摘要
本论文主要研究了中国学生对英语色彩词短语的理解。通过对比中英文色彩词文化内涵和表面形式的异同,本文将英语色彩词短语分为五类病进行大规模色彩词短语理解测试和单独的实时口头报告。本论文通过定量分析和定质分析,调查了短语类型,学生水平,和上下文等因素在中国学生对色彩词短语的理解中所起的作用。
参加测试的共有122名英语专业的学生。其中61人为中等水平(一年级)学生,61人为高水平(四年级)学生。31名高水平学生和30名中等水平学生参加了色彩词短语测试。测试包括25个不同类型的色彩词短语,其中每类短语各五个。学生被要求写出短语的中文意思。实时口头报告分别调查了4名高水平和4名中等水平的未参加短语理解测试的学生对15个不同类型的色彩词短语的理解。学生被要求在理解给出短语的同时说出他们的思维过程。
通过对大规模短语测试成绩的定量统计分析和对学生口头实时报告的定质分析结果发现不同类型的短语对于中国学生理解造成的难度不同。其中,英语色彩词短语是否存在与中文相同的色彩词内涵成为影响理解的关键。对有相同内涵的短语的理解要大大易于色彩内涵不同的短语。不同水平的学生在理解的正误率上差别不显著,但高水平学生能够更好的运用恰当的知识和策略以获得正确答案。
调查的结果显示中国学生理解色彩词短语的过程是一个探索式求解的过程。学生尝试使用不同的策略和不同的现有知识来完成理解任务。在此过程中,影响理解的主要因素为是否存在共同文化内涵,是否存在共同表面形式等。学生的英语水平影响他们对策略的选择和使用。通过对各个因素的综合分析,本论文提出一个色彩词短语理解的模式以描述中国学生对英语色彩词短语理解的过程。
This paper reports on the study of the comprehension of English color idioms by Chinese EFL learners. Five types of English color idioms were identified through comparative analysis of similarities and differences of English and Chinese color connotations. The general comprehension performance of English color idioms was examined through an idiom comprehension test and the mental processes of using comprehension strategies were observed through on-line verbal reports. Then the effects of idiom type, learners' proficiency level and supportive context were investigated.
Sixty-one advanced English learners and sixty-one intermediate English learners participated in the investigation. Among them thirty-one advanced learners and thirty intermediate learners took the idiom comprehension test, in which they were required to give the meaning of twenty-five English color idioms, five for each of the five identified idiom types. Four advanced students and four intermediated students were selected from those who did not take the comprehension test to participate in a think-aloud task in which they were required to verbalize their thoughts when comprehending 15 English color idioms. The results of the comprehension test were subject to statistical analysis, and the on-line verbal reports were analyzed qualitatively.
It was found that different types of idioms generally pose different degrees of difficulties on learners. The existence of shared cultural connotation between L1 and L2 makes the greatest difference in the degrees of difficulty. Idioms with shared connotations were much easier than those without shared connotations. Proficiency level generally does not play a significant role in either the idiom comprehension test or the strategy choice in on-line processing. Yet advanced learners generally outperform intermediate learners by drawing upon more proper types of knowledge or by making better use of the contextual clues.
The findings of the study revealed that the comprehension of L2 color idiom is generally a heuristic process in which learners employ different strategies in a
"trial-and-error" manner. However, the comprehension processes are influenced by the existence of shared cultural connotations, equivalent linguistic forms. Learners' preferences of comprehension strategies also differ with proficiency levels. A tentative model of L2 color idiom comprehension is proposed to describe the general pattern of behaviour that learners tend to follow in comprehending L2 color idioms.
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