Papers by Godfrey Chisoni
Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2015
The present research paper critically examines use of pinyin as a substitute of characters by Zim... more The present research paper critically examines use of pinyin as a substitute of characters by Zimbabwean students during acquisition of Chinese language. A questionnaire survey and character recognition survey was done and it was discovered that the use of pinyin as a substitute for Chinese characters negatively affects the acquisition of more complex characters. It was concluded that since each Chinese character is an individual morpheme that carries meaning, therefore dependence on Chinese pinyin negatively affects vocabulary acquisition. The paper recommends that use of pinyin in teaching Chinese language should be limited to the first few weeks, because pinyin was developed to help students acquire the phonetic system of Chinese language rather than the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar. The paper suggests that there is need to explore more ways of balancing the teaching of pinyin and characters in a way that will motivate learners to like Chinese language.
International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 2015
Motivation in second language learning is an important factor that should be never ignored, it re... more Motivation in second language learning is an important factor that should be never ignored, it requires much attention for second language learning and teaching to be successful, the students should be motivated and the teacher needs to employ teaching methods that motivate the students in acquiring their target language. This research was conducted at the University of Zimbabwe Confucius Institute which is the main center for teaching and learning of Chinese language and culture in Zimbabwe and concluded that students who are motivated are easy to teach and can perform better without much assistance from the instructor. The paper discusses the role played by motivation in the acquiring of second language, which is Chinese language, and the impact it has in improving the target language by students. Usually the teaching methods and criteria used by the teachers to reward or motivate the students are the ones which determine the students’ performance in the second language learning. ...
International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 2015
Learning Chinese as a second language is a hot and rising issue all around the world. Although th... more Learning Chinese as a second language is a hot and rising issue all around the world. Although the teaching and learning of Chinese as a second language is getting a lot of support from the Chinese government， through the establishment of Confucius Institutes which are aimed at the spreading and the promotion of Chinese language and culture. The spreading of Chinese language and culture is still facing a lot of challenges due to cultural differences. If the teaching and learning of Chinese language is to going develop, there is need to establish new teaching frameworks, teaching methods and approaches which can accommodate and promote culture learning in the Chinese language classes. This paper is aimed at exploring the importance of culture in second language learning, drawing examples from the teaching and learning of Chinese language and culture in Zimbabwe. Language and culture are inseparable, language is the carrier of culture and a mirror to reflect the culture. It is through language that culture is passed from the generation to generation. Without culture, language is like a tree without roots, it cannot stand, the same is with culture without language, It cannot survive. In second language learning and teaching it is important for the language teachers to understand the culture of the students and it's more important for the students to understand the culture of their target language. Chinese language is rich with culture, the expressions, grammar, characters, idioms and everything in Chinese language has a cultural connotation and meaning which if not taught well, it brings misunderstandings and a lot of problems. New teaching frameworks and approaches should be established basing on the differences that exist between the two cultures.
Journal of Language Teaching and Research, May 1, 2015
The present research paper critically examines use of pinyin as a substitute of characters by
Zi... more The present research paper critically examines use of pinyin as a substitute of characters by
Zimbabwean students during acquisition of Chinese language. A questionnaire survey and character
recognition survey was done and it was discovered that the use of pinyin as a substitute for Chinese characters
negatively affects the acquisition of more complex characters. It was concluded that since each Chinese
character is an individual morpheme that carries meaning, therefore dependence on Chinese pinyin negatively
affects vocabulary acquisition. The paper recommends that use of pinyin in teaching Chinese language should
be limited to the first few weeks, because pinyin was developed to help students acquire the phonetic system of
Chinese language rather than the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar. The paper suggests that there is
need to explore more ways of balancing the teaching of pinyin and characters in a way that will motivate
learners to like Chinese language.
The rise in technology-mediated life activities is now unavoidable throughout the world. The spre... more The rise in technology-mediated life activities is now unavoidable throughout the world. The spread of Chinese as a second language and the emergence of the Internet as a source of information and tool for language learning are mutually enforcing trends that need attention from language learners and researchers. The students at the University of Zimbabwe are also not an exception. While the majority of
these students are now using the Internet for learning Chinese, there is also need for them to develop some new critical and interpretive skills which will help them to fully utilize the internet for maximum benefit. On the other hand, the teachers of Chinese language and culture need to understand how the Internet is influencing and revolutionizing the learning of Chinese language. This paper therefore evaluates the use of the Internet by University of Zimbabwe students in acquiring Chinese and the need for
new frameworks for teaching and learning strategies, which will see students benefiting more from the use of the Internet.
