Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная
лингвистика
и
лингводидактика
–
Foreign
Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Journal home page:
https://inscience.uz/index.php/foreign-linguistics
Teaching Chinese idioms in teaching Chinese as a second
language
Manzura TUYCHIEVA
Uzbekistan State World Languages University
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received April 2024
Received in revised form
10 May 2024
Accepted 25 May 2024
Available online
25 June 2024
Chinese idioms, known as chéngyǔ (
成
语
), are an essential
component of the Chinese language and culture. Incorporating
them into second-language teaching enhances students'
understanding of Chinese society, history, and values. This
article explores effective strategies for incorporating Chinese
idioms into teaching Chinese as a second language (CSL),
highlighting their pedagogical significance and providing
practical examples for implementation.
2181-3701
/©
2024 in Science LLC.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol2-iss1
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru
Keywords:
Chinese idioms,
second language teaching,
cultural fluency,
language proficiency,
pedagogical strategies.
Xitoy tilini ikkinchi til sifatida o
‘
qitishda xitoy tili
iboralarini o
‘
qitish
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar
:
Xitoy tilida iboralar,
ikkinchi tilni o
‘
rgatish,
madaniy ravonlik,
tilni bilish,
pedagogik strategiyalar.
Chéngyǔ (
成
语
) deb nomlanuvchi xitoy tili iboralari xitoy tili
va madaniyatining muhim tarkibiy qismidir. Ulardan xitoy
tilini ikkinchi til sifatida o‘qitishda foydalanishni
kiritish
talabalarning Xitoy jamiyati, tarixi va qadriyatlari haqidagi
tushunchalarini oshiradi. Ushbu maqola xitoy tilini ikkinchi til
sifatida o‘rgatishda xitoy tili iboralarini foydalanishning
samarali strategiyalarini o‘rganadi, ularning pedagogik
ahamiyatini yoritadi va amaliy misollar keltiradi.
1
Chinese teacher, Uzbekistan State World Languages University. E-mail: aruznam88@mail.ru
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue
–
1 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
537
Изучение китайских идиом в процессе обучения
китайскому языку как иностранному
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
китайские идиомы,
преподавание второго
языка,
свободное владение
культурой,
владение языком,
педагогические стратегии.
Китайские идиомы, известные как чэнъю (
成
语
),
являются важным компонентом китайского языка и
культуры. Включение их в преподавание второго языка
улучшает понимание учащимися китайского общества,
истории и ценностей. В этой статье исследуются
эффективные стратегии включения китайских идиом в
обучение китайскому языку как второму, подчеркивается
их педагогическое значение и приводятся практические
примеры для реализации.
INTRODUCTION
Teaching Chinese as a second language presents unique challenges due to its rich
cultural heritage and linguistic complexity. Chinese idioms, characterized by concise yet
profound expressions, serve as cultural artifacts that reflect the essence of Chinese
civilization [2, 25-28]. Integrating idioms into CSL instruction not only enhances language
proficiency but also encourages cultural understanding and appreciation. This article
looks into the pedagogical significance of teaching Chinese idioms and offers practical
strategies for effective integration into CSL curricula. [1, 95]
The Significance of Teaching Chinese Idioms:
Chinese idioms are linguistic treasures that encapsulate centuries of cultural
wisdom and historical narratives [3, 56-58]. Each idiom carries profound meanings taken
from Chinese philosophy, literature, and folklore, providing learners with insights into
the cultural nuances of the language. By mastering idiomatic expressions, CSL learners
gain a deeper appreciation of Chinese culture and develop a more authentic
communication style.
Enhanced Language Proficiency:
Incorporating Chinese idioms into language learning enhances vocabulary,
comprehension, and fluency [4, 33]. Idioms challenge students to think critically and
creatively, as they often require contextual understanding rather than literal translation.
For instance, the idiom "
马马虎虎
" (mǎ mǎ hū hū
–
literally "horse tiger tiger") means
"so-so" or "mediocre," but understanding its usage in various contexts deepens language
proficiency .
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Cultural Understanding: Teaching Chinese idioms provides a gateway to Chinese
culture [5, 14]. Each idiom is steeped in historical anecdotes, myths, or philosophical
principles. In the process of learning Chinese idioms, learners can increase their
understanding of the spiritual culture of the Chinese nation. For example, by learning the
idiom “
孟母三迁
” ( mèng mǔ sān qiān
-literally "Meng Mu moved three times"), learners
can also know that the environment can change a person's hobbies and habits[6, 64]. In
the process of a person's growth, the mother plays a more important role. This idiom can
also help learners understand some basic Chinese cultural knowledge: ancient Chinese
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue
–
1 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
538
school rulers paid attention to etiquette. When Meng Zu was a child in school, in addition
to literacy, he also had to learn to be polite and to be respectful. Understanding this idiom
not only improves language skills but also offers insights into Chinese storytelling
traditions and moral values.
Strategies for Teaching Chinese Idioms:
Contextualized Learning
: Introduce idioms within relevant cultural and situational
contexts to facilitate comprehension and retention [7, 27]. For example, teaching the
idiom "
画蛇添足
" huàshétiānzú (drawing legs on a snake) alongside the story of the Chu
Kingdom helps learners grasp its meaning of unnecessary embellishment.
Multimodal Instruction
: Utilize a variety of resources, including visual aids, audio
recordings, and multimedia platforms, to reinforce idiomatic learning [8, 12-15]. During
the idiom teaching process, a picture can be provided to illustrate the context. It works
best if an image is displayed that humorously illustrates the literal meaning of the idiom
and n it makes learners not only get interested, but it can also help them understand or
guess the meaning of idioms. Also incorporating videos, songs, and storytelling enhances
engagement and promotes active participation among CSL learners.
Integration with Authentic Materials
: Integrate idioms into authentic texts, such as
literature, news articles, and films, to expose learners to real-life usage and cultural
contexts [9, 20-22]. Analyzing idioms in context cultivates critical thinking skills and
encourages learners to infer meanings based on situational cues.
Interactive Activities:
Engage learners in interactive exercises, such as role-plays,
games, and collaborative projects, to reinforce idiomatic usage in communicative
contexts . Group discussions, debates, and drama performances provide opportunities for
active language production and peer interaction.
Incorporating Chinese idioms into CSL instruction enriches learners' linguistic and
cultural competence, fostering a deeper understanding of Chinese language and
civilization[10, 98-102]. By embracing idiomatic expressions, CSL learners not only
enhance their language proficiency but also develop a profound appreciation for Chinese
culture and heritage. Educators play an essential role in guiding learners through the
intricate world of Chinese idioms, empowering them to communicate effectively and
authentically in diverse linguistic settings.
The major difference between metonymy and metaphor is that metonymy typically
involves one conceptual domain, rather than two distinct domains as in the case of
metaphor.
Furthermore, metonymy involves a “stand
for” conceptual relationship
between two entities (within a single domain), while metaphor involves an “is” or
“is
understood as” relationship between two conceptual domains (Kövecses & Szabó, 1996).
An example can be
taken from “hand”:
–
Hand can be understood as standing for the person:
e.g., a green hand; poor hand; from hand to hand; all hands to the pump
–
Hand can be understood as standing for the activity:
e.g., sit on one’s hands; join hands with somediv; turn one’s hand to something
–
Hand can be understood as standing for the skill:
e.g., get one’s hand in; one’s hand is out; a bad hand at
Studies in L2 Idiom Pedagogy
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue
–
1 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
539
Following the development of cognitive linguistic theories, the CL-inspired
pedagogy of figurative language has been through the exploratory phase during the past
several decades (Littlemore, 2009; Tyler, 2012; Niemeier, 2017). There has been an
amount of empirical research focusing on L2 idiom teaching and learning from a
cognitive point of view. Among them, the majority of the studies that applied the
conceptual metaphor theory in idiom teaching have confirmed its overall effectiveness
(Boers, 2011). For example, Picken (2005) examined whether raising awareness to
conceptual metaphors can help Japanese EFL students make sense of linguistic
metaphors that are comparatively difficult to identify in context. The study provided
evidence that awareness-raising of conceptual metaphors increases the likelihood of
metaphoric readings, both in the short and in the longer term. The small-scale
experiment to compare the relative effectiveness of two CL-inspired idiom presentation
methods. It was found that encouraging learners to use conceptual metaphor clues to
guess the meaning was likely to enhance the effectiveness of presenting metaphoric
idioms. Li (2004) conducted five experiments concerning metaphoric words, idioms and
proverbs on 394 Chinese undergraduates of intermediate to advanced levels of English.
The first four experiments tested the effect of presenting conceptual metaphor
information in the context of (a) a ten-minute discussion with the teacher, (b) being told
about conceptual metaphors, and (c) actively engaging with the data. Query routines
prompting participants to engage in group discussion were used to facilitate learning and
memorization. Li found that the students in the experimental groups who had carried out
these activities recalled the form and meaning of the idioms significantly better than
those in the control groups, who had been given memory-based tasks. Though the results
of combining the knowledge of metaphor in idiom learning have been largely
encouraging, there are still inconsistent findings. Particularly, in a research on English
idioms from a view of cognitive semantics, Kövecses and Szabó
found that the
participants, when having been introduced to a set of conceptual metaphors, were able to
work out the meaning of a totally new set of phrasal verbs. However, they only tested
their participants on the particles. When Boers (2000) replicated their study, testing his
participants on their ability to understand both parts of the phrasal verbs, it was found
that those participants who had received relevant conceptual metaphor training did not
significantly outperform those who had received no such training.
In view of the relevant previous studies, it is necessary to probe deeper into the
CL-based approach to L2 idiom learning for the following reasons: 1) given the
abovementioned conflicts among research findings, there is a need to reexamine the
relationship between the knowledge of conceptual metaphors and the meaning of English
idioms in the first place; 2) since most of the research took a quantitative way of analysis,
there are still plenty of gaps to be filled concerning the varieties of research methods;
3) since most studies were engaged in the use of conceptual metaphor in a broad sense,
they failed to further explore its differential degrees of effectiveness on different types of
metaphoric and metonymic idioms. Hence, will learners truly have a better
understanding of idioms when teachers introduce conceptual metaphor and metonymy,
and relate them to idioms? Will all kinds of metaphor- and metonymy-based idioms be
equally difficult for learners to perceive? These are the general questions attempted by
this empirical study targeted at Chinese college-level EFL learners.
English idiom dictionary,
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue
–
1 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
540
An idiom is a form of expression peculiar to a language. It is formed of a group of
words which, in most cases, taken together convey a meaning on its own different from
the individual words of the group when they are taken alone. For maintaining the
characteristics of brevity, balance in form, or rhyme, the arrangement of words in an
idiom is often strange, seemingly illogical, or even grammatically incorrect.
The difficulty of idioms may make cheng-yu very difficult to remember. Moreover,
students may simply not have enough exposure to cheng-yu used in various contexts.
Often, textbooks list them alongside vocabulary and they are perhaps used only once in
the context of a dialogue. If an instructor does not use the cheng-yu other times
throughout the class, students may have minimal encounters with the phrases and may
be at a loss as to how to use them
–
particularly if they have more than one application or
grammatical role. Additionally, if the textbook cheng-yu are uncommon, students would
be very unlikely to encounter them outside the classroom.
This is followed by a survey of Chinese textbooks used in intermediate-level
courses that determines the types of cheng-yu often included and the methods used to
introduce them. Then, there will be information about the frequency of usage for cheng-
yu in authentic texts as revealed by corpus data, and a study of whether typical textbook
content reflects this information. Finally, based on the information gained from the study,
the paper will conclude with some pedagogical recommendations.
REFERENCES:
1.
Chang, P. (2017). The Wisdom of Chinese Idioms. Beijing: China Intercontinental Press.
2.
Wang, L. (2020). A Practical Guide to Teaching Chinese as a Second Language.
Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
3.
Li, X. (2018). Chinese Idioms and Their Stories. Beijing: Sinolingua.
4.
Wu, Y. (2019). Chinese Culture Through Idioms. Guangzhou: Guangdong Higher
Education Press.
5.
Chang, P. (2017). The Wisdom of Chinese Idioms. Beijing: China Intercontinental Press.
6.
Li, X. (2018). Chinese Idioms and Their Stories. Beijing: Sinolingua.
7.
Wang, L. (2020). A Practical Guide to Teaching Chinese as a Second Language.
Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
8.
Wu, Y. (2019). Chinese Culture Through Idioms. Guangzhou: Guangdong Higher
Education Press.
9.
Chang, P. (2017). The Wisdom of Chinese Idioms. Beijing: China Intercontinental Press.
10.
Li, X. (2018). Chinese Idioms and Their Stories. Beijing: Sinolingua.
11.
Kövecses, Z., & Szabó, P. (1996). Idioms: A view from cognitive semantics.
Applied Linguistics, 17(3), 326-355. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/17.3.326
12.
Skoufaki, S. (2008). Conceptual metaphoric meaning clues in two L2 idiom
presentation methods. In F. Boers, & elt.ccsenet.org English Language Teaching
Vol. 12, No. 5; 2019 Lindstromberg (Eds.), Cognitive linguistic approaches to teaching
vocabulary
and
phraseology
(pp.101-132).
Berlin:
Mouton
de
Gruyter.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110199161.2.101
13.
CHINESE IDIOMS (CHENG-YU) FOR SECOND-LANGUAGE LEARNERS: TOWARD
A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH. LISA STELLARD.
