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New Theory of Children’s Thinking Development: Application in Language Teaching (Lecture Notes in Educational Technology)
by Kekang HeThis book proposes a new theory on children’s thinking (cognitive) development. According to this theory, the stages of said development should be divided into four stages: first, the stage of animalistic thinking (birth–before possessing basic language ability); second, the stage of elementary thinking (beginning to possess basic language ability–beginning to possess proficient oral ability); third, the stage of intermediate thinking (beginning to possess proficient oral ability–before the formation of comprehensive cognitive ability); and fourth, the stage of advanced thinking (after the formation of comprehensive cognitive ability). In this context, thinking includes logical thinking, visual thinking and intuitive thinking. Based on the new theory, the author points out the serious negative impact that Piaget’s stage theory of children’s cognitive development has had on Chinese language education in China. The book also offers a number of practical principles, such as five teaching activities for language teaching of extension, typing, writing, passage, and thinking.
Email Discourse Among Chinese Using English as a Lingua Franca
by Yuan-Shan Chen Der-Hwa Victoria Rau Gerald RauThis edited volume makes a valuable contribution to the burgeoning research field of English as a lingua franca. In a pioneering step, the collection is exclusively devoted to the English email discourse of Chinese speakers. The studies address innovative topics related to various contexts and relationships, using several different approaches and theories, which taken together shed light on how English serves as a lingua franca in multiple types of global written communication. The research topics presented are organized into four thematic sections, including emails from students to professors, emails from students to the international academic community, emails from peer to peer, and emails at the workplace. This collection of empirical research invites readers to consider the special features of apologies, requests, terms of address, politeness, and discourse organization, and how cultural differences may affect the use or interpretation of each. Throughout the book, readers will also discover how Chinese speakers use special features and strategies to construct their identity, establish relationships, and achieve successful communication in English. This highly informative, thought-provoking book also provides insights on methods for teaching email discourse using English as a lingua franca and suggests directions for future research.
Early Study-Abroad and Identities: Korean Early Study-Abroad Undergraduates (SpringerBriefs in Education #0)
by Mun Woo LeeThis book investigates how transnational English learning experiences can influence students’ identities. More specifically, it delineates how Korean early study abroad undergraduates perceive English and how they have formed their ethnic identities based on their early study abroad experiences. They tend to see themselves “in between” two cultures/languages and this in-between-ness is the most distinctive common characteristic of their identities. However, their in-between-ness means more than being connected to both Korea and America or hybridizing Korean and American discourses. As transnational elites who cross the borders freely, they are in a position to be cosmopolitans who can take advantage of the in-between-ness, becoming keen critics of dominant cultures in both contexts, and potentially social activists who can stand up for social justice. In short, the early study abroad experience should be understood not just in terms of language learning, but as a process by means of which learners develop social awareness in multiple language-related contexts that can lead them beyond their own circumscribed world of elitism to a position of responsibility for sharing what they have experienced and learned for the benefit of society.
Generation Z: Zombies, Popular Culture and Educating Youth (Cultural Studies and Transdisciplinarity in Education #4)
by Victoria Carrington Jennifer Rowsell Esther Priyadharshini Rebecca WestrupThis book argues that the mythic figure of the zombie, so prevalent and powerful in contemporary culture, provides the opportunity to explore certain social models – such as ‘childhood’ and ‘school’, ‘class’ and ‘family’ – that so deeply underpin educational policy and practice as to be rendered invisible. It brings together authors from a range of disciplines to use contemporary zombie typologies – slave, undead, contagion – to examine the responsiveness of everyday practices of schooling such as literacy, curriculum and pedagogy to the new contexts in which children and young people develop their identities, attitudes to learning, and engage with the many publics that make up their everyday worlds.
Critical Literacies: Global and Multicultural Perspectives
by Bogum YoonThis book offers comprehensive coverage of critical literacies by pursuing a balanced approach to theory, research, and practice. By clarifying the gaps among the frameworks of critical literacies, the author discusses new ways of approaching them from global and multicultural perspectives and provides an instructional model of critical global literacies that draws on her own experience and an extensive literature review. This insightful book also documents teachers’ case studies, focusing on their voices and instructional approaches in diverse classrooms. The author critically analyses the case studies and offers important suggestions for future research and practice.
