Understanding Chinese Two-Character Words in Audio Comprehension
Author Information
Author(s): Ma Wenling, Li Degao, Dong Xiuling, Dagnall Neil
Primary Institution: College of Chinese Language and Literature, Qufu Normal University
Hypothesis
How do native and non-native speakers recognize Chinese two-character words during audio sentence comprehension?
Conclusion
Both native and non-native speakers can recognize two-character words as whole entities in audio comprehension, but their processing differs based on language proficiency.
Supporting Evidence
- Native speakers processed visually presented two-character words as whole entities and by their constituent characters.
- Non-native speakers struggled more with processing two-character words according to their constituent characters.
- Participants' performance was influenced by their proficiency in Chinese.
Takeaway
This study shows that when listening to sentences in Chinese, both native and non-native speakers can understand two-character words, but native speakers are better at it because they know the language better.
Methodology
Two experiments were conducted using a lexical decision task where participants listened to sentences and then identified visually presented words.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the limited diversity in participant backgrounds, which may affect the generalizability of the results.
Limitations
The study's findings may not be generalizable to all non-native speakers of Chinese due to the specific ethnic backgrounds of the participants.
Participant Demographics
Participants included native Chinese speakers (HanHs and HanLs) and non-native speakers (Koreans and Uyghurs), with varying levels of Chinese proficiency.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
95% CI = 0.79–1.59
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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