Learning Mandarin Research Articles

Unraveling the contributions of prosodic patterns and individual traits on cross-linguistic perception of Spanish sentence modality.

Cross-linguistic perception is known to be molded by native and second language (L2) experiences. Yet, the role of prosodic patterns and individual characteristics on how speakers of tonal languages perceive L2 Spanish sentence modalities remains relatively underexplored. This study addresses the gap by analyzing the auditory performance of 75 Mandarin speakers with varying levels of Spanish proficiency. The experiment consisted of four parts: the first three collected sociolinguistic profiles and assessed participants' pragmatic competence and musical abilities. The last part involved an auditory gating task, where participants were asked to identify Spanish broad focus statements and information-seeking yes/no questions with different stress patterns. Results indicated that the shape of intonation contours and the position of the final stressed syllable significantly impact learners' perceptual accuracy, with effects modulated by utterance length and L2 proficiency. Moreover, individual differences in pragmatic and musical competence were found to refine auditory and cognitive processing in Mandarin learners, thereby influencing their ability to discriminate question-statement contrasts. These findings reveal the complex interplay between prosodic and individual variations in L2 speech perception, providing novel insights into how speakers of tonal languages process intonation in a non-native Romance language like Spanish.

ANALYSIS OF THE NEEDS OF MANDARIN TEACHING USERS ON LIVE STREAMING PLATFORMS

The rapid development of live streaming platforms has attracted an increasing number of knowledge sharers and learners. These platforms have expanded from entertainment and live commerce to knowledge sharing and monetization. Mandarin Chinese teaching has gained popularity due to its vast user base and relatively low teaching threshold. However, after a period of practice, some drawbacks have been observed, impacting teaching effectiveness and students' learning outcomes. Through questionnaires, specific student needs will be identified, and collaborative efforts among the platform, regulatory authorities, and content providers will be undertaken to improve and enhance Mandarin Chinese teaching on live-streaming platforms. This paper employs quantitative analysis to investigate the distribution of Mandarin learners on live streaming platforms, factors influencing their learning, and their satisfaction levels with the learning process. The aim is to provide valuable insights for future Mandarin teaching on live-streaming platforms and other educational domains. The rapid development of live streaming platforms has attracted increasing knowledge sharers and learners. These platforms have expanded from entertainment and live commerce to knowledge sharing and monetisation. Mandarin Chinese teaching has gained popularity due to its vast user base and relatively low teaching threshold. However, after a period of practice, some drawbacks have been observed, impacting teaching effectiveness and students' learning outcomes. Through questionnaires, specific student needs will be identified, and collaborative efforts among the platform, regulatory authorities, and content providers will be undertaken to improve and enhance Mandarin Chinese teaching on live-streaming platforms. This paper employs quantitative analysis to investigate the distribution of Mandarin learners on live streaming platforms, factors influencing their learning, and their satisfaction levels with the learning process. The aim is to provide valuable insights for future Mandarin teaching on live-streaming platforms and other educational domains.

Independent Semantic and Syntactic Representations in L2 Mandarin Learners: Evidence from Structural Priming

Structural representations in English have been shown to be quite abstract, with structural information being represented independently from semantic information. Mandarin has a relatively sparse marking of syntactic information, with no inflections for case, number, or tense. Given this syntactic sparsity, Huang et al. (2016) hypothesized that, distinct from English-language findings, Mandarin learners may have shared syntactic and semantic representations, such that semantic information can guide structure building. We examined this question in L2 Mandarin learners using a structural priming paradigm that required reading Mandarin primes. We found that L2 Mandarin learners exhibit within-language structural priming, and this effect is independent of semantic information. These findings have two implications: (1) this represents the first demonstration of within-language L2 Mandarin structural priming; (2) L2 learners can develop syntactic representations independent of semantic representations, even when the target L2 language lacks rich marking of syntactic information.

Cross-Language Perception of Lexical Tones by Nordic Learners of Mandarin Chinese

While existing cross-language studies on the perception of non-native tones primarily focus on naïve listeners, this study addresses an obvious gap by investigating learners from diverse language backgrounds. Specifically, it investigates Mandarin tone perception in two groups of learners from Nordic languages, Swedish (a pitch-accent language), and Danish (a non-tonal language), as well as in a group of native Chinese speakers. Analysis of their performance in tone identification task revealed a slight advantage for Swedish learners, implying the influence of their pitch accent background in learning Mandarin tones. However, both Swedish and Danish learners who excelled in the tone identification task exhibited similar perception of within-category tonal variations but differed from native Chinese speakers. Additionally, the study found that the presence of length contrast, a prosodic feature in the learners’ native languages, significantly influences their perception of Mandarin tones.

Acquisition of Mandarin tones by Canadian first graders: Effect of prior exposure to tonal and non-tonal languages.

