中英语序及思维差异对中国学生英语产出的影响

论文总字数：41524字

摘 要

中英语序在中国学生的英语学习过程中一直是一个极为重要的话题，而在语序之中蕴含的更深层次的是不同文化导致的中西方思维差异的不同。正是这种思维的不同让中国学生学习英语的时候不仅需要学会单词语法，更需要学会西方的思维模式。当学生能够更好的理解其中的不同点的时候，英语产出才会更加的高质量，英语学习也会更加的高效率。但是在学生的英语学习过程中，尤其是在应试教育大环境下，真正对于其思维模式上的重视依旧不够。为改变中国学生英语产出效率现状，对于新式教育的探索势在必行，而提高对于语序的认知程度就显得极为重要。

本次研究采用定性研究方法，通过五十位受调查者的翻译材料分析以及采访发现中英语序差异在英语产出质量中有着极大的影响。所选翻译材料中包含很多中国元素，以求能够了解中国学生受到汉英语序差异的影响程度。在调查及采访中发现有许多中国学生的英语表达不准确都是受到了中西方语序差异的影响，并且能够使用较为西式表达方法的受调查者大部分了解更多的西方思维知识，对于英语的语序思维也有更多的见解，在谈论到中西语序差异的时候可以轻而易举的列举出很多实例。而对于用语措辞更为母语化的受调查者表示，在以往的学习中，更为重视应试词汇或是知识点的背诵，反而很少关注英语母语者的地道表达方式。在现在的社会大背景下，对于英语学习更多的人希望可以从文化思维学起，由根及表，自然明辨中英语序差异及应用方式。

关键词：中英语序; 汉英翻译; 英语产出

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements......................................................................................................iv

English Abstract...........................................................................................................1

Chinese Abstract...........................................................................................................2

Table of Content...........................................................................................................3

List of Tables.................................................................................................................4

Chapter One Introduction......................................................................................5

1.1 Background of the Study....................................................................................5

1.2 Objective of the Study........................................................................................5

1.3 Significance of the Study....................................................................................6

1.4 Layout of the Thesis...........................................................................................6

Chapter Two Literature Review.............................................................................7

2.1 Rules of English Word Order.............................................................................7

2.2 Previous Studies at Home and Abroad about the Word Order...........................7

Chapter Three Research Methods............................................................................10

3.1 Data Collection.................................................................................................10

3.2 Sample Analysis...............................................................................................10

3.2.1 Sample....................................................................................................10

3.2.2 Comparison of Sample............................................................................10

3.3 In-depth Interviews..........................................................................................11

Chapter Four Results and Discussion.......................................................................12

4.1 The Word Order of Time...................................................................................12

4.2 The Word Order Based on Major Concept and Minor Concept.......................14

4.3 The Word Order Based on Causality.................................................................15

4.4 The Word Order Based on Importance..............................................................15

4.5 Other Factors which Affect the Word Orders....................................................18

Chapter Five Conclusion......................................................................................19

References...................................................................................................................21

Appendix I...................................................................................................................23

List of Tables

Table 1. Word Order of Time........................................................................................12

Table 2. Word Order Based on Size or Space...............................................................14

Table 3. Word Order Based on Causality.....................................................................15

Table 4. Position of Attribute.......................................................................................16

Table 5. Position of Adverbial......................................................................................17

Table 6. Active / Passive Voice.....................................................................................18

Table 7. Attitude towards the Learning Approach........................................................20

Chapter One Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Differences in English and Chinese word order are one of the problems for Chinese learners to use English well. It is essential that Chinese students have a good command of the greatly different word orders between our native language and English. When we express ourselves in English, we need not only choose the right English lexical items, but also arrange these words in an idiomatic way. If we want others to understand us correctly, the right word order is important. But arranging a sentence in the idiomatic word order of English is not easy because, as a Chinese, we are more often than not affected subconsciously by our Chinese way of thinking. This kind of thinking is just one of the biggest problems we encounter when we learn English.

However, in China, perhaps not many people really pay much attention to the word order of English and the fundamental differences of word order between Chinese and English. In our mind, the vocabulary seems more essential for students to learn English well. Maybe that's the reason why the quality of Chinese students' English output is rather unsatisfactory, when we spend so much time learning English. To enhance student's learning efficiency, it is essential that students pay attention to fundamental differences between English and Chinese in their respective ways of thinking and different word orders born of such disparities.

1.2 Objective of the Study

In the area of language education, the importance of word order is universally acknowledged in the second-language acquisition field. But because of China’s test-driven education, lack of intervention in classroom instruction and insufficient attention teaches and students give to the issue, putting together English sentences in acceptable English word order is still a big problem to even advanced language learners. I, for one, had never thought about the differences between Chinese and English until I became an English major. In my university courses, I found that the knowledge about different thinking modes can help me understand English better and facilitate my English learning.

In this study, the author explores the differences between Chinese and English word order and the two kinds of thinking mode lying behind the differences. It should be noted that this research focuses on different kinds of word order and the thinking modes lying behind the differences. By addressing the essential issues of different ways of thinking in English and Chinese, the author hopes to arouse Chinese learners’ awareness of English way of thinking, the acquisition of which will help them perform better in their English learning, especially in their proper arrangement of word orders in English.