Quadrilingual Education in Singapore: Pedagogical Innovation in Language Education (Education Innovation Series)
by Rita Elaine Silver Wendy D. Bokhorst-HengThis book explores Singapore’s language education system. Unlike previous volumes, which discuss the bilingual requirement for learning, it focuses on Singapore’s quadrilingual system, bringing together articles on each of the four languages – English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil – as well as articles that examine more than one language. It highlights past successes, current concerns, and future directions for language education. The book focuses on classroom pedagogy in all four official languages, showcasing how languages are taught and learned in Singapore as a basis for better understanding the system “from the inside out.” The authors present empirical, classroom-based studies on language pedagogy in all four languages, as well as updated information on the current socio-political context and how it has influenced attempts at pedagogical innovation. Consideration is given to the dialectical relationship between policy and practice. The chapters also include discussions of pre-school-age learning, influences of language policy, home literacy practices, and commentaries by international language-in-education scholars. This approach also provides a basis for international comparison – especially for those who are interested in fostering English proficiency while maintaining one or more national languages. The volume is particularly important in light of the continuing international efforts to integrate English into national educational systems where it is not the dominant language.
Image, Reality and Media Construction: A Frame Analysis of German Media Representations of China
by Fengmin YanThis book explores how news media construct social issues and events and thereby convey certain perceptions within the scope of framing theory. By operationalizing media framing as a process of interpretation through defining problem, diagnosing causes, making moral judgments and suggesting solutions, the book proposes a systematic and transparent approach to images in news discourse. Based on a frame analysis, it examines how German news media framed a list of China-related issues and events, and thereby conveyed particular beliefs and opinions on this country. Moreover, it investigates whether there were dominant patterns of interpretation and the extent to which diverse views were evident by comparing two major daily newspapers with opposite political orientations - the FAZ and the taz. Motivated by the relationship between image and reality, the book explores image formation and persistence from media construction of meaning and human cognitive complexity in perceiving others. Media select certain issues and events and then interpret them from particular perspectives. A variety of professional and non-professional factors behind news making may result in biased representations. In addition, from a social psychological perspective, inaccurate perceptions of foreign cultures may arise from categorical thinking, biased processing of stimulus information, intergroup conflicts of interest and in-group favoritism.Accordingly, whether media coverage deviates from reality is not the main concern of this book; instead, it emphasizes the underlying logics upon which the conclusions and judgments were drawn. It therefore contributes to a rational understanding of Western discourse and holds practical implications for both Chinese public diplomacy and a more constructive role of news media in promoting the understanding of others.
Capitalism, The American Empire, and Neoliberal Globalization: Themes and Annotations from Selected Works of E. San Juan, Jr.
by Kenneth E. BauzonThis book looks at facets in the history of capitalism from the Enlightenment period, through the emergence of the American Empire in the Pacific, and to the contemporary era of neoliberal globalization. This re-telling of history is done by drawing from the works of E. San Juan, Jr. (henceforth, San Juan), considered arguably one of the great contemporary cultural and literary critics of our time. In this author's view, San Juan's lifetime of works offer a living documentation of, among others, the history and thought of the modern world highlighted by the rise of capitalism through the contemporary era of neoliberal globalization, and shepherded to its hegemonic status by what stands today as the preeminent empire of the United States. The book underscores the symbiosis between contemporary capitalism as an economic system based on accumulation on the one hand, and the American imperial state on the other, just as it revisits the colonial project that was carried out in capitalism's wake, the violence and subjugation inflicted on its victims, and how this colonial project has morphed into a new form of colonialism (or neocolonialism) maintained and enforced through the rules and institutional mechanisms of what is popularly known as neoliberal globalization that also provides the ideological and legal rationale for the commodification and the ultimate grab of the global commons reminiscent of the classical, albeit cruder, form of colonialism.
Functional Approach to Professional Discourse Exploration in Linguistics
by Elena N. MalyugaThis book presents research into various types of professional discourse through the prism of the functional linguistics approach. Focusing mainly on practical aspects of speech, the book discusses various topics, such as structural, semantic, cognitive and pragmatic characteristics of professional discourse, argumentation strategies, humour in professional discourse, and word-building processes. It also highlights communicative effectiveness methods in professional discourse. Offering new ideas and discussing the latest findings, the book is intended for researchers, lecturers and professionals in the field.
