English has long been a global language and it is also a compulsory subject in primary and middle schools and colleges and universities in Mainland China. Yet, with the deepening of China’s reform and opening up, the demand for new second and third foreign languages has considerably increased. Given Mainland China’s increasingly harmonious relations with Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the demand for German-speaking talents has been growing. Correspondingly, the (Chinese) National Entrance Examination for Postgraduates has included a German test as one of the foreign language tests, and the Chinese Ministry of Education has included German in the high school curriculum since early 2018. As learning English is compulsory in Mainland China, most German learners have studied English for at least six years before learning a second foreign language and most German learners are college students. Yet, because of the differences between the Chinese language and the English and German languages, the college students encounter more difficulties than the Indo-European language speakers do while learning English and German. Furthermore, foreign language learners in Mainland China often find reading and writing easier than listening and speaking.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Research Hypothesis and Objectives
- Research Hypothesis
- Research Objectives
- Literature Review
- Third Language Acquisition
- Phonetic and Phonological Similarities
- Lexical Similarities
- Grammatical Similarities
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This study aims to investigate the positive transfer of English learning on the speaking competence of German-learning college students in Mainland China. The study explores the effective paths for enhancing speaking proficiency and examines the phonetic, phonological, lexical, and grammatical similarities between English and German.
- The influence of English learning on German speaking competence
- Effective strategies for enhancing German speaking skills
- Phonetic and phonological similarities between English and German
- Lexical similarities between English and German
- Grammatical similarities between English and German
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter introduces the research hypothesis and objectives, focusing on the positive impact of English learning on German speaking competence and outlining the specific aims of the study. Chapter two delves into the concept of third language acquisition, examining the role of language transfer and the influence of the first foreign language on the second. It also explores the similarities and differences between English and German in terms of phonetics, phonology, vocabulary, and grammar.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This study focuses on the key concepts of third language acquisition, language transfer, English and German language similarities, speaking competence, and effective paths for enhancing German speaking skills in Mainland China. It explores the phonetic, phonological, lexical, and grammatical similarities between the two languages and investigates how these similarities facilitate German language learning.
- Quote paper
- Master of Art Bailing He (Author), 2021, A Study on the Effective Paths of Enhancing the Speaking Competence of German-learning College Students in Mainland China, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1167512
