1. Using videos
to learn Chinese pragmatics
Ting Huang (ting.huang@rochester.edu)
Tianxin Wang (tianxinshanghai@gmail.com)
Yinghua Yang (yyang80@u.rochester.edu)
University of Rochester
2. Background
Whether pragmatics is teachable is a controversial question in the foreign
language (FL) field (Rose & Kasper, 2001; Kasper ＆ Rose 2002)
The existing research shows that Chinese teachers tend to use videos materials
for the purpose of cultural learning or learning enjoyment while neglecting the
acquisitions of pragmatics (Fan, 2011; Guan, 2011; Shi, 2011)
4. Pragmatics for CFL learning
What is Pragmatics? What role does Pragmatics play in CFL learning?
Laurence and Gregory (2006) define pragmatics as a study of context-dependent
meaning. Two key concepts related to pragmatics: illocutionary meaning (言外之意)
and perlocutionary meaning (言后之意). Based on these two concepts, there are six
parts related to pragmatics. In CFL video teaching, pragmatics plays a number of
useful roles. Two prominent roles-- presupposition (前提预设) and implicature (会
话含义), are particularly valuable for CFL learning.
7. CFL Pragmatics via Video
What can video enhance for learning CFL Pragmatics?
Presupposition, e.g., American student A can speak Chinese.
Implicature, e.g., the Chinese girl is not good at English.
8. CFL Pragmatics
Why video is valuable in learning pragmatics?
In CFL learning, context of how language is used is often missing. However, we can
bring various literacy events into class via videos.
10. Using video for the “Net Generation”
• Meaning Making
“external structure and internal meaning would interact in creating comprehensible input,
which would tie this language message into a specific language context” (Carlo, 1994)
• Variety with patterns
Video types – commercials, documentary, video podcasting, movie clip, animation, TV
program
Prior view experience (Rice & Woodsmall, 1988)
• Multi-intelligence
Emotional intelligence (Goleman, 1998)
Incomplete comprehension (Altman, 1989)
Processing of both brain hemispheres
eg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqIPGx6MuDU
11. Teaching Practice: Use Liby Commercial
Video As an Example
Research and Discussion
about the Teaching Theme
Think about theme
related information
Pause Video for
Specific Illustration
Sound or Video
Pre-Practicing Activity
Practicing Activity
Post-Practicing Activity
12. Preliminary Qualitative Study
RQ: What are the informal video learning pragmatics look like, as students
describe and making meaning of their experiences?
Participants: Three intermediate CFL learners (pseudo names) in a college CFL
program
Anna: Female. Age 21. Heritage CFL learner who grew up in NYC, watching TVB
and Chinese drama and TV shows for learning Chinese since she was a kid.
Kathy: Female. Age 20. Non-heritage white learner who lived in China for three-
years because of parents’ jobs.
Kyle: Male. Age 22. Half Asian half white learner who lived in China for one-year
because of studying aboard and teaching English.
13. Methodology
Theoretical Frameworks:
Sociocultural Theory (SCT) and New Literacy Studies (NLS)
Data Collection Method: One-semester long, ethnographic discourse Analysis
Six in-depth 40 min Interviews in English (discuss the learners’ interpretations of video
experiences). Weekly reflection entries in English (we used Google documents to let
the students describe their activities of learning CFL via video, while the instructor
could also comment and interact with the three participants).
14. Data Analysis
Data Sources: Interview transcripts (40 pages), and weekly reflection
transcripts (40 pages).
Analytic framework: grounded theory.
1. Coding and Theming.
2. Trustworthiness: Triangulation (interview and reflection data)
15. Kyle: (Journey to the West)…one part where all these people start saying
something..something long lines of like “I will do it”, like “I will participate "so
they all start saying“我来” . (Me: uhmm..)
Kyle: En!…which is not how I would have said it. Someone had said..How do you
say, “I will do it” (Me: uhmm )….
Kyle: Or like ’I am am coming.’? Which is what they are trying to say!”
Sample Quotes
from Interview Transcriptions
16. Sample Quotes
from Interview Transcriptions
Interviewer: Do you think video help you at all in terms of the usage of vocabulary
or listening? You said so.
