A Study On The Application Of Language Memetics To English Writing Teaching In Senior High School

As the New English Curriculum Standards for Senior High School put forward the core literacy of English subject,the way of examining English writing in high school is also changing.Since 2016,many provinces have successively added a continuation task in the college entrance examination of English.In light of the new writing type,employing the corresponding teaching models to help students improve their writing performance is important research for teachers working at the sharp end in high school.Language memetics is the study of language phenomena from the perspective of memetics,revealing the laws of replication and transmission of language memes.This study combines language memetics with English writing teaching,and then conducts a four-month experiment based on the life cycle and transmission modes of memes.It aims to explore a teaching model of continuation tasks based on language memetics as well as the effects of applying language memetics to writing teaching,so as to availably resolve the current writing dilemma of teaching and learning.In this study,a total of 90 students in two classes of Grade one in a high school in Guiyang,Guizhou Province are chosen as the research subjects.During the experiment,the experimental class adopts a writing teaching model based on language memetics,while the control class adopts the normal teaching model.Questionnaires,tests and interviews are used to collect data before and after the experiment.After the data are analyzed by SPSS22.0,the results of the study show that: Firstly,the writing teaching model guided by language memetics focuses on the input and memorization of relevant word chunks in order to confirm and store the memes at the stage of assimilation and retention.Next,it emphasizes the output and interaction in order to use and spread the memes at the stage of expression and transmission.Secondly,the writing teaching model based on memetics can improve student’s writing scores.Thirdly,the writing teaching model based on memetics can arouse student’s writing interest.Given the above,the teaching model guided by memetics has a positive effect on students’ writing.To achieve better teaching effects,teachers should input multi-level memes pertinently and help students develop various memorization strategies.What’s more,guiding students to combine imitation with innovation and enhancing the quality of interaction can not be ignored.This study will provide some implications for future research in memetics and writing teaching.