Perspectives on the Introductory Phase of Empirical Research Articles: A Study of Rhetorical Structure and Citation Use (Corpora and Intercultural Studies #5)
by (Kathy) Ling LinCombining English for Specific Purposes (ESP) genre-based analysis, corpus-based language studies, and semi-structured interviews, this book represents the first multi-faceted project on the macro-structure of empirical research articles (ERAs) from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives, and on the “I+LR” patterned introductory phase (comprising two introductory sections, i.e., the Introduction and the Literature Review in RAs drawn from civil engineering and applied linguistics journals) regarding their rhetorical organization, use of citation, and structural and functional links and variations. The project comprises three logically interconnected studies using a multi-perspective (the cross-disciplinary, cross-generic, emic, and published advice vs. actual expert practices perspectives) approach. It will make a significant contribution to our understanding of the genre evolution, rhetorical organization and citation features of ERAs, enrich English for Academic Purposes (EAP) theories, and facilitate the development of EAP pedagogy and materials.
From Minimal Contrast to Meaning Construct: Corpus-based, Near Synonym Driven Approaches to Chinese Lexical Semantics (Frontiers in Chinese Linguistics #9)
by Qi Su Weidong ZhanThis book offers new perspectives on the study of Chinese lexical semantics, as well as discourse analysis and cognitive pragmatics based on lexical semantics. The first part focuses on fundamental issues in lexical semantic research, while the second features articles highlighting various aspects of the lexical category systems in Chinese. The third part discusses application-oriented research on lexical semantics. Presenting the latest research in the field, the book is a valuable resource for specialists in Chinese lexical semantics, as well as for researchers and students interested in grammar, theory of lexical semantics, and word/meaning processing.
New Frontiers in the Neolithic Archaeology of Taiwan: A Perspective of Maritime Cultural Interaction (The Archaeology of Asia-Pacific Navigation #3)
by Su-chiu KuoThis book summarizes the systematic research on the Neolithic cultures of Taiwan, based on the latest archaeological discoveries, and focusing on the maritime interactions between mainland southeast China, Taiwan, and southeast Asia during (5600-1800 BP). The study demonstrates and sheds light on the distinctiveness of Taiwan’s Neolithic cultures, their interactions with the external cultures of its surrounding regions, the maritime cultural diffusion and early seafaring across sea regions like the Taiwan Strait, Bashi channel and South China Sea. Drawing on the author’s deep understanding of Taiwan and its surrounding regions, the book also incorporates recent archeological findings by Taiwanese researchers. Further, based on a new reconstruction of the spatiotemporal framework of Taiwanese prehistoric cultures, the chronologically arranged chapters discuss Neolithic cultures of the early, middle, late and final stage of this island region, revealing the prehistoric cultural development, regional typology and their maritime interactions with surrounding regions. The typological study of the native traits and external cultural influences of each stage of Neolithic culture shows the prehistoric and early history of this key stepping stone in the Asia-Pacific region.
Embodied Conceptualization or Neural Realization: A Corpus-Driven Study of Mandarin Synaesthetic Adjectives (Frontiers in Chinese Linguistics #10)
by Qingqing ZhaoThis book focuses on linguistic synaesthesia in a hitherto less-studied language – Mandarin Chinese – and adopts a corpus-driven approach to support the analysis and argumentation. The study identifies directional tendencies and underlying mechanisms for Mandarin synaesthetic adjectives. By doing so, it not only provides an added layer of understanding for theories of linguistic synaesthesia, but also offers evidence to help refine previous theories, such as Embodiment Theory and Conceptual Metaphor Theory. In brief, the book makes a significant contribution to the development of Cognitive Linguistics. The intended readership includes, but is not limited to, graduate students in linguistics and researchers interested in Chinese linguistics in particular, and in lexical semantics and cognitive linguistics in general.
Worlding a Peripheral Literature (Canon and World Literature)
by Marko JuvanBringing together the analyses of the literary world-system, translation studies, and the research of European cultural nationalism, this book contests the view that texts can be attributed global importance irrespective of their origin, language, and position in the international book market. Focusing on Slovenian literature, almost unknown to world literature studies, this book addresses world literature’s canonical function in the nineteenth-century process of establishing European letters as national literatures. Aware of their dependence on imperial powers, (semi)peripheral national movements sought international recognition through, among other things, the newly invented figure of the national poet. Writers central to dependent national communities were canonized to represent their respective cultures to the norm-giving Other – the emerging world literary canon and its aesthetic ideology. Hence, national literatures asserted their linguo-cultural individuality through the process of worlding; that is, by their positioning in the international literary world informed by the supposed universality of the aesthetic.
