新加坡3－5岁华族双语前儿童用汉语对“拉”的手部动作的描述分析 = Three-to-five-year-old bilingual Singapore children’s description of the hand action “La” in Chinese

• Main Author: 余慧婷 Seah, Suzanna Hui Ting
• Other Authors: Helena Gao Hong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: Chinese
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities::Language::Chinese
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/65572
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

许多儿童研究（Tomasello 1992; Gao 2015; Ma et al. 2009; Tardif et al. 2009）显示，儿童所习得的首一百个词汇有70%是动词，剩余的30%则是可和手脚搭配使用的名词。此外，儿童所习得的动词词汇与儿童生活中所看到和经历的有正相关关系。 新加坡作为一个多种族和多语言的国家，每个国人都必须学习至少两种语言，即英语和族群的母语。已故总理李光耀先生曾经说过，要想在新加坡获得成功，就必须学好双语。因此为了掌握好英语和华语，新加坡的华族家长在孩子年幼时，就尽量营造一个双语环境。有的家长采取“一家长一门语言”的方法，有的家庭双语并用，但也有的家长倾向于单语。然而即便是双语能力再好的成人，他的语言也有主次之（Brice & Brice，2009），甚至有的成人虽听得懂两种语言，但只会说一种语言。儿童的语言能力是靠吸收成人的言语习得而来的。因此成人的语言情况也多少能反映儿童语言的情况。为此，本研究将探讨学前儿童的年龄、性别和第一语言等因素是否会促进或限制他们习得汉语动词“拉”。根据2011年出版的第五版《现代汉语词典》的释义，拉一词，共有13个义项。但研究将着重研究“拉”的两个词义：一、用力使朝自己所在的方向或跟着自己移动。二、牵引乐器的某一部分使乐器发出声音。研究一共包括2个部分：1. 研究新加坡和中国的成人对汉语手部动词词义特征的理解，以此作为新加坡华族双语儿童对手部动词“拉”词义理解的基础。2. 研究39名新加坡华族双语学前儿童，并以汉语测试他们汉语手部动词“拉”习得情况并探讨影响学前儿童习得汉语动词的因素。研究结果显示，新加坡成人汉语动词的理解与使用在一定程度上反映了新加坡华族儿童汉语动词的习得和使用。随着年龄的增长，儿童更能掌握汉语动词“拉”，而且女性比男性更早习得汉语动词“拉”。然而学前儿童对于汉语动词“拉”的词义理解只停留在概念义，即“用力使朝自己所在的方向或跟着自己移动”。最后，学前儿童的母语和家庭常用语除了影响他们对汉语动词“拉”的习得，也影响了他们的汉语语法。As reflected in many children studies (Tomasello 1992; Gao 2015; Ma et al. 2009; Tardif et al. 2009), 70% of the first hundred words that a child acquires are verbs, while the remaining are movable and manipulative nouns that are compatible with the hands and feets. Also, the acquired verbs are verbs seen and experienced in a child’s life. Singapore is a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual country. Her citizens are therefore expected to learn at least two languages, mainly English and one’s native language. The late Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew once said, to be successful in Singapore, it is necessary to learn both English and Chinese. Thus, in order to master English and Mandarin, Chinese Singaporean parents tend to create a bilingual environment for their child from young. Some parents adopted “One-Parent-One-Language” approach, some speak both languages, while some preferred to be monolingual. However, even bilingual adults have a dominant language and non-dominant language (Brice & Brice, 2009), some of them may understand two languages, but will only speak one language. Children acquire language from adults. As a result, the adults’ language situation can reflect to a certain extent, on the children’s’ language situation. With that, this study aims to explore the relations between a child’s age, gender and first language etc factors, and, and whether these factors will promote or limit their acquisition of hand action “La” in Chinese. According to the 5th edition of 《Xiandai Hanyu Cidian》interpretation of the Chinese term “La”, there are a total of 13 definitions. However, this study will only focus on two of the definitions: 1. “to move something towards yourself”. 2. “to specifically pull strings across an area for the instrument to produce sound”.This study shall include two parts: 1.To investigate the understanding and usage of Hand Action Verb “La” between Chinese-Singaporeans and Chinese-Chinese adults, to use it as the foundation of investigating Singapore Chinese pre-schoolers’ acquisition of Hand Action Verb “La”. 2. To study 39 Three-to-Five-Year-Old Bilingual Singapore Children’s acquisition of Hand Action Verb “La” and investigate the factors that will influence their acquisition of Hand Action Verb “La” . As shown in this study, the understanding and usage of Chinese verbs by Singaporean Chinese adults can suggest and reflect the Singapore Bilingual Children’s acquisition and usage of Chinese verbs to a certain extent. Preschoolers tend to better grasp and acquire the definition of “La” as they age. In addition, female preschoolers acquire “La” earlier than male preschoolers. However, preschoolers only managed to acquire the conceptual meaning, i.e “to move something towards yourself”. Lastly, the common language used at home and the child’s first language not only had affected preschoolers’ acquisition of Hand Action Verb “La”, it also influences their acquisition of Chinese grammar.