Study Of Intermediate And Advanced Level Students’ Prosodic Application Of Predicate-object Structures In Written Chinese

During the process of using Chinese written language, some of the sentences produced by foreign students are not so coherent. Sometimes, we can’t use syntax and semantic theories to explain this phenomenon, so we need to explain it with Chinese prosodic theories. This paper selects the predicate-object structure, which is commonly used by foreign students, to see how the intermediate and advanced level students handle the prosodic rules of the Chinese language when using this structure.In this paper, we mainly use two research methods:corpus analysis and test investigation. We select some verbs to study how foreign students apply the prosodic rules when using these verbs to make predicate-object structures. This study is carried out under two conditions:in the nature state and in the interference state. For the verbs with compulsory prosodic requirements, we study whether students choose monosyllabic or disyllabic words to complete the structures. And for the verbs without prosodic requirements, we put them in the discourse to study the prosodic performance of making predicate-objects with certain discourse prosodic restrictions.Through two parts of the study, we finally reach the following conclusions:For "Qian’Ou" words (monosyllabic words used in a disyllabic template), in essays, when making predicate-object structures, students often have the ability to use them according to prosodic rules. But with interference, especially semantic interference, students will forget the prosodic rules and make prosodic errors. In both two parts of the study, students have the tendency of avoiding using "Qian’Ou" words.For " He’Ou" words (disyllabic words combined with another disyllabic word), when using them to make predicate-object structures, foreign students seldom make prosodic errors, such as the "disyllable+monosyllable" form. Only with semantic interference can the students forget some of the prosodic requirements and make prosodic errors.In the aspect of discourse prosody, when facing paralleled verbs or paralleled predicate-object structures, students will often make prosodic errors. In essays, where students use discourse prosodic markers by themselves, they can often grasp the prosodic rules. But while these prosodic markers are given in the tests, students may forget some of the prosodic requirements. If there is rhetoric or hypothesis in the discourse, students will easily forget the prosodic rules of repeating some of the words. So they still lack the awareness of making the structures according to the discourse prosodic rules.This paper selects three aspects:language, learner and text book, to analyze the factors which influence students’ prosodic application. In order to improve students’ ability of prosodic application, we should improve their overall language proficiency, and help them to grasp the rules of Chinese prosody. And more content relating to prosody should be involved in the text books.