongji University and a consortium of German Universities of Applied Sciences. In a previous paper – mechatronics education at CDHAW of Tongji University: structure, orientation and curriculum, which was published in Journal Mechatronics 2008;18:172–7, the authors presented the orientation and curriculum design of mechatronics education at CDHAW. In this paper, we will discuss systematically the guidelines, framework, implementations and improvements of our mechatronics laboratory corresponding to our orientation and curriculum design.

Mechatronics education at CDHAW of Tongji University: Structure, orientation and curriculum

Mechatronics is a new emerging discipline challenging the traditional engineering thinking and practices. The Chinese–German School of Applied Sciences (Chinesisch-Deutsche Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, CDHAW) is an educational project of the Chinese Ministry of Education (MoE) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), implemented by the Tongji University and a consortium of German Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS). Mechatronics engineering is one of its three majors at present. This paper discusses the structure, orientation and curriculum design of mechatronics engineering education at CDHAW of Tongji University.

Chinese German Workshop

Chinese German Workshop

Improving the acoustic working conditions for musicians in small spaces

In the acoustic consulting, testing, design and engineering work of the Fraunhofer-Institute of Building Physics (IBP) the low-frequency end of the noise spectra and the room acoustic conditioning has gained tremendous importance over the years. For solving the long-ranging noise pollution from e.g. exhaust stacks and chimneys, a series of low-frequency sound attenuators with minimum flow resistance were developed. Its first representative was a novel membrane absorber [10] [Ackermann U, et al., Sound absorbers of a novel membrane construction. Applied Acoustics 1998;25:197–215]. Thanks to its slenderness and ruggedness it could also be employed for noise control and reverberation adjustment purposes in relatively narrow enclosures and harsh environments [11,12] [Vér IL. Enclosures and wrappings. In: Harris CM, editor. Handbook of acoustical measurements and noise control. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991; Fuchs HV, Hunecke J. The room plays its part at low frequencies. Das Musikinstrument 1993;42:40–6 (in German). Meanwhile a new type of panel absorber has been optimized for both kinds of application. Its absorption efficiency at frequencies far below 100 Hz could be demonstrated and quantified by a special measuring procedure based on the reverberation of a small rectangular room at its eigenfrequencies [3] (Zha X, et al. Measurements of an effective absorption coefficient below 100 Hz. Acoustics Bulletin 1999;24:5–10). With the aid of this novel tool it is now possible to qualify reverberation rooms and anechoic chambers for frequencies down to 63 and 31 Hz, respectively [9] (Fuchs HV, et al. Qualifying freefield and reverberation rooms for frequencies below 100 Hz. Applied Acoustics 2000;59:303–22). In a companion paper in this same journal [4] [Fuchs HV, et al.: Creating low-noise environments in communication rooms. Applied Acoustics (in print)] appropriate experience is reported in creating low-noise environments in multi-purpose rooms like offices, restaurants, foyers and seminars. A number of representative case studies [5] (Drotleff H, et al. : Attractive acoustic design of multi-purpose halls. 1. Chinese–German Platform Innovative Acoustics 2000, (October, 21–25. 2000)) show ample evidence that the low-frequency performance of the rooms has a strong influence on both the amplification of intruding external noise and the development of internally generated noise emanating from communication processes provoked by the users themselves. At work places where producing sound (by voices or/and instruments) is the main or only purpose for their existence, the acoustic qualification of the room at low frequencies turns out to be of the utmost importance, especially when musicians are forced to work in extremely narrow spaces like orchestra pits and rehearsal halls for many hours a day and often under extreme physical and mental pressure. The measures taken and described herein have proven to mitigate if not remove some of the acoustic burden put on musicians employed in states theatres.

The Chinese Maar Drilling Programme A Chinese–German Cooperation for Paleoclimatic Reconstructions

The Chinese Maar Drilling Programme A Chinese–German Cooperation for Paleoclimatic Reconstructions

Pleistocene paleoenvironmental changes in the high mountain ranges of central China and adjacent regions

Abstract During several joint Chinese–German expeditions, the Quaternary landscape and paleoclimatic evolution of the mountain ranges and grabens surrounding the Loess Plateau of central China was studied. The results are compared with proxy data from the interior Loess Plateau, to help reconstruct atmospheric circulation during Late Pleistocene times. Middle to Late Pleistocene alluvial terraces and fans, capped with loess units and paleosols, show that aggradational episodes correlate with periods of glaciation and increased loess accumulation. In turn, degradation correlates with interglacials or interstadials and increased soil formation. This implies that climate is the primary control on Quaternary paleohydrology and alluvial sedimentation and erosion. The high mountains, which barely reached the last glacial ELA, were only glaciated during the most favourable climatic period of glaciation. The glaciation, the glacial and alluvial forms point to a cool early to maximum glacial period with increased precipitation and to a maximum to final period with cold–dry conditions. During the last glaciation, the maximum advance of the small glaciers took place towards the end of a relatively humid and cold period between ca. 32 and 23 ka. The following dry–cold stage between ca. 23 and 13 ka was rather unfavourable for glacial advance. Proxy data from the Loess Plateau supports the view, that glaciations were more or less dominated by cold–dry winter monsoon climate, whereas during the interglacial/interstadials a warmer and more humid climate prevailed, implying a strengthening of the summer monsoon influence. The results prove variations of the monsoon, that in turn modulates paleohydrology, periglacial dynamics, glacier advances, dust flux and soil formation.

Hydrogen–air pemfc operation with extraordinarily low gas pressures and internal humidification—conception and experimental prototype stack

Since the proton exchange membrane (PEM) proved to be the most favourable instrument of mobile fuel cell (FC) development, laboratory work at the Karlsruhe research Center attempted to simplify conditions for PEMFC construction and operation. Air flows were employed in hydrogen fuel cells with low input pressure but high velocity. To avoid external gas humidifiers, porous bipolar plates made of carbon fiber material and containing flow-fields for hydrogen, air and water had been used. A self-made nine-cell stack designed for mobile application was tested within a Chinese–German co-operation. The experiments reveal the characteristics and perspectives of the investigated low-pressure FC system. © 1999 International Association for Hydrogen Energy.