A Study Of Features And Causes About Chinglish From Linguistic And Cultural Point Of View

Why Chinese English learners can’t speak and write natively is always a headache. Nowadays the widespread use of English in our country leads to the controversial formation of Chinese English, which is abbreviated as "Chinglish". Studies of "Chinglish" both at home and abroad have always been given while there is rare systematic study for it.In view of the above facts, this thesis investigates the features and causes of Chinglish through two angles:linguistics and differences in cultures and thinking modes.Contrastive analysis and error analysis as well as theories of interlanguage and fossilization are applied from the linguistic point of view at phonological level (phonemes, syllables), lexical level (the use of unnecessary words, ignorance of certain collocation, misuse of words&improper word order) and syntactic level (use of pronouns and antecedents, the special placement of phrases and clauses, dangling modifiers and parallel structure). Finally the conclusion is that Chinglish is a kind of misshapen language phenomenon, which comes up when Chinese learners cannot transfer from Chinese meaning to English words well. When studying Chinglish from the differences in cultures and thinking modes, the writer explores the relationship between language, culture and thinking modes and concludes that complete different cultural backgrounds and thinking modes are important factors for the appearance of Chinglish.Both the two angles are assisted with a large number of examples from magazines, books, Chinese English learners’daily English conversations as well as their English exercises. With contrast and analysis for the above examples the writer concludes that: Chinglish is misshapen English which is produced by Chinese English learners and speakers who use Chinese rules and structures mechanically as a result of mother tongue interference and their low proficiency of linguistic competence. It does not conform to the rules of Standard English or English cultural convention. As a result, Chinglish not only causes Chinese English learners’misuse of the language and confusion of the language’s cultural connotations, but more seriously, also blocks the cross-cultural communication between China and English-speaking countries. Therefore, Chinglish has become one of the main factors adversely affecting the learning quality of Chinese English learners.In this thesis the writer also discusses China English. China English is a language that is combined with Chinese social culture. It is the English with Chinese characteristics coined by the Chinese people, who have grown up in the Chinese social and cultural background, when they use English to express themselves. It is greatly influenced by Chinese culture, Chinese thinking modes and their own limited physiological condition. As a result, this thesis attempts not only to help them learn to identify and overcome Chinglish but also to provide more authentic language materials for further studies.Besides, the writer provides some possible solutions in order to reduce or wipe off the formation of Chinglish. The solutions include improving the competence in culture recognizing and cultivation of English thinking mode. As a result, the English learners of Chinese can effectively improve their English levels and communicate with the westerners smoothly and happily.It is hoped that the thesis can help Chinese English learners and educators to know more about Chinglish and provide enlightenment on language teaching and learning.