The Research Of Linguistic And Cultural Characteristics In Chinese Varieties Of English

The globalization of English causes the nativization of English in different regions. Different linguistic conventions and cultural traditions might be transplanted into different World Englishes. The present study of Chinese Varieties of English (CVE) is initiated by this purpose to find out the development of English in China and some theoretical and pedagogical implications.Chinese Varieties of English refers to English used by the speakers with Chinese linguistic and cultural background. It has the Chinese linguistic and cultural features. It can reach the aim of communication and can be accepted by English speakers with other linguistic and cultural backgrounds.In this paper, CVE has been described in the framework of the three-dimensional contextual network, which is based on sociolinguistic theories. The three dimensions refer to time, space and function. In the temporal dimension, it mainly describes the foreign language education policy in different historical periods, which illustrates the social and historical factors influencing the formation of CVE. In the spatial dimension, there are some obvious linguistic features caused by the transfer of the local languages and cultures into English. In the functional dimension we also observe the Chinese features in English since different kinds of nativization or deviations will be revealed in different functions.Based on the three-dimensional research it is the study of CVE in EFL (English as foreign language) teaching and learning. Firstly, there is an investigation to illustrate the students'attitude towards English Standard and CVE. Secondly, it is a survey of students'ability to express Chinese thoughts in English. After that an innovative teaching model is used to expose students to CVE and find out Chinese features in English themselves. It is the reflection on the results of the survey before and after the teaching model's reform: communicative competence as a teaching aim.Then there are the implications both for sociolinguistic theories and EFL teaching and learning. The theoretical implications are that CVE enriches the World Englishes and World Englishes are in a continuum which revises Kachru's model of three concentric circles based on the analysis of CVE in the three-dimensional contextual network. In addition to the innovative teaching reform introduced in the survey, other pedagogical implications mainly focus on the reform of the culture education which plays an important role in the cause of CVE, including correct attitudes towards the function of CVE, cultivation of students'proper outlook on cultures, integration of home culture and foreign culture teaching and so on.My study just touches a small part of the huge iceberg. It is hoped that the present preliminary study will lead to further studies in this area and will provide references for those who are also interested in this subject.