Structural Analysis Of Pictophonetic Characters And Chinese As A Second Language Teaching

The pictophonetic characters are in the majority of the totality of Chinese characters. It also plays an important role in Chinese as a second language teaching and learning. This article discusses the complicated condition of graphic signs and phonetic signs, which inquires into teaching method that in keeping with. In view of structural analysis of graphic signs, we conclude in four factors that may cause confusion of graphic signs: place changing, close meaning, similar shape and cumulating. We analyze individual pictophonetic characters, refer to the original meaning of characters, then propose to relate the character shape, subjective thought and character meaning in the base of understanding the meaning of characters. Be pointed at the four factors, this article concludes four specific methods: first is to utilize the imagined thinking adequately, the second is to definite inclinations of meaning, the third is to build a bridge between shape of graphic signs and meaning of character, the fourth is to introduce the changing from the initial characters to the later. We expect these could promote overseas students’ ability of understanding and memory to the pictophonetic characters. In addition, point at confusions of phonetic signs, we explore preliminarily and obtain some difficulties on teaching. For some factors about culture may involved, we hope teachers who teach Chinese as a second language could make correct judgments on the appropriation of the cultural factors.