1.3 Significance of the Study

This research is significant in that it addresses the long-standing issue of English word order, which is critically important for Chinese students to have a good command of idiomatic English The ever-developing globalization in trade and economic cooperation dictates that to engage in successful international communications with a global vision, speaking good English is essential in the context of cross-cultural communications. In modern society, if you want to be an individual who understands English, you should not only speak it “fluently”, but also know how to effectively and efficiently learn native-like genuine English. The different word orders between English and Chinese are one of the most significant issues English learners should address in their learning endeavor.

1.4 Layout of the Thesis

First, the research reviews the literature exploring the rules of word order both at home and abroad. Then this study uses the translation survey and in-depth interviews to find out that how different word orders affect Chinese students’ output. At last, the author draws a conclusion to this research and points out the research's limitations and future direction.

Chapter Two Literature Review

2.1 Rules of English Word Order

From the research of literature in the past decades, the study and exploration of word orders has been a popular research area until now. Greeberg (1963) came up with the idea that using S (subject), O (object), V (verb) to represent different kinds of word order rules. He divided the world languages into 6 types: SVO, SOV, VSO, VOS, OSV and OVS. Lehmann (1991) and Vennenmann (1992) divided them according to the verb and object order. They integrated VSO, VOS and SVO as the VO (verb is in front of object). Nowadays, most people accept this kind of classification of word order.

From the study about the word order rules in Chinese and English, we can find that there are quite many systematic differences between English and Chinese although both Chinese and English are SVO languages. Li (2010) argues that the differences are mainly caused by the different word order of Chinese in some cases compared with the general SVO languages rules. English can be regarded as a typical SVO language. Although Chinese also belongs to the SVO language, the order of Chinese words is not fixed. For example, in Chinese, the verb can be put after the object sometimes. In another words, Chinese is meaning-centered, and in different situations, Chinese words can be arranged in different ways. As for why it is so, it might be related to the unique Chinese history and culture, which is intricate and waiting for more exploration.

2.2 Previous Studies at Home and Abroad about the Differences in English Word Order

Word orders are an important concept both in Chinese and English. The research of word orders abroad is quite comprehensive and insightful. According to the studies, the word order has the grammatical function and plays an essential role in language structure. For the grammatical function of the word order, Greeberg (1963) had given us an idea that both English and Chinese are SOV languages. In the research by Greenberg Joseph H., he summarized several unique usages of word orders in some languages and emphasized the peculiarity of word order rules in different cultures. For example, in the case of Chinese, with the unique culture and thinking mode, there are some special habitual word order arrangements which are quite different from the typical SOV word order rules. As for the structure of linguistic expressions, Sun, Chao-Fen and Givón (2012) made comparisons between English and Chinese, they referred to Chinese as "so-called SOV word order" and showed people how these two languages are different. This study showed that the different word orders can express quite different meanings.

Applied linguist Corder (1981) argued that when the learner tries to learn a second language, he would use the system of his mother language he has mastered to learn the target language. For example, if the knowledge he knows about English is incomplete, he will use the thinking mode of his mother language subconsciously in his English output.

Domestically, though new teaching approaches emerging in the past decades such as the natural approach and communicative approach have undermined the importance of grammar in classroom teaching, grammar learning has always been an essential task in second language acquisition, and the English word order itself is also a hot research topic for a long time because grammatical knowledge is part of language learning process, and word order is an important part of grammar. There are more and more studies devoted to the differences of word order in Chinese and English, trying to find out why different word orders exist and how they affect student's output. In Yang's view, if an English learner wants to use English in an idiomatic way, the understanding of word orders in English and Chinese is essential (Yang, 2017). The reasons of the differences are the first thing we need to explore if we want to conduct a research into this topic. English and Chinese have evolved in different societies embedded in different cultural backgrounds. Thus, it is no wonder that Chinese and English have different thinking modes and word order rules (Wang, 2003). From the aspect of linguistic typology, we can find the Chinese has language-specific word orders. Although they all belong to the SVO, Chinese may have different meanings in different arrangements, which is different from English (Li, 2010). So, using English in the right way requires learners to know the differences clearly to avoid mistakes in their English output. It means Chinese students need to address the word orders and know more about the background to use English in an idiomatic way. For example, Chinese learners need to know how to identify active voice and passive voice in the special context (Zhang, 2015). All in all, the English-learning community in China has began to pay more attention to the exploration of underlying reasons underlying different word orders displayed in the surface structure of the English language and endeavored to figure out how to avoid errors which are caused by these differences.

Chapter Three Research Methodology

3.1 Data Collection

This research uses a qualitative method to provide an up-to-date picture of Chinese students’ awareness and mastery of the differences of word orders in Chinese and English. At the same time, this study discusses students’ views of learning the English thinking mode. One round of translation data collection as well as 10 in-depth interviews was conducted.

3.2 Sample Analysis

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