The document discusses applying color-coding techniques to teach Chinese syntax to beginner students. It aims to accelerate reading comprehension and writing skills through a visual system that identifies parts of speech and constituent structure with colors. Examples show adjectives in green and verbs in yellow. Practice activities reinforce grammar patterns through substitution drills and creative writing. Assessments evaluate vocabulary, grammar, reading and writing outcomes over two semesters of study.

1. The Application of Colour-Coding
in Teaching Chinese Syntax
DUO LUAN

2. ONE-SENTENCE DESCRIPTION
Applying the techniques of colour-coding to
accelerate the learner’s reading
comprehension and writing skills in Beginner
Chinese.

3. Knowing Our Students and How They Learn
visual learners
auditory learners
kinaestheitc learners
(Figures from Kranzler, 1999)
Alfred Maskeroni, ‘Inforgraphic: 13 Reasons why your Brain Cravers Inforgraphics’,
’http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/infographic-13-reasons-why-your-brain-craves-infographics-163042
[accessed at 16/06/2015]

4. Example
Adjectives in Chinese can function
directly as predicates. This kind of
sentence is called a sentence with an
adjectival predicate. Adjectives in this
kind of sentence can be modified by
adverbs such as 很.

5. Knowing Our Students and How They Learn
Alfred Maskeroni, ‘Inforgraphic: 13 Reasons why your Brain Cravers Inforgraphics’, ’http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/infographic-13-
reasons-why-your-brain-craves-infographics-163042 [accessed at 16/06/2015]

6. The Target Learners
• Those who are beginners in learning Chinese as a foreign
language.
• Those who benefit from the use of visual strategies to
process meaning.
• Those with dyslexia.

7. Theoretical Framework
There can be no perfection in theory without
reference to application
• Textual Input Enhancement (TIE)
Marking ‘special features of input which might go unnoticed under normal circumstances through
typographically manipulating them’
(Nahavandi & Mukundan, 2013: 93)
• The Role of L1 in L2 Content Learning
‘Using the L1 to convey meaning will result in treating the meaning of the L2 as translation equivalents
of the L1.’
(Ellis & Shintani, 2014: 234)
• Understanding Constituent Structure
‘a constituent structure…tells…how to break sentences down into their constituent parts,…. Or, … how
the smallest constituents can combine to form … larger constituents until we have constructed a
sentence.’
(Brown & Miller, 1980: 21)

8. What is Colour-coding
• A simple, visual, structured system of colour patterns
identifying syntactic units of Chinese.
• A method for helping students to analyse lexical and
grammatical structure.
• Creating a short and visual memory within a limited class time
to accelerate Chinese language learning.

9. The Aims of the Use of colour-coding in
Teaching Syntax
• to introduce the learner directly to comprehensive reading in Chinese without any
prior knowledge.
• to accelerate learners’ reading skill through the use of visual strategies.
• to introduce readers to the metacognitive skill of ‘thinking in Chinese’.
• to develop learners’ ability to interpret texts, and help them to understand and
evaluate each text.

10. Colour-coding at Two Levels
On the lexical level
o Indicating word classes
o Accounting for the distribution of words into classes
o Offering a visual reference and potential for structure-making
On the syntactic level
o Indicating form classes
o Providing as a visual systematic account of the constituent structure of
sentences
o Accounting for the distribution of forms in classes

11. Word Classes in the Chinese Lexicon
! The Chinese language is a word-based two-category classification of
syntactic patterns (a concatenation of lexical items)
Shici (实词 full words) and Xuci (虚词 empty words)
*The colour-coding approach considers adverbs as Xuci
Shici Xuci *
Nouns
pronouns
adjectives
verbs
numerals
measures
preposition
conjunctions
particles
interjections

12. A Sample of Design
Colour-coding aids the understanding of word classes
• Shici
noun/pronoun: 苹果 我 医生 医院
adjective: 漂亮 好
verb: 来 喜 欢
• Xuci : 在 离 的 了 很
游泳

13. A Sample of Design
Colour coded verbs in Shici
verb pinyin meaning out-looking classes
来
(lái) to come single syllable VT
喜 欢
(xǐhuān) to like double syllable VT
(yóuyǒng) to swim double syllable VI

14. Colour-coding in Teaching Chinese Syntax
Once upon a time, there was a man who ploughed the fields.
Formerly, have person at field in plant land.
McDonald (2008), pp.43-53.
Formerly, have person at field in plant land.
从前,有人 在田里种地。
*