Anna: Oh, it actually really does, because it provides context for grammar, umm, not
necessarily vocab(ulary) is, it helps with vocabulary no matter what, but grammar
especially if you’re watching, umm, a not very complicated one, like, I think, they, I
heard a lot of “把” examples, “把” structure examples, and “非诚勿扰”，in the
movie. And, I also heard uses of umm, “如果“， and, umm, I forget what it is
exactly, but it helps because normally when you are learning a grammar, you don’t
have a context for it, you don’t know like exactly what kind of situation of they used
in, and when you hear in a movie, you are like, “Oh, that works!”
(Interview data Oct31, 2014 )
17. • Interviewer: Right, interesting. So do you think, what do you think videos help you
the most, in terms of, everything of the Chinese learning aspect? Could you name a
few things and give me some examples?
• Kathy: I think listening definitely. Hearing tones, hearing how you combine
phrases, how you put “啊”s and hear the “哦” there and “啊”.
• Interviewer: Especially the particles at the end.
• Kathy: The particles at the end, yeah. Where, you know that kind of thing you just
have to kinda get a feeling for it. When it’s kinda a natural conversations, like,
between, you know, contestant and a judge or something, they often put those in.
And, it’s often slower to, and so it is easier to catch. So it’s like, things like that
really helped. Hearing tones, ‘cause it’s just, you know, no matter how long I hear
or I study Chinese, I still have a huge problem with tones. But the more you listen,
the more you kind of, pick them up. So tones, especially, like those two aspects of
speaking like how you make it sound or how it’s supposed to sound I guess.
• (Interview data Oct31, 2014 )
18. Qualitative data summary: Seven themes
Making good use of videos helps CFL, since:
Video creating enjoyment while learning pragmatics,
Video catering different students’ pragmatic learning needs,
Video making the language input comprehensible with visual aided cultural-
linguistic materials,
Video helping students activate their background knowledge,
Video shaping heritage students’ identities,
Video arousing emotions while learning pragmatics,
Video offering an authentic context for learning pragmatics.
19. References
• Kasper, G. & Rose, K. R. (2002). Pragmatic development in a second language. Language Learning,
52(1).
• Rose, K. R. & Kasper, G. (2001). Pragmatics in Language Teaching. New York: Cambridge University
Press.
• Walker, G. (1982). Videotext-A course in intermediate to advanced Chinese. Journal of Chinese
Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, 17 (2), 109-122.
• Wu, Y. (2012). Using external text vocalization to enhance reading development among beginning level
Chinese learners. Journal of Chinese Language Teachers Association, 47(1), 1-22.
• Wu, Y. (2014). Using sketch comedy skits to develop language in lower level Chinese classes. Journal of
Chinese Language Teachers Association, 49(3), 65-85.
20. References
• Xie, T.W. & Yao, T. C. (2009). Technology in Chinese language teaching and learning. In M. E.
Everson & Y. Xiao (Eds), Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language: Theories and Applications. (pp.
152-172). Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company.
• Xu, D. (2009). Incorporating DVD into PowerPoint for language and film studies instruction. Journal
of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, 44 (1), 103-123.
• Yang, L. (2013). A Web-based Approach to Learning Expressions of Gratitude in Chinese as a Foreign
Language. (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from Linguistic and Language Behavior Abstracts—
LLBA.
• Yu, L. (2012). Integrating Film Narration into the Lower Intermediate Level Curriculum. Journalof
Chinese Language Teachers Association. 47(2), 33-63.
• Zhang, P. (2013). Using video to promote the acquisition of advanced proficiency. Journal of
Technology and Chinese Language Teaching, 4(2), 69-85.
Pragmatics as a field of linguistic inquiry was initiated in the 1930s by Morries and some other experts.
Laurence and Gregory (2006) defines pragmatics as a study of context-dependent meaning. In detail, it refers to study both the illocutionary and perlocutionary meaning in a conversation.
The dominant of pragmatics covers six parts: presupposition, implicature, reference, deixis, speech acts, definiteness and indefiniteness.
In that dialogue:
Presuppositions: 1) Boy A speaks English. 2) student A can understand her poor English. 3) student A can speak Chinese.
Implicature: 1) The Chinese girl is not good at English. 2) The student A can speak Chinese, but not very well. 3) student A may grab his Chinese in Beijing. 4) The last response is just for fun.
Reference: 1) Panda is the girl’s name.
Deixis: 1) 您, refers to the salesgirl. 2) You, refers to the customer.
Speech Acts: 1) The girl requests to chat in Chinese. 2) The girl apologies for her poor English. 3) The student B requests the girl to speak Chinese slowly.
Definiteness and indefiniteness don’t happen in Chinese, so we don’t talk about them today.