随着网络技术的飞速发展，互联网时代已经进入了我们的生 活并影响了生活很多方面。二十一世纪是一个信息化的时代，在这个 时代学习一门外语是有必要的。由于中国的国际地位不断提高及中国 的经济快速增长，世界很多地方出现了汉语学习的热潮；现在很多国 家重视汉语教学，同时互联网也已经渗透到我们生活的各个领域。现 在很多师生在教学及学习汉语时也已经开始了使用互联网。通过互联 网可以更快的搜到很多汉语学习资料。津巴布韦大学孔子学院的学生 也不会例外。虽然大多数学生现在使用互联网进行汉语学习，但是也 需要先为他们制定一些新的网络学习技能，网络学习方法能帮助他们充分利用互联网学习汉语。在另一方面，汉语教师也需要了解互联网 对学生汉语学习的影响。因此，本研究试图对津巴布韦大学孔子学院 的学生在学习汉语时使用网络的情况进行评价，并提出一些教学策略 和新的教学框架，将来可以让学生更有益的使用网络学习汉语。
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Papers by Godfrey Chisoni
Zimbabwean students during acquisition of Chinese language. A questionnaire survey and character
recognition survey was done and it was discovered that the use of pinyin as a substitute for Chinese characters
negatively affects the acquisition of more complex characters. It was concluded that since each Chinese
character is an individual morpheme that carries meaning, therefore dependence on Chinese pinyin negatively
affects vocabulary acquisition. The paper recommends that use of pinyin in teaching Chinese language should
be limited to the first few weeks, because pinyin was developed to help students acquire the phonetic system of
Chinese language rather than the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar. The paper suggests that there is
need to explore more ways of balancing the teaching of pinyin and characters in a way that will motivate
learners to like Chinese language.
these students are now using the Internet for learning Chinese, there is also need for them to develop some new critical and interpretive skills which will help them to fully utilize the internet for maximum benefit. On the other hand, the teachers of Chinese language and culture need to understand how the Internet is influencing and revolutionizing the learning of Chinese language. This paper therefore evaluates the use of the Internet by University of Zimbabwe students in acquiring Chinese and the need for
new frameworks for teaching and learning strategies, which will see students benefiting more from the use of the Internet.
随着网络技术的飞速发展，互联网时代已经进入了我们的生 活并影响了生活很多方面。二十一世纪是一个信息化的时代，在这个 时代学习一门外语是有必要的。由于中国的国际地位不断提高及中国 的经济快速增长，世界很多地方出现了汉语学习的热潮；现在很多国 家重视汉语教学，同时互联网也已经渗透到我们生活的各个领域。现 在很多师生在教学及学习汉语时也已经开始了使用互联网。通过互联 网可以更快的搜到很多汉语学习资料。津巴布韦大学孔子学院的学生 也不会例外。虽然大多数学生现在使用互联网进行汉语学习，但是也 需要先为他们制定一些新的网络学习技能，网络学习方法能帮助他们充分利用互联网学习汉语。在另一方面，汉语教师也需要了解互联网 对学生汉语学习的影响。因此，本研究试图对津巴布韦大学孔子学院 的学生在学习汉语时使用网络的情况进行评价，并提出一些教学策略 和新的教学框架，将来可以让学生更有益的使用网络学习汉语。
Zimbabwean students during acquisition of Chinese language. A questionnaire survey and character
recognition survey was done and it was discovered that the use of pinyin as a substitute for Chinese characters
negatively affects the acquisition of more complex characters. It was concluded that since each Chinese
character is an individual morpheme that carries meaning, therefore dependence on Chinese pinyin negatively
affects vocabulary acquisition. The paper recommends that use of pinyin in teaching Chinese language should
be limited to the first few weeks, because pinyin was developed to help students acquire the phonetic system of
Chinese language rather than the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar. The paper suggests that there is
need to explore more ways of balancing the teaching of pinyin and characters in a way that will motivate
learners to like Chinese language.
these students are now using the Internet for learning Chinese, there is also need for them to develop some new critical and interpretive skills which will help them to fully utilize the internet for maximum benefit. On the other hand, the teachers of Chinese language and culture need to understand how the Internet is influencing and revolutionizing the learning of Chinese language. This paper therefore evaluates the use of the Internet by University of Zimbabwe students in acquiring Chinese and the need for
new frameworks for teaching and learning strategies, which will see students benefiting more from the use of the Internet.
随着网络技术的飞速发展，互联网时代已经进入了我们的生 活并影响了生活很多方面。二十一世纪是一个信息化的时代，在这个 时代学习一门外语是有必要的。由于中国的国际地位不断提高及中国 的经济快速增长，世界很多地方出现了汉语学习的热潮；现在很多国 家重视汉语教学，同时互联网也已经渗透到我们生活的各个领域。现 在很多师生在教学及学习汉语时也已经开始了使用互联网。通过互联 网可以更快的搜到很多汉语学习资料。津巴布韦大学孔子学院的学生 也不会例外。虽然大多数学生现在使用互联网进行汉语学习，但是也 需要先为他们制定一些新的网络学习技能，网络学习方法能帮助他们充分利用互联网学习汉语。在另一方面，汉语教师也需要了解互联网 对学生汉语学习的影响。因此，本研究试图对津巴布韦大学孔子学院 的学生在学习汉语时使用网络的情况进行评价，并提出一些教学策略 和新的教学框架，将来可以让学生更有益的使用网络学习汉语。