A Study On Cognitive Balance Between Reading And Writing Of CSL Intermediate Japanese Students

Due attention to both input and output in second language can help to learn what kind of input will lead to effective output. This study aims to explore the cognitive balance between reading and writing of Chinese as a second language (here in after referred to as CSL: Chinese as a Second Language) among intermediate Japanese students, who mainly rely on Chinese phonology or orthography for their understanding, when they are reading (input) and writing (output) Chinese as a second language. If their input and output rely on the same factors, the cognitive balance will be attained, but if they rely on different factors, the balance will be lost. This paper examines the relationship between input and output with an intention of helping Japanese students improve their Chinese output.First, according to Japanese writing system, Japanese children’s acquisition of their mother tongue language, and Japanese native speakers’ cognition of writing system, the paper analyzed their cognitive styles of Japanese Kanji (Chinese characters in Japanese). They rely on the orthographic formations when recognizing and reading while on the phonology when writing. The research found that the relationship between their input and output is not balanced. Accordingly, CSL Japanese students’ cognitive styles of Chinese characters can be inferred.Second, this study inquires into CSL Japanese students’ cognitive styles in Chinese reading and writing by means of questionnaire and interview. In Chinese reading, based on the results of previous research, this paper further reveals the actual situation of how CSL Japanese students input Chinese phonology. In Chinese writing, this paper reveals whether they mainly rely on Chinese phonology or Chinese orthographic formations when writing in Chinese.Thirdly, this paper analyzed CSL Japanese students’ cognitive psychological process of reading and writing in Chinese and it intends to build a Japanese students’ cognitive model of Chinese writing. The results have shown that in Chinese reading, CSL Japanese students prefer to perceive the meaning of the character in accordance with Chinese orthographic formations and they can adopt different methods of reading based on two different situations: status of study and non-status of study, which determines the input quantity of phonological information. In Chinese writing, the study has shown that Japanese students basically rely on Chinese phonology to write in Chinese, but occasionally they present the cognitive style of writing in Chinese relying on Chinese orthographic formations, as a result of some factors which prompt them to appeal to Japanese thinking (such as whether they have learned the characters at hand to be written, and whether the Chinese orthographic formations are similar to Japanese orthographic formations in some ways) and the subsequent transfer which gives rise to Japanese students’ turning to Japanese Kanji when writing in Chinese.Finally, this paper discusses the cognitive balance between Chinese reading and writing of CSL Japanese students. Japanese students demonstrate the cognitive imbalance for they rely on orthographic formations when reading while on phonology when writing, which basically coincides with their cognitive style of Japanese Kanji. Based on this cognitive style, in the framework of teaching and self-study, Chinese learning strategies in line with Japanese students are explored to enhance their learning efficiency.