15. Traditional Tree Diagram of
有 人 在 田 里 种 地
S
NP VP
NNVT PP
Prep N N
VT
从前,有人 在田里种地。
Constituent Structure

16. A Sample of Design
喜 欢
喜欢过 游过泳
我喜欢过猫。 我游过泳。
我喜欢猫。
Verb + Verb Verb + Noun
我会 游泳。
过A particle 过
after the verb
indicates a
past
experience

17. Colour-coding in Teaching Syntax
Colour-coding helps to visually demonstrate the syntactic
structure of Chinese
是 。
很 。
。
在 。
有 。
*
Sample
How are you? How is it?
What are you doing?
What are you going to do?
Where are you?
Where is it?
How many?
Who are you? What is it?
For answering the
following questions
The empty
words indicate
the place within
the sentence,
and show the
grammatical
relationships
between form
classes – the
environment, in
which this item
occurs.

18. Reinforcing Patterns Through Writing
Practice of Form Classes: Creative Writing
的
的
的

19. Reinforcing the Pattern Through Writing
Substitution Practice: Creative Writing
Grammar Pattern

20. Classroom Practice Sample
Colour-coding
demonstrates the
grammatical pattern
Substitution drill
reinforces the
grammatical
pattern visually
and literarily.

21. Reinforcing the Pattern through Writing
Describe what is taking place inside the house

22. Reading Comprehension

23. Learning Outcomes: Vocabulary
Levels
Semester
Vocabulary Period of Study HSK Level Common
European
Framework of
Reference for
Languages
Semester 1 300 60 hours directed
learning
Levels 1-2 A1-2
Semester 2 600 60 hours directed
learning
Level 3 B1

24. Learning outcomes: Grammar
HSK Levels 1-2 Semester 1
VSA
Adjective predicate; 6Hs
Negative pattern with the word 不/别; 6Hs. 24Hs
Yes-no question with 吗; 6Hs
是 sentence; 18Hs
Sentence with verbal predicate; 24Hs
有 sentence; 36Hs
Sentence indicating location with the word 在; 30Hs
Attributive and its structural particle 的; 30Hs
Comparison with the word 比; 54Hs
Tense: 正在……呢；着；了；过; 48Hs
Interrogative questions with 谁；什么；做什么；哪；哪儿；几；多少；什
么时间；什么时候;
18Hs. 18Hs. 24Hs. 18Hs. 30Hs.
36Hs. 36Hs. 42Hs. 42Hs.
The use of proposition words 离；从；对；向 6Hs. 54Hs. 54Hs. 54Hs

25. Learning Outcomes: Grammar
HSK Level 3 Semester 2
VSA
Sentence with modal verbs 会；能；可以；应该；要；想；愿意；可能；
必须；敢；需要;
60Hs
The complement of state; 65Hs
The time-measure complement; 70Hs
The directional complement; 80Hs
The complex directional complement; 85Hs
Sentence indicating existence; 90Hs
The complement of result; 95Hs
把 sentence; 100Hs
The use of proposition words: 除了；关于；为；为了 105Hs

26. Achievement: Writing Skill
Final Written Exercise of Semester 2

27. Achievement: Reading Skills
Final Reading Comprehension of Semester 2
No Pinyin for the
known words
Pinyin of the unknown
words is located above
of the word.
No colour-coding at
this final reading
stage

28. References
Brown, E. and Miller, J. (1980) Syntax: A Linguistic Introduction to Sentence Structure. London:
Hutchinson Publishing Group.
Ellis, R. and Shintani, N. (2014) Exploring Language Pedagogy through Second Language Acquisition
Research. London: Routledge.
Kranzler, J. (1999) Innovator: Judy Kranzler. Blueprint 4 (Fall). Washington: Democratic Leadership
Council.
Liu, X. (2010) New Practical Chinese Reader Textbook 1. 2nd Edition. Beijing: Beijing Language and
Cultural University Press.
Maskeroni, A. ‘Inforgraphic: 13 Reasons why your Brain Cravers Infographics'’,
http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/infographic-13-reasons-why-your-brain-craves-infographics-163042
[accessed at 16/06/2015]
McDonald, E. (2008) Meaningful Arrangement: Exploring the Syntactic Description of Texts. Oakville:
Equinoxpub.
Nahavandi, N. and Mukundan, J. (2003) The Impact of Textual Input Enhancement and Explicit Rule
Presentation on Iranian Elementary EFL Learners’ Intake of Simple Past Tense. English Language
Teaching 6 (1), 92-102

29. 谢谢
Address for correspondence:
Duo Luan
Chinese Studies
School of Cultural Studies
University of Wales: Trinity Saint David
Lampeter Campus
Ceredigion
SA48 7ED
Tel: (00)44 1570424905 (office)
Email: d.luan@uwtsd.ac.uk