In that dialogue:
Presuppositions: 1) Boy A speaks English. 2) student A can understand her poor English. 3) student A can speak Chinese.
Implicature: 1) The Chinese girl is not good at English. 2) The student A can speak Chinese, but not very well. 3) student A may grab his Chinese in Beijing. 4) The last response is just for fun.
Reference: 1) Panda is the girl’s name.
Deixis: 1) 您, refers to the salesgirl. 2) You, refers to the customer.
Speech Acts: 1) The girl requests to chat in Chinese. 2) The girl apologies for her poor English. 3) The student B requests the girl to speak Chinese slowly.
Definiteness and indefiniteness don’t happen in Chinese, so we don’t talk about them today.
(B). From this example, we can find that context plays a vital role in having a good understanding of conversation.
The advantage of studying language via pragmatics is that one can talk about people’s intended meanings, their assumptions, their purposes or goals, and the kinds of actions (for example, requests) that they are performing when they speak. (George, 1996)
The 5 topics of pragmatics help make the conversation reasonable and understandable, although the end is still a joke.
Therefore, in a language class, if a teacher wants to teach in pragmatics, he or she can focus on these five topics, to let students know what a daily conversation happens.
(C). Since conversation happens both in and out of class. To make teaching practical and comprehensive, we should use multiple materials as learning examples. However, we cannot always take the class into different positions to observe a literacy event, we can bring various literacy events into class. How? Video is a good choice.
社会文化研究的理论 新媒体读写理论
文本分析，一个学期，民族种制研究
Video can help learners engage in CFL learning by:
Build vocabulary
Develop fluency
Activate meaning-based learning context
面对面采访
周记反思
Build vocabulary
Qualitative data indicate benefits of this practice from beginning-of-semester survey, interim and end-of-semester recorded interview, weekly students’ blog entries, and end-of-semester students' reflections.
“After watching the Chinese love game show in class on Thursday, I decided to try watching that again. I found an episode on YouTube that encompasses many different episodes all in one! I really liked this because I was able to watch multiple different episodes/ “love matches” all in one sitting. I also could feel myself understanding more and more as I went. Although I still had difficulty understanding everything, and had to look up a lot of words, I definitely understood more of the dialogue as I continued watching. This time, I also got the courage to write my first comment! (Wonderful! Let’s talk about that next week. Huang Laoshi).” ( from Sep. 14- Sep. 21, 2014, Google doc weekly blog reflection entry)”
“My preference is to watch with Chinese subtitles...I've found in learning both Chinese and French that if I watch with English subtitles I just read those and stop listening to what's being said, but reading the characters gives me a better chance at catching what's been said.” (from Spring 2014 reflection)
“Improving listening skills and just getting more exposure….uh..you know…. If I can get in the 'Chinese mood', everything just, just…flows and becomes significantly easier...and videos often help me do that.” ( from Apr. 2014 informal interview data)”
Increase fluency
I: Do you think video help you at all in terms of the usage of vocabulary or listening? You said so.
H: Oh, it actually really does, because it provides context for grammar, umm, not necessarily vocab(ulary) is, it helps with vocabulary no matter what, but grammar especially if you’re watching, umm, a not very complicated one, like, I think, they, I heard a lot of “把” examples, “把” structure examples, and “非诚勿扰”，in the movie. And, I also heard uses of umm, “如果“， and, umm, I forget what it is exactly, but it helps because normally when you are learning a grammar, you don’t have a context for it, you don’t know like exactly what kind of situation of they used in, and when you hear in a movie, you are like, “Oh, that works!”
Activate meaning-based learning context, increase flunecy
I: Right, interesting. So do you think, what do you think videos help you the most, in terms of, everything of the Chinese learning aspect? Could you name a few things and give me some examples?
C: I think listening definitely. Hearing tones, hearing how you combine phrases, how you put “啊”s and hear the “哦” there and “啊”.
I: Especially the particles at the end.
C: The particles at the end, yeah. Where, you know that kind of thing you just have to kinda get a feeling for it. When it’s kinda a natural conversations, like, between, you know, contestant and a judge or something, they often put those in. And, it’s often slower to, and so it is easier to catch. So it’s like, things like that really helped. Hearing tones, ‘cause it’s just, you know, no matter how long I hear or I study Chinese, I still have a huge problem with tones. But the more you listen, the more you kind of, pick them up. So tones, especially, like those two aspects of speaking like how you make it sound or how it’s supposed to sound I guess.
