On "Language And Thinking Structures" Of Chinese College Students' Mother And Foreign Languages In The Process Of Foreign Language Writing

In November of 2005, Professor Yin Demo, Dean of School of Foreign Languages of Xihua University, proposed for the first time the mother language and foreign language knowledge-cognition bilingual structure theory (bilingual structure for short). The theory holds that there are two sets of knowledge and cognition structures in adult foreign language learners'mind, namely, the knowledge structure and cognition structure of his mother language and those of his foreign language. They influence and constrain each other. Foreign language writing is a complex process involving a number of factors, which bewilders many English learners in China. Although a large number of studies have been made on the foreign language writing from different angles and levels, few studies simultaneously focus on the relationship among the four quanta in the bilingual structures. In terms of bilingual structure theory and with the help of related theories in the fields of linguistics, psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology and neurophysiology, etc, this research probes correlation between mother language and thinking and foreign language and thinking in Chinese college students'English writing process, on the basis of speech production and thinking process analysis.This thesis is structured in five chapters, and it can be divided into two parts: theoretical analysis and empirical research. Chapter One is the introduction, which introduces the source, purpose and significance of this research. Chapter Two is the literature review. On the basis of review of the nature of foreign language writing, this chapter reviews its relevant research both at home and abroad and theories about the relationship between language and thinking. Chapter Three is the theoretical foundations. First, it expounds the sources and core contents of the bilingual structure theory, by which Chinese college students'English writing is analyzed. Second, this chapter also focuses on the nature of language & thinking, the cerebral physical foundation of both Chinese and English languages, thinking models and three components of language. Then, Levelt's speech production model, including conceptualization phase, formulation phase, articulation phase and self-monitoring phase, is illustrated. Finally, language transfer theory is introduced and expounded by means of analyzing the positive transfer and disturbing effects of mother language on foreign language learning. Chapter Four conducts a paper and pen translation experiment on the thinking quanta of mother language of Chinese college students with different English levels. Subsequently,"thinking aloud"English composition texts in English writing process, including research questions, research objects, research instruments, research steps, data compilation and analysis as well as research conclusion, are studied and analyzed. Combining results of Experiment One and Two with the theoretical analysis, a discussion is carried out, aiming to solve research problems. Through the theoretical analysis and empirical research, this research obtains the following major findings:1) In the foreign language writing process, the foreign language learner uses both his mother language and foreign language to conduct his thinking process, and thus this process is characterized by the bilingual thinking.2) In the foreign language writing process, the stronger Chinese college students'foreign language knowledge and cognition structures are, the less they depend on their mother language, and the less mother language thinking quanta they have, the more their foreign language thinking quanta involves. On the contrary, a learner with poor foreign language knowledge and cognition structures applies his mother language knowledge and cognition structures more.3) With learners'strong foreign language knowledge and cognition structures, his foreign language knowledge and cognition structures correlate, interact and collaborate with each other, so that they can directly process foreign language knowledge without the participation of the mother language and the learner is able to use his mother language and the foreign language deftly.4) In terms of function, the four components in the"bilingual structure"connect and restrict mutually, collaborate and jointly complete specific tasks, though locating in different cerebral modules.5) If the mother language structure and the foreign language structure are directly connected, they can convert to each other without any other help. The mother language structure and the foreign language structure are connected to their own thinking cognition structure respectively. So these two language structures are also connected indirectly by thinking cognition structures. That is to say, they can transform to each other indirectly with the help of cognition structures.Chapter Five discusses the implications of major findings of this thesis for China's foreign language writing pedagogy and further research, and points out own limitations. The major findings of this thesis not only provide an effective value for the foreign language writing, but also have a theoretical and practical significance on its pedagogy.