Shakespeare and Protestant Poetics
by Jason GleckmanThis book explores the impact of the sixteenth-century Reformation on the plays of William Shakespeare. Taking three fundamental Protestant concerns of the era – (double) predestination, conversion, and free will – it demonstrates how Protestant theologians, in England and elsewhere, re-imagined these longstanding Christian concepts from a specifically Protestant perspective. Shakespeare utilizes these insights to generate his distinctive view of human nature and the relationship between humans and God. Through in-depth readings of the Shakespeare comedies ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, and ‘Twelfth Night’, the romance ‘A Winter’s Tale’, and the tragedies of ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Hamlet’, this book examines the results of almost a century of Protestant thought upon literary art.
Configurations of the Individual in Modern Chinese Literature
by Qin WangThis book aims to demonstrate the multiplicity of configurations of the individual in modern Chinese literature through analyzing several classic texts written by Zhou Zuoren, Lu Xun, Lao She, and Mu Shiying. It attempts to refresh our understanding of the history of modern Chinese literature and indirectly responds to the controversial issue of “individual rights” (or “human rights”) in present-day China, showing that in modern Chinese literature, various configurations of the individual imply political possibilities that are not only irreconcilable with each other, but irreducible to the determination of the modern discourse of “individualism” introduced by the West. A groundbreaking work, it will give valuable context to political scientists and other scholars seeking to understand what "China" means in the 21st century.
Studies in Ethnopragmatics, Cultural Semantics, and Intercultural Communication: Meaning and Culture
by Bert Peeters Kerry Mullan Lauren SadowThis book is the second in a three-volume set that celebrates the career and achievements of Cliff Goddard, a pioneer of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage approach in linguistics. It focuses on meaning and culture, with sections on "Words as Carriers of Cultural Meaning" and "Understanding Discourse in Cultural Context". Often considered the most fully developed, comprehensive and practical approach to cross-linguistic and cross-cultural semantics, Natural Semantic Metalanguage is based on evidence that there is a small core of basic, universal meanings (semantic primes) that can be expressed in all languages. It has been used for linguistic and cultural analysis in such diverse fields as semantics, cross-cultural communication, language teaching, humour studies and applied linguistics, and has reached far beyond the boundaries of linguistics into ethnopsychology, anthropology, history, political science, the medical humanities and ethics.
Studies in Ethnopragmatics, Cultural Semantics, and Intercultural Communication: Minimal English (and Beyond)
by Lauren Sadow Bert Peeters Kerry MullanThis book is the third in a three-volume set that celebrates the career and achievements of Cliff Goddard, a pioneer of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage approach in linguistics. This third volume explores the potential of Minimal English, a recent offshoot of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage, with special reference to its use in Language Teaching and Intercultural Communication.Often considered the most fully developed, comprehensive and practical approach to cross-linguistic and cross-cultural semantics, Natural Semantic Metalanguage is based on evidence that there is a small core of basic, universal meanings (semantic primes) that can be expressed in all languages. It has been used for linguistic and cultural analysis in such diverse fields as semantics, cross-cultural communication, language teaching, humour studies and applied linguistics, and has reached far beyond the boundaries of linguistics into ethnopsychology, anthropology, history, political science, the medical humanities and ethics.
Studies in Ethnopragmatics, Cultural Semantics, and Intercultural Communication: Ethnopragmatics and Semantic Analysis
by Kerry Mullan Bert Peeters Lauren SadowThis book is the first in a three-volume set that celebrates the career and achievements of Cliff Goddard, a pioneer of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage approach in linguistics. In addition, it explores ethnopragmatics and conversational humour, with a further focus on semantic analysis more broadly.Often considered the most fully developed, comprehensive and practical approach to cross-linguistic and cross-cultural semantics, Natural Semantic Metalanguage is based on evidence that there is a small core of basic, universal meanings (semantic primes) that can be expressed in all languages. It has been used for linguistic and cultural analysis in such diverse fields as semantics, cross-cultural communication, language teaching, humour studies and applied linguistics, and has reached far beyond the boundaries of linguistics into ethnopsychology, anthropology, history, political science, the medical humanities and ethics.
