A study on classifier acquisition in Chinese learning

• Main Author: Ouyang, Shixiao
• Other Authors: Helena Gao Hong
• Format: Student Research Poster
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Chinese classifier; Cognitive linguistics
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/95056; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/8983
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Chinese learners are always unable to distinguish Chinese noun classifiers from measure words, because they only treat classifiers as grammatical components in the language. This inappropariate correlation makes it particularly difficult for foreign Chinese learners to master noun classifiers, as the acquisition of classifiers involves semantic undersatanding and categorization concept from which the classifiers are approached. The aim of this study is to investigate Swedish learners' acquisition of noun classifiers as well as that Chinese-Swedish bilingual children, by carrying out tests on these two groups' noun classifier productions. From the experiments, the bilingual children are found to have a higher percentage of classifier production than Swedish speakers. Different patterns of acquiring classifiers have also been noticed from these two groups . The results of this study provide a good reference for Chinese learners whose native language does not include the lexical category of classifier, as well as for future studies on cognitive linguistics. [3rd Award]