| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 華語文教學研究所 === 97 === This study uses the theory of interlanguage (IL) to examine the effects of first language transfer on the acquisition of the Mandarin near synonyms renshi and zhidao. The results of this study may be applied to teaching Chinese as a second language, reducing the difficulties students encounter when learning and using near synonyms. The methodology comprises questionnaires supplemented by interviews. Contrastive analysis is performed with data gathered from 120 study subjects divided into four groups of foreign students: 30 intermediate-level native Thai speakers, 30 advanced-level Thai native speakers, 30 intermediate-level native Japanese speakers, and 30 advanced-level native Japanese speakers.
Results of the study demonstrate that the extent of lexical divergence is different in the first language and the target language. This implies that there are differences in how native speakers of Thai and Japanese acquire and use near synonyms. The Mandarin equivalents of renshi and zhidao in Thai are รู้จัก (roo-jak) and รู้ (roo) respectively. Mandarin and Thai are relatively similar languages, thus native Thai speakers in the study committed fewer errors. Japanese, however, has greater lexical sophistication with respect to renshi and zhidao in Mandarin—the verb知る (shi ru) encompasses the functions of both near synonyms. Native speakers of Japanese therefore had difficulty understanding the rules for using renshi and zhidao when learning Mandarin and committed more errors. This study uses hierarchies of difficulty as proposed by Prator (1967), which states that when the rules or structure of the learner’s first language diverge into two or more rules or structures in the target language, the learner encounters greater difficulty.
Advanced-level learners experienced less interference from their first language and demonstrated higher levels of proficiency in the target language. In addition, learners in the advanced groups committed fewer negative transfer errors than the intermediate groups when using renshi and zhidao, confirming the views of scholars such as Taylor (1975) and Brown (1987) who hold that interference from the first language appears primarily in the early stages of second language acquisition. The error rate is higher in the intermediate groups, which supports the U-Shaped Development Theory proposed by Kellerman (1983). The error rate is highest when learners reach the intermediate level. Learners commit fewer errors as they gain greater competence in the target language and show more positive transfer.
The textbook Practical Audio-Visual Chinese was used in designing teaching materials for the near synonyms renshi and zhidao. The teaching process is discussed and suggestions are provided. The effectiveness of the lesson is analyzed based on actual class drills.
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