The Segmentation and Representation of Translocative Motion Events in English and Chinese Discourse: A Contrastive Study
by Guofeng ZhengThis book provides a systematic, contrastive analysis of the segmentation and representation of English and Chinese Translocative Motion Events (TMEs), which possess Macro-Event Property (MEP). It addresses all the issues critical to understanding TMEs in English and Chinese, from event segmentation, MEP principles and the conceptual structure of TMEs and their constituents, to the representation of Actant, Motion, Path and Ground. The book argues that the corpus-based alignment for the TME segmentation in both languages, the parameters of Actant, Motion, Path and Ground and their relevant statistical description are particularly important for understanding English and Chinese TMEs. The linguistic materialization of Actant, Ground, Path and Motion, together with a wealth of tables and figures, offers convincing evidence to support the typological classification of English and Chinese. The book’s suggestions regarding the Talmyan bipartite typology and Bohnemeyer’s MEP contribute to the advancement of TME studies and language typology, and help learners to understand motion events and English-Chinese typological similarities and differences.
Challenges in Language Testing Around the World: Insights for language test users
by Betty Lanteigne Christine Coombe James Dean BrownThis book combines insights from language assessment literacy and critical language testing through critical analyses and research about challenges in language assessment around the world. It investigates problematic practices in language testing which are relevant to language test users such as language program directors, testing centers, and language teachers, as well as teachers-in-training in Graduate Diploma and Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics programs. These issues involve aspects of language testing such as test development, test administration, scoring, and interpretation/use of test results. Chapters in this volume discuss insights about language testing policy, testing world languages, developing program-level language tests and tests of specific language skills, and language assessment literacy. In addition, this book identifies two needs in language testing for further examination: the need for collaboration between language test developers, language test users, and language users, and the need to base language tests on real-world language use.
Diverse Voices in Chinese Translation and Interpreting: Theory and Practice (New Frontiers in Translation Studies)
by Riccardo Moratto Martin WoeslerThis book presents a thoughtful and thorough account of diverse studies on Chinese translation and interpreting (TI). It introduces readers to a plurality of scholarly voices focusing on different aspects of Chinese TI from an interdisciplinary and international perspective. The book brings together eighteen essays by scholars at different stages of their careers with different relationships to translation and interpreting studies. Readers will approach Chinese TI studies from different standpoints, namely socio-historical, literary, policy-related, interpreting, and contemporary translation practice. Given its focus, the book benefits researchers and students who are interested in a global scholarly approach to Chinese TI. The book offers a unique window on topical issues in Chinese TI theory and practice. It is hoped that this book encourages a multilateral, dynamic, and international approach in a scholarly discussion where, more often than not, approaches tend to get dichotomized. This book aims at bringing together international leading scholars with the same passion, that is delving into the theoretical and practical aspects of Chinese TI.
Traditions and Difference in Contemporary Irish Short Fiction: Ireland Then and Now (The Humanities in Asia #8)
by Tsung Chi ChangThis book focuses on traditions and transformations in contemporary Irish short fiction, covering pivotal issues such as gender, sexuality, abortion, the body, nostalgia, identity, and migration. In separate chapters, it introduces readers to important writers such as Maeve Binchy, Colm Tóibín, Edna O’Brien, Emma Donoghue, Gish Jen, and Donal Ryan. Given its focus, the book benefits researchers and students who are interested in Irish literature and culture, especially those who want to learn about important traditions in Irish literature, the changing face of these conventions, and the implications. The book, which received the First Book Prize 2019 awarded by The Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities, offers a unique window on Irish culture and a good read for fans of these acclaimed writers who want to learn about interesting issues concerning their short fiction.
Tono-types and Tone Evolution: The Case of Chaoshan (Frontiers in Chinese Linguistics #11)
by Jingfen ZhangThis book is a comprehensive study on the phonetic characteristics of citation tones in Chaoshan Chinese. It presents the tonal patterns of 65 localities in the Chaoshan area under the “multiple-register and four-level” tonal model. Three case studies are conducted to delve into the evolutionary paths of Chaoshan tones. This book not only provides a large-scale typological study on Chaoshan Chinese, but also offers a good example of how to figure out the evolutionary paths of tones from the perspective of variation. The natural alliance of phonetics, historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, and dialect geography is reinforced. It is also suggested in this book that the joint use of these four disciplines is very promising for the study of Chinese.
A Historical Study of Early Modern Chinese Fictions (1890—1920)
by Pingyuan ChenThis book contains a classic guide to historical study of early modern Chinese fiction from the late Qing Dynasty till early republican China. It does not merely study the new fiction writing in China, which was strongly influenced by the western fiction, but also draws a comparison between classical Chinese fiction and the early modern Chinese fiction. This book is an excellent reference in the study of early modern Chinese literature since it conveys a point of view to the readers with abundant and solid historical materials. At the heart of the book, it is the matter of a specific value in trans-cultural studies between the western world and China.