A study of motion event expressions in cognition : a case study of college EFL learners in Taiwan

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Title:	A study of motion event expressions in cognition : a case study of college EFL learners in Taiwan
Other Titles:	外語學習者動作事件描述語的認知 : 以臺灣大學生為例
Authors:	陳智怡;Chen, Jhyyi
Contributors:	淡江大學英文學系博士班范瑞玲;Fahn, Rueih-Lirng
Keywords:	動作事件;第一語言轉移;認知通則;motion event;first language transfer;cognition;Chinese motion event
Date:	2013
Issue Date:	2014-01-23 13:14:04 (UTC+8)
Abstract:	本研究旨在探討分別以英文和中文為母語的外語學習者，對英語動作事件描述的差異性，並討論以中文為母語的外語學習者，如何從他們觀點轉譯所看見的動作事件，其中語言經驗模式、中文詞網、中英文語言結構等都是本研究探討的重點。本文共有三個測驗，以英文為母語的人士者為第一測驗的受試者，他們所使用的動作動詞、路徑、和動作動詞、路徑和目的地三者配搭都將辨識和歸類。以中文為母語的英語學習者為第二和第三測驗的受試者，他們在測驗二所使用的動作動詞、路徑、和動作動詞、路徑和目的地三者配搭都將辨識和歸類。在測驗三，參與測驗二的受試者將動作事件的中文描述翻譯成英文，其所使用的英文詞將會和題目的中文詞作比較。測驗一，23位以英文為母語受試者，首先依據料理鼠王的故事選出的18張手繪動作事件圖卡，並自由描述圖卡中的動作事件。結果顯示出受試者的動作動詞、路徑、和動作詞組呈現多樣性。此外動作詞組和目的地連結的模式，也將以圖表方式呈現。測驗二，將90位以中文為母語的英語學習者，依英文能力分為二組，寫出測驗一的18張手繪動作事件圖卡，並自由描述圖中的動作事件。結果顯示英語能力較好者可寫出似英文為母語者的表達動作詞組，但英語能力較差受試者，有較多的動詞詞組趨近於直接中文翻譯的動詞詞組。測驗三，測驗二受試者在一週後作中文動作事件翻譯為英文的測驗。測驗題目作事件也是依據18張測驗一的動作事件圖卡所編制中文句子。受試者句子表達的分析結果將做中、英動作動詞、路徑和動作詞組的三張對照表以顯示其差異性。其結果顯示受試者套用中文動作詞組（方法動詞＋路徑動詞）高於受試者看圖像寫作。本研究的結果回應研究問題，受試者的母語、和他們的語言經驗模式會影響他們在動作動詞、路徑和動作事件句型的表達方式。受試者寫作能力的表現受限於寫作參照的工具，透過看圖寫作勝於中翻英中的方式，受試者比較能呈現英文（動詞＋路徑）的結構。 This paper investigates and compares the expression of motion events between native speakers of English and native Chinese speakers. Learners’ experiencing schema, learners’L1 word net, and cross-linguistic language frameworks are noted as the main foci, while an exploration details how L2 learners interpret motion events from their perception of the world. Three tests were conducted. The first test focused on native English speakers’ use of lexical patterns of motion and their parent relationship with Ground. The second test focused on native Chinese participants’ use of lexical patterns of motion and their parent relationship with Ground. The third test was the supplementary test which is used to study native Chinese participants’ English translation from motion events written in Chinese. 18 hand-drawn pictures containing motion events that were drawn from the story of “Ratatouille” were presented to 23 native English speakers in test 1 and 90 Chinese participants in test 2 who depicted the motion events in the pictures with open-questionnaire format. 90 Chinese participants in test 2 were required to translate these sentences from Chinese to English in test 3 one week after they have completed test 2. The comparison of participants in test 1 and 2 presented that English native speakers used Path to express the relations of Motion and Ground but Chinese participants in test 2 often used Path to express the position of Motion. The analysis of the findings showed Chinese participants focused on the position of motion more than the elaboration of the Motion and Ground when they depicted the motion event in the 18 pictures. Besides, when the meaning of Path of motion in English can be translated as the same meaning of Path verb in Chinese, some students in test 2 used Chinese Path verb as the path of motion to describe the path of motion in their written English. These two findings might explain why Chinese EFL learners with limited English proficiency have difficult in learning or using proper preposition or particles to express the relation of Motion and Ground in English. The comparison of test 2 and test 3 showed that the influence of first language to Chinese participants could be reduced on their written production in English if they depicted the 18 motion events from pictures but not from the written Chinese. Further, the results showed that participants with better English proficiency could produce more lexical patterns of motion corresponded to an English lexical patterns of motion (Motion + Path) then participants with limited English proficiency. Thus, the English proficiency plays an important role when Chinese participants want to reach native speakers like written production.
Appears in Collections:	[Graduate Institute & Department of English] Thesis

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