ERIC Number: EJ1181626
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0143-4632
EISSN: N/A
Chinese Language Varieties: Pre- And In-Service Teachers' Voices
Cai, Chencen; Eisenstein Ebsworth, Miriam
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v39 n6 p511-525 2018
We investigate the perceptions of international and American Chinese bilingual pre- and in-service graduate students and language teachers regarding Chinese varieties. The 25 participants were currently enrolled college students or recent graduates majoring in language education or other associated programmes at an urban university in the north-eastern United States. Semi-structured interviews probed their views regarding alternative forms of Chinese. Themes identified included: what constitutes a language versus a dialect, a consideration of ethnic and regional identity associated with Chinese varieties (fangyán), issues of mutual intelligibility, writing systems, sociopolitical and educational policy, language varieties as a resource, and concerns regarding the real and potential loss of language and associated subcultures. Findings show that with exposure to sociolinguists' views of language, teachers can clarify terminology so that they can potentially present language to students more accurately, design curricula, and consider policy alternatives.
Descriptors: Chinese, Language Variation, Subcultures, Preservice Teachers, Graduate Students, Language Teachers, Mutual Intelligibility, Curriculum Design, Written Language, Foreign Students, Chinese Americans, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Teacher Attitudes, Semi Structured Interviews, Student Attitudes, Sociolinguistics, Urban Universities, Language Attitudes, Language Planning, Language Skill Attrition, Grounded Theory, Constructivism (Learning)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A