This volume, through highly selective and rigorous review processes