This study examines the tone productions of school-aged children with and without a tonal language background who are learning Mandarin as a second language (L2) or heritage language in Mandarin-English bilingual schools in Western Canada. Tones are frequently identified as one of the most challenging aspects of phonology for Mandarin L2 learners to acquire. In this study, tone productions of bilingual children from three home language backgrounds, English, Cantonese, and Mandarin Chinese, were compared for transcribed accuracy using mixed effects logistic regression. In addition, the fundamental frequency contours of correct tone productions were fitted with generalized additive mixed models to analyse the acoustic differences between groups. Error patterns were also analysed for possible Cantonese substitutions. Our results suggest that children with a Cantonese background are more accurate in tone productions than children with an English language background, but they also made more errors than their peers with a Mandarin language background. These findings suggest that a tonal language background could result in positive transfer among school-age children who are in the early stages of learning Mandarin as an L2.

Learning Mandarin Online: Is There A Relationship between Social Support with Expectancy and Value?

Learning Mandarin Online: Is There A Relationship between Social Support with Expectancy and Value?

Experimental Study on the Acoustic Characteristics of “Similar” Vowels in Mandarin Learners

Abstract The rapid globalization of regions with different languages necessitates more advanced non-native tongue proficiency among individuals who need to communicate across language barriers. To deal with this demand, the research conducts a comparative analysis of the acoustic features of similar sounds between standard Mandarin (L2) and Mandarin spoken by Uyghurs (L1). Flege’s Speech Learning Model as well as Lado’s Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis serve as the foundation for this study. First, an acoustic analysis of Mandarin Chinese vowels produced via Uyghur and native Mandarin speakers is carried out. Ten Mandarin speakers and ten Uyghur Chinese speakers were compared with respect to word-level productions, and the 1st, 2nd formant frequencies (F1, F2) for Mandarin vowels were studied. The comparative acoustic analysis results show that the production of four ‘similar’ vowels by male and female Uyghur Chinese speakers differs significantly from native Mandarin speakers. Second, the following features are seen when native Mandarin speakers and Uyghur Chinese speakers compare their vowel spaces: Uyghur speakers’ vowels have a lower F1, which means that their overall vowel space distribution is surpassing that of Chinese speakers’. Thirdly, the Euclidean Distance analysis of monophthongs produced via Uyghur as well as Mandarin Chinese speakers reveals a gender-specific applicability of the Speech Learning Model. While the model successfully explains the production of Mandarin monophthongs by Uyghur female speakers, it falls short in accounting for the production patterns observed in Uyghur male speakers. The research findings of this thesis contribute a new direction to future developments in research aimed at improving speech recognition and Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) systems.

A Study of Types of Memory in Learning Mandarin

A Study of Types of Memory in Learning Mandarin

The Latency of Auditory Event-Related Potential P300 Prolonged in School-Age Students with Unilateral Hearing Loss in a Mandarin Learning Environment.

Our study investigated the differences in speech performance and neurophysiological response in groups of school-age children with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) who were otherwise typically developing (TD). We recruited a total of 16 primary school-age children for our study (UHL = 9/TD = 7), who were screened by doctors at Shin Kong Wu-Ho-Su Memorial Hospital. We used the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) to test word comprehension, and the PPVT-R percentile rank (PR) value was proportional to the auditory memory score (by The Children's Oral Comprehension Test) in both groups. Later, we assessed the latency and amplitude of auditory ERP P300 and found that the latency of auditory ERP P300 in the UHL group was prolonged compared with that in the TD group. Although students with UHL have typical hearing in one ear, based on our results, long-term UHL might be the cause of atypical organization of brain areas responsible for auditory processing or even visual perceptions attributed to speech delay and learning difficulties.

Learners’ Perceptions Towards the Effectiveness of MOOC in Learning Mandarin

Learners’ Perceptions Towards the Effectiveness of MOOC in Learning Mandarin

The Most Influential Educational Theories and Philosophical Movements Shaping Chinese Language Learning in The 21st Century

In terms of exploring educational theories, it is very important as well as philosophical movements which have had quite a big impact on learning Mandarin in the 21st century. As the world becomes more connected, the need for effective Mandarin language acquisition is more important than ever. By studying major theories and philosophies, educators can gain insight into innovative approaches in teaching and learning Mandarin. The problem faced by teachers of Mandarin as a foreign language is a lack of understanding of educational theories and philosophical movements that greatly influence the learning of Mandarin in the 21st Century. This will have an impact on the difficulty of achieving language acquisition by students. Literature and reference searches were carried out to solve this problem. Here the author explores articles that examine and discuss the findings conceptually, the implications of educational theories and philosophical movements which have been very influential in the formation of Mandarin language learning. in the 21st century. Innovation and renewal are also a need for Mandarin language learners. Apart from that, it will challenge Mandarin language teachers to organize teaching materials in the concept of educational theory accompanied by philosophical movements for learning Mandarin in the 21st century.

