A Study Of Semantics On Chinese Dissyllabic Compounds For Teaching Chinese As A Second Language

This dissertation is based on the project of A Data-base of Chinese DissyllabicCompounds for Second Language Teaching, which is supported by The NationalSocial Scientific Fund. It applies the theory of Chinese Semantics to second languageteaching through investigating Chinese dissyllabic compounds, analyzing second languagelearner's errors, and finally proposing appropriate strategies on teaching Chinese dissyllabiccompounds.Chinese Dissyllabic Compounds has become an important issue in recent years, whichattracts attention in both linguistic circle and language teaching study because of thecomplicated combinations between morphemes within dissyllabic compounds. The problemremained for years since the differences between a monosyllabic word and a dissyllabiccompound, or between two words and one dissyllabic compound haven't been distinguished instructural research. But it should be solved if Chinese Semantic Analysis is introduced in.It is not easy for second language learners to master a Chinese dissyllabic compoundthrough pronunciation, since it appears in two-character shapes, but the meaning of them arecombined together. Sometimes learners would be misled to count each character as onemonosyllabic word. It results in their separating a dissyllabic compound into two words, ortaking a phrase or a morpheme as one word. But in fact a word's meaning could be wellunderstood by second language learners since most of them are adults. From this point of view,the problem could be solved in making use of the word's meaning. If the meaning of acombination is explained thoroughly, learning this dissyllabic compound will become mucheasier for adult-learners.Every word has its attributes, which should be analyzed in details because of thecomplicated combination of dissyllabic compounds;otherwise learners would not be able torealize it. The attributes should be also transferred into parameters that could be applied tolanguage teaching.What has been done by this dissertation are as follows: (1) According to investigation of3,167 dissyllabic compounds in the system, the meaning of each dissyllabic compound isrelated to 8 semantic parameters, which includes original meaning of morphemes, the trace ofmeaning extensions, quantity of senses for each morpheme, characteristics of morphemes, theclarity of combination basis, the semantic structures, the national properties on meaningextensions, senses of a dissyllabic compound;(2) Analysis to 1,110 errors, and the resultshowed that 81% of errors relates to misunderstanding of meaning and the 8 semanticparameters;(3) According to the results of both analyses above the degree of difficulties ofdissyllabic compounds in the system has been designed and interrelated teaching strategieshave been raised especially for dissyllabic compound's teaching.