As is widely known, Japanese and Chinese not only share the common logo graphic orthography called ???kanji??? or ???hanzi??? respectively, but also share a number of kanji compounds as cognates, many of which share the same or similar meaning. The major objective of this dissertation is to investigate the roles of transfer and the difficulty in Chinese background learners??? (CBLs???) use and acquisition of Japanese kanji compounds and kanji words. In particular, under what condition and how CBLs transfer Chinese words into Japanese counterparts is investigated. The results of a lexicality judgement test, an oral production test, and a translation test showed that acquisition of partially deceptive cognates, which share the same orthography with partly the same and partly different meanings, was often prolonged. It was also found that the difficulty of acquisition of partially deceptive cognates varied according to their cross-linguistic semantic condition and task type. In the oral production test, CBLs frequently used L1 words by adapting them into L2 phonology both successfully and unsuccessfully when they had no prior knowledge of the L2 counterparts. In addition, negative transfer was detected even when CBLs had a correct knowledge of the L2 word. The results of the translation test revealed that CBLs are liable to misinterpret the meaning of partially deceptive cognates when one of their meanings happens to make sense within the context. Additionally, it is suggested that CBLs might create different types of interlanguage depending upon the cross-linguistic semantic condition and relative frequency of the L2 input for each meaning of the partially deceptive cognates. The transferability of polysemy was found to be constrained by prototype condition, learners??? existing L2 knowledge, and task type. While transferability correlated well with the perceived prototypicality of the L1 items in CBLs??? oral production, transfer was also at work for the less prototypical items in their comprehension task. The findings indicate that the transferability of Chinese words into their Japanese counterparts is constrained by multiple factors. Further, both positive and negative transfer influence CBLs??? production, comprehension, and interlanguage construction of Japanese vocabulary in a complex manner.

Every language have some modal expression what express the possibility and necessity, for example there are modal verbs and modal adverbs in English, and modal verbs, modal adverbs and possible complement for Mandarin Chinese. However in Mandarin Chinese, some modal expressions have similar semantic functions, as ¡§¯à(neng)¡¨, ¡§·|(hui)¡¨, ¡§¥i¥H(keyi)¡¨and possible complement, it could cause confusions to the learners. Furthermore, all of these modal expressions could translated as ¡§할 수 있다¡]hal su itda¡^¡¨ in Korean, so Korean learner would feel that is very difficult. Therefore, this study will contrast the modal expressions of Mandarin Chinese and Korean, and contrast novel¡m¶É«°¤§ÅÊ(Love of the beautiful women)¡nin Mandarin Chinese and Korean, try to explain the problems what the Korean learners could have when they acquire the modal expressions in Mandarin Chinese. Palmer¡]1986¡^classify the modality as epistemic modality, deontic modality and dynamic modality. And he classify the deontic modality as permission, obligation and promise, classify the dynamic modality as volition and ability. Hofmann(1993) classify the dynamic modality as ability and capability, and Porter(2009) classify as ability and opportunity. Present paper would accept the classification of Palmer mainly and refer to the classification of Hofmann and Portner, classify the modality as epistemic modality, deontic modality and dynamic modality, the deontic modality include obligation and permission, and the dynamic modality include volition, ability, capability and opportunity. The result of the study, the counterparts of modal expressions in Mandarin Chinese and Korean is very complicated. The ¡§¯à(neng)¡¨, ¡§·|(hui)¡¨, ¡§¥i¥H(keyi)¡¨and possible complement are equivalent to ¡§¡]으¡^ㄹ 수 있다¡]eul su itda¡^¡¨ altogether, but only negation of ¡§¯à(neng)¡¨, ¡§¥i¥H(keyi)¡¨and possible complement are equivalent to the negation of ¡§¡]으¡^ㄹ 수 있다¡]eul su itda¡^¡¨ , it will cause the difficulty of Korean learners.

This thesis reports a cross-cultural study that investigated the ways Chinese and Swedish college students do gender in their experiences of reading English as a second language. The concept “doing gender in reading” in this study derives from the view of reading as a social practice that leads to gendered identities construction. Previous studies, which mostly found that girls outperformed boys in reading achievement, created a linear relationship between gender and achievement. This study, informed by social theories of literacy (Gee, 2008; Street, 1984; Kress, 2010) and poststructuralist theories of gender (Weedon, 1997; Butler, 1990), explored how socially-constituted gendered ideologies might be instantiated and negotiated in college students’ experiences of reading English as a second language. It gave particular attention to diversity within and between genders and to the dynamics of students’ socio-culturally mediated reading practices. The study was guided by the following sub-questions: (a) What gender-specific ideologies can be identified in Chinese and Swedish college students’ narratives of reading English as a second language? (b) How do Chinese and Swedish college students act in relation to gender-specific ideologies in their everyday English reading practices? The study was conducted with a qualitative approach of narrative inquiry. Focal informants were four Chinese students and four Swedish students enrolled in English teacher education programs in their home countries. Data were collected over a sixmonth period with techniques of student journal writing, interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic observations. Baxter’s (2003) feminist poststructuralist discourse analysis framed and guided data analysis. The study found three recurrent English reading practices across cases that led to gendered identities construction. These were: making investment in English reading; adopting the strategy of reading English alone; and choosing English reading materials in relation to teachers. Overarching ideologies that shaped these practices included perceptions of reading as a more female-appropriate activity, male readers as independent readers who could solve problems on their own, and female readers as emotional readers who are sensitive to their relation with others. Informants’ actions in relation to these gender-specific ideologies fell into two major categories: conformance and resistance. Findings suggested that female informants seemed to be more ready to resist these ideologies whereas males tended to comply. Swedish informants seemed to demonstrate more awareness of and readiness to resist gendered ideologies compared to Chinese informants. The findings from this study imply that gendered ideologies can have both facilitating and debilitating effects on students’ reading experiences. Therefore, language teachers should develop a critical consciousness of gendered ideologies and how they relate to their students in specific contexts. In response to prevailing socioculturally constituted and power-laden ideologies, the study proposes a new perspective from which to interpret gender and reading English as a second language across cultures. Such a contribution adds momentum to the paradigm shift from essentialism to poststructuralism in second language acquisition that purports that gender is more than an identity label. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