Language Retention and Attitudes Among Foreign Students in Learning Mandarin at Jinan University: Sociolinguistic Studies

This research is entitled "Language Retention and Attitudes Among Foreign Students in Learning Mandarin at Jinan University: Sociolinguistic Studies". The purpose of this study is to describe language retention and attitudes among foreign students in learning Mandarin at Jinan University: a bilingual context. The method used to analyze is a quantitative approach to describe the maintenance of the mother tongue in learning Mandarin by foreign students at Jinan University. In this study, two variables were used, namely the dependent variable and the independent variable. The method used in collecting data is a questionnaire method with interviews. Data obtained by distributing questionnaires to respondents. The research data assessment method uses a qualitative method with the generation of a sample of the population. Data were analyzed by applied sociolinguistic theory by J.A.Fishman

The Effectiveness of Media Flipchart 活动挂图 in Learning Chinese Vocabulary for Students Aged 8-9 Years at Makassar Mandarin Language Centre

This research was conducted to measure the level of effectiveness of flipchart 活动挂图 media in learning Chinese vocabulary. This study applies the quantitative-qualitative research method in quadrant I, namely by using a pre-test to measure students' abilities before flipchart media is applied in learning Mandarin, flipchart media, a post-test to measure students' abilities after learning Mandarin using flipcharts, and guidelines observation in the research instrument. The sample for this study was 15 students aged 8-9 years at the Mandarin Language Center in Makassar. Based on the research results, the students were very enthusiastic in learning Chinese vocabulary using flipcharts, and the class atmosphere became very enjoyable. In addition, students' ability to master Chinese Vocabulary has increased after applying flipcharts 活动挂图. The average score of the students in the pre-test was 53, which was classified as a terrible score. After the flipchart media is applied in learning Mandarin, the general average of students in the Post-test is 86.33, which is in a very good score classification. This shows that using flipchart media is very effective in learning Chinese vocabulary.

Application of Mysterious Boxes and Cards Game Media (KOKAMI) in Learning Mandarin Sentence Writing Skills for Grade VII Students of SMP Frather Makassar

Through the use of the Mysterious Boxes and Cards Game Media (KOKAMI), this study seeks to enhance the class VII students of SMP Frather Makassar's ability to write Mandarin sentences. Based on the findings of the observations, 31 students from class VII A of SMP Frather Makassar were chosen as the research subjects. This study is an example of a classroom action research that collects data in two ways: quantitative data from writing skill tests administered in cycles I and II and qualitative data utilizing the guidelines on observation sheets. The study's findings demonstrate that the use of the KOKAMI game medium may be used to teach writing skills, with a learning completeness score of 87% in cycle I and 94% in cycle II. These findings suggest that class VII students at SMP Frather Makassar may write Chinese phrases more effectively by using the KOKAMI gaming medium.

A Bi-directional Attention Based End to End Mispronunciation Detection and Diagnosis of Mandarin

An increasing number of individuals are acquiring proficiency in Mandarin, signifying the growing significance of employing computer-assisted pronunciation training systems for Mandarin learners. One pivotal component within these systems is the technique for identifying and addressing mispronunciations, known as Mispronunciation Detection and Diagnosis (MDD). Recently, certain end-to-end techniques have tried to fuse features of prompt text and acoustic features into the model for training and have shown good results. However, previous approaches have fused acoustic features with prompt text features by a simple attention mechanism. In this paper, we posit that the impact of text features varies significantly when mapped to distinct acoustic characteristics. Furthermore, we propose that the prompt text can lead the model towards achieving an integrated text-audio representation, thereby enhancing the inference quality. Hence, this article presents a model aimed at detecting and diagnosing mispronunciations. The model utilizes a bidirectional attention mechanism to integrate acoustic and prompt text features. Good results were achieved by conducting experiments on a self-built dataset of short Mandarin read-aloud texts.

Comparing two formats of data-driven rating scales for classroom assessment of pragmatic performance with roleplays

Rating scales that language testers design should be tailored to the specific test purpose and score use as well as reflect the target construct. Researchers have long argued for the value of data-driven scales for classroom performance assessment, because they are specific to pedagogical tasks and objectives, have rich descriptors to offer useful diagnostic information, and exhibit robust content representativeness and stable measurement properties. This sequential mixed methods study compares two data-driven rating scales with multiple criteria that use different formats for pragmatic performance. They were developed using roleplays performed by 43 second-language learners of Mandarin—the hierarchical-binary (HB) scale, developed through close analysis of performance data, and the multi-trait (MT) scale derived from the HB, which has the same criteria but takes the format of an analytic scale. Results revealed the influence of format, albeit to a limited extent: MT showed a marginal advantage over HB in terms of overall reliability, practicality, and discriminatory power, though measurement properties of the two scales were largely comparable. All raters were positive about the pedagogical value of both scales. This study reveals that rater perceptions of the ease of use and effectiveness of both scales provide further insights into scale functioning.

SHIFTING MOTIVATIONS AMONG STUDENTS WHILE INDUSTRIAL TRAINING: MAINTAINING STUDENTS' LEARNING OF MANDARIN

This study, which was covered in the paper, looked at how Diploma in Mandarin students' motivation for learning Mandarin changed before and after they were relocated to China. In the investigation, we urged the 15 participants to keep reflective journals and interviewed them twice, once before and once after their industrial training experience at PT Formosa Bag Indonesia. The research showed that the majority of participants projected to maintain their trip-induced increases in desire for learning Mandarin in the future. The results show that the participants' motivations changed during their industrial training at PT Formosa Bag Indonesia, and that this change was prompted by their new educational environment and individual learning experiences. Because the learning and sociocultural environments are always interacting with the participants' L2 self-concepts in industry, the motivational boost evolved. These results provide novel insights into the dynamic motivation for learning the Mandarin language as well as the function of formal and informal learning environments. They imply that in order to increase international students' motivation for long-term Mandarin study, educational stakeholders must offer genuine communication chances and resources.

Psycho-linguistic and educational challenges in Teaching Chinese (Mandarin) Language: voices from None-Chinese teachers of Mandarin language

BackgroundChinese/Mandarin language instruction to undergraduate students from non-Chinese speaking countries has become a topic of increasing interest, driven by China’s influential role in global political and economic dynamics. With Mandarin being the language spoken by approximately 70% of Chinese speakers, it is not only taught within China but also in institutions around the world. While teaching any second or foreign language presents unique challenges, the specific challenges faced in Mandarin language education have not received comprehensive scrutiny, prompting the need for further investigation.ObjectivesThe primary objective of this study was to explore the challenges associated with teaching and learning Mandarin from the perspectives of non-native Mandarin language teachers. By adopting a qualitative (phenomenological) research approach, we aimed to uncover the multifaceted challenges that confront both educators and learners in the context of Mandarin language instruction.MethodologyThe research methodology employed for this study involved the use of semi-structured interviews conducted with 15 Mandarin language teachers, who were chosen through theoretical sampling. These interviews were transcribed into text files and subsequently subjected to qualitative data analysis, which was facilitated by the use of MAQDA software. This approach allowed us to identify and categorize the various challenges and problems encountered in the teaching and learning of Mandarin.FindingsThe research findings revealed a range of challenges and problems experienced in Mandarin language education. These challenges were grouped into two primary thematic categories: psycho-linguistic and educational challenges. The linguistic challenges are deeply rooted in the distinctive features of the Mandarin language, presenting obstacles that necessitate innovative teaching strategies and materials. Educational challenges extend beyond native speaker proficiency, emphasizing the requirement for a comprehensive pedagogical skill set among instructors.Implications: The implications of this research extend to various stakeholders in the field of Chinese/Mandarin language education, including policymakers, educators, curriculum designers, and learners. Understanding the linguistic, educational, and psychological challenges can inform the development of more effective teaching methods, curriculum design, and motivation-enhancing strategies, ultimately promoting a more successful and engaging Mandarin language learning experience for non-native speakers.

IMPLEMENTATION OF TRANSLANGUAGING IN THE CONTEXT OF TEACHING MANDARIN IN INDONESIA IN HIGHER EDUCATION

As one of the many pedagogical strategies found in multilingual contexts, translanguaging can be a solution for learning foreign languages, especially Mandarin. It facilitates using multiple languages (outside the L2) for receptive and productive purposes. Its use can solve communication problems caused by students' language competence during teaching and learning. This study aims to determine the perceptions of Mandarin students at the higher education level in Indonesia regarding the application of translanguaging in class. The study was sequential explanatory design research using mixed research methods. Data collection was carried out in two stages: collecting quantitative data using a questionnaire and then collecting qualitative data through Group Interviews (GI). The distribution of the questionnaire was targeted at 100 students. GI was carried out on five students who had previously participated in filling out the questionnaire. This study shows that learning Mandarin at the tertiary level focuses on the monolingual-traditional learning model, oriented only to L2. Translanguaging is ideologically considered as a form of language incompetence. The higher the language skill, the less likely it is to find translanguaging. This study is expected to have implications for the development of learning Mandarin in a multilingual pedagogical context in Indonesia.

Exploring Interactions in Group Work: A Case Study of Learning Mandarin as A Foreign Language

Exploring Interactions in Group Work: A Case Study of Learning Mandarin as A Foreign Language