The Use of First and Second Language in Chinese University EFL Classrooms
This book investigates first language (L1) and second language (L2) use in Chinese university classrooms, focusing on the experiences of four Chinese EFL teachers who were teaching non-English major students at four different proficiency levels. It examin
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The Use of First and Second Language in Chinese University EFL Classrooms
The Use of First and Second Language in Chinese University EFL Classrooms
Yi Du
The Use of First and Second Language in Chinese University EFL Classrooms
123
Yi Du English Department North China Electric Power University Beijing China
ISBN 978-981-10-1910-4 DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1911-1
ISBN 978-981-10-1911-1
(eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016944919 © Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer Science+Business Media Singapore Pte Ltd.
Foreword
The first time I recall having to think about the potential role of the mother tongue in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching was when I was presented with ‘the shrimp problem’. It was 1971 and I was on an initial training course in Stockholm, preparing for 2 years teaching EFL in Sweden. During one of the sessions the lecturer asked us to discuss what we would do if a Swedish learner of English had shown us the word ‘shrimp’ in a text and had asked what it meant. We offered various solutions, such as showing the learner a picture of a shrimp, or drawing a shrimp on the blackboard, or describing what a shrimp looks like. None of these suggestions satisfied the lecturer. Did we really think we would happen to have a picture of a shrimp with us? Did we think our skills of drawing or description were good enough to make clear that what we had drawn or described was a shrimp (and not a prawn or a crayfish, for example). According to the lecturer, the most effective, accurate and rapid solution to the shrimp problem was to translate shrimp into Swedish, ‘räka’. When one of us then asked ‘But what do we do if we don’t know the Swedish word?’, the lecturer’s response was ‘In that case, tell them to look it up in a dictionary’. (These days, of course, learners can find meanings
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