CHINESE 318 Introduction to Applied Chinese Linguistics

WHAT DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU KNOW A LANGUAGE?

Competence: What one knows.

Performance: What one does.

(Chomsky 1965)

COMPETENCE AND PERFORMANCE

Communicative Competence:

(1) Grammatical Competence:

(2) Sociolinguistic Competence

(3) Discourse Competence

(4) Strategic Competence

COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

ACTFL: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

THE ACTFL PROFICIENCY GUIDELINES

(1) Global Tasks/functions: real world tasks

(2) Context: circumstances or settings in which a person uses language

Content: topics or themes of conversation

(3) Accuracy: fluency, grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, pragmatic competence, sociolinguistic competence

(4) Text type: the quantity and the organizational aspects of speech (i.e., words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, etc.)

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA--SPEAKING

NOVICE

NOVICE

NOVICE

INTERMEDIATE

INTERMEDIATE

INTERMEDIATE

INTERMEDIATE

ADVANCED

ADVANCED

ADVANCED

SUPERIOR

SUPERIOR

Sara B. knows enough Spanish to speak simply, with some circumlocution, in casual conversations about concrete topics, such as her own background, her family, her interests at school, her travels, and various current events. She can express facts, give instructions, describe and narrate in past, present and future time. She handles elementary constructions with accuracy most of the time but still makes patterned errors, especially when trying to express an opinion or support her point of view.

EXERCISE

Sam R. has no practical speaking ability in Russian, although he does know a few isolated words and expressions. He can name the days of the week and the months of the year, name a few basic objects and colors, and use a few memorized expressions, such as “Hello,” “How are you?” and “Goodbye”. However, he really can’t use what he knows, even in very simple conversation. Native speakers have a very difficult time understanding him because of his heavy American accent.

EXERCISE

Bill R. can converse in both formal and informal situations, resolve problems, deal with unfamiliar topics, describe in detail, and offer supported opinion in his second language, French. He is quite adept at talking about his special field of competence—political sciences– and is generally able to handle any topic of discussion he can handle in English. He has a slight accent and occasionally makes errors, but they never interfere with communication or disturb native speakers.

EXERCISE

Gail P. knows enough German to cope with routine, daily situations in a German-speaking environment. She can create with the language, ask and answer questions, and participate in conversations dealing with everyday topics. Most native speakers understand what she is saying, though she is sometimes not comprehensible to people who aren’t used to dealing with foreigners because she makes frequent errors in pronunciation and grammar. She can handle requests for services, like renting a room or ordering a meal, although she sometimes has to search for the appropriate words, which makes her speech a little hesitant.

EXERCISE

Mary Anne T. speaks Chinese well enough to participate fully in casual conversations, especially when the discussion relates to topics such as her family, her work as a missionary, her travel experiences, and current events. She does have some difficulty expressing her point of view in Chinese, and her language tends to break down when the discussion gets too complex. Sometimes she miscommunicates, but most native speakers, including those who have never dealt with Americans, can understand her meaning. In her work in the mission field, which includes social ministry, Mary Anne is good at giving instructions, explaining and describing various health-related procedures, and talking with people about her past travels and her aspirations for the future.

EXERCISE

TIME FRAME FOR DIFFERENT PROFICIENCY LEVELS

5 Cs: Communication; Culture; Connections; Comparisons; Communities

Communication: communicate in languages other than English

Standard 1.1 : Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.

Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.

Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.

STANDARDS FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

Cultures: Gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures

Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied.

Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the cultures studied.

STANDARDS FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

Connections: Connect with other disciplines and acquire information

Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.

Standard 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.

STANDARDS FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

Comparisons: Developing insight into the nature of language and Culture

Standard 4.1: Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.

Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.

STANDARDS FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

Communities: Participate in Multilingual Communities at Home and Around the world

Standard 5.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.

Standard 5.2: Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

STANDARDS FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

(1) Describe your experience as a learner in a foreign language classroom?

(2) Describe your experience as an instructor in a foreign language classroom?

(3) Discuss how your teaching/learning experience relates to the 5Cs standards.

DISCUSSIONS