abstract / Applied English Studies / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has become a very important activity within Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language since 1960s. Researchers of ESP mostly focus on the issues of academic writing, business English, scientific and technology English, medical English, and legal English. However, through out the development of ESP studies, ESP learning in a religious setting, such as in a monastery has not yet caught the attentions of ESP researchers. No study so far has been conducted regarding religious English learning. Furthermore, ESP researchers rarely pay any attention to the issue of Culture Learning within the ESP context. Exploring how Buddhism English is used and learned linguistically and culturally by Chinese Buddhist monks and nuns is the primary focus of this ethnographic qualitative study. Using a variety of data collecting methods including questionnaire, indepth interviews, documents and field observation, information was gathered at a Chinese Buddhist Temple in LA., CA. The following findings emerged from the analysis of 21 Buddhism speeches in English: (1) the content of the Dharma speeches, (2) the commonly used metaphors in Buddhism, (3) vocabulary in Buddhism English. From the analysis of interviews, questionnaire, and field observations, the participants' language learning needs, learning materials and learning strategies are identified. Furthermore, the participants' cultural learning experience emerged next, for example, (1) the influence of their religious beliefs over the cultural learning, (2) their cultural learning experience in four aspects of culture--the culturally conditioned behaviors, the cultural connotations of words and phrases, the cultural comprehension, and attitudes toward other cultures. Finally, suggestions to Buddhism English learning and ESP learning in general are made. In particular, metaphors in Buddhism can serve as learning and teaching strategies in Buddhism English learning; language and cultural learning is interconnected. The ESP learning and teaching model should include cultural learning in the future to facilitate sociolinguistic and communicative competence of the ESP learners.

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

published_or_final_version / English Studies and Comparative Literature / Master / Master of Arts

In this inquiry, I examine how six repatriated students from China perceive their experiences in Japanese schools and in Japanese second language education. I focus on their voices and perspectives gained through audio-taped interviews. Employing Pierce's (1995) concept of investment and Rampton's (1990) concepts of language expertise, affiliation, and inheritance, I focus on how these adolescent students perceive the relationship between languages and identities and how their experiences affect their ways of looking at themselves. The data I collected through interviews in Japan supports the views that identity is multiple and fluid, and languages are profoundly and intricately related with learners' identity construction. Depending on their particular contexts in which they situate themselves, they hold distinct views on the relationship between languages and identities. I address how the particular context in Japan's educational system may influence their ways of looking at themselves. The study confirms that teachers need to examine our students' identities and frames of reference, values and beliefs.

The main purpose of this study is to present a detailed description of the interaction between students and teacher, focusing on which literary elements kindergarteners learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) respond to during the story-reading sessions. Two teachers and a total of 101 kindergarteners from a private kindergarten located in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, were chosen for this study. Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered in the form of classroom observations and student and teacher interviews. This analysis revealed that format was the literary element that students responded to the most. However, factors such as the variance in the students' cognitive level, age, exposure to the target language, teaching method and personality may have affected the results. Consequently, teachers need to take into consideration other literary elements when it comes to storybook selection. Results from this study can be used firstly in developing criteria on how to select storybooks for young EFL learners and how these storybooks can be integrated into the EFL classroom. Secondly, this study can provide information to help further our understanding of how stories motivate children in learning languages, and how stories can be integrated into the EFL classroom. Thirdly, the data from this study can be useful to writers and illustrators of children's books. Finally, it is hoped that this project can also inspire other researchers in pursuing this topic for further study.

To investigate how Chinese ESL learners feel about the peer review process in oral and email-based modalities and how Chinese cultural barriers such as concerns about face saving and shyness might impact their learning attitudes, I taught an ESL writing course to collect data and write this dissertation. Tools for investigation I used included two identical peer review attitude questionnaires that were conducted at two occasions (at the beginning and the end of the course), a Peer Review Guideline and Sign Test.Many published studies on peer review focus on how to implement computer technology in the classroom, but ignore cultural impacts on ESL. The results of the Sign Test revealed that a large number of the students preferred to do oral and email comments in an indirect way, because they felt that they would need group harmony.It was noted that some students would like to receive email comments from their partner, not provide the comments to him/her, because commenting on his/her essay would hurt him/her. In many participants' view, teacher's reviews are more important than their partner's, since cultural barriers such as face saving and shyness prevented them from voicing their own opinion. The results also indicated that the students reacted favorably to the e-mail modality, although some of them still thought that it was a waste of time. Therefore, this modality did serve some students to allay their concerns about face-saving. In the study, a few students favored "anonymous" peer reviews, which could be achieved through email peer review. / Department of English