The Acquisition Process Of Chinese Negative Comparison Constructions By L2 Chinese Learners

As a convincing way to evaluation, comparison is counted as one of the most common and crucial mental operations of the human brain. The negative comparison structures or constructions bear the function of revealing the ways by which we compare the distinctions between two or among several entities or events in terms of the qualities, the quantities, the natures, and the scopes. The Chinese negative compassion constructions (CNCCs) are composed of the negators "bu" (不), "mei" (没) and the comparative markers "bi" (比), "ji" (及) and "ru" (如) etc. Actually, the most commonly used and prototypical CNCCs are those that carry the negative comparison makers "buru"(不如) "meiyou" (没有) "buji" (不及) and"bubi" (不比). Although the studies on CNCCs have been conducted form the ontological diachronic and typological perspective, the acquisition of the Chinese negative comparison structures by the L2 Chinese learners is nearly an uncharted territory. However, the mastery of CNCCs by the L2 Chinese learners is far form error-free.Under the guidance of linguistic theories, like the natural order hypothesis, information processing model, markedness theory and prototype theory, based on the data collected from the questionnaires and analyzed by SPSS, the author categorized and accounted for the errors in the use of CNCCs made by the foreign students in China. By doing so, the acquisition sequence of CNCCs was sorted out, and the acquisition process of this construction was unfolded in a scientific and systematic way.More specifically, the subsequent research questions have been investigated systematically:(1) Is there any significant difference between the frequencies of the four CNCCs in native speakers' utterances and those in L2 Chinese learners' expressions? Whether L2 Chinese learners on different Chinese proficiencies follow the same frequency sequence in the acquisition process of CNCCs?(2) Is there a positive correlation between the L2 Chinese proficiencies and their acquisition of CNCCs?(3) Are there any inevitable factors that affect the acquisition of CNCCs? If the answer is positive, what are they? In the acquisition process of CNCCs, what linguistic explanations can be used to account for the errors in the L2 Chinese learners' interlanguage?By answering the research questions, conclusions are therefore summarized as follows:First and foremost, no significant distinction exists between the frequencies of the four CNCCs in the native speakers' utterances and those in non-native speakers' expressions. Instead, the consistency of these frequencies emerges in the Chinese native speakers' utterances ("meiyou"＞"buru"＞"buji") and the output of the L2 Chinese learners ("meiyou"＞"buru"＞"buji").Secondly, a positive correlation exists between the foreign students' Chinese proficiencies and their acquisition of CNCCs .The L2 Chinese learners with higher Chinese proficiency will acquire the Chinese negative comparison constructions better.Thirdly, some inevitable factors that affect the acquisition of the Chinese negative comparison constructions, like markedness characteristics of the linguistic items, lexicon chunk and the prototype of the cognitive categories, were investigated and explained on the bases of the linguistic theories concerned.Finally, on the foundation of the current study, some suggestions are given to the instructors of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language in China. In teaching CNCCs, the optimal sequence of instruction would better be in the "meiyou"＞"buru"＞"buji"＞"bubi" pattern. Besides, the suitable stage or due time and proper intensity of instruction are recommended to be taken into considerations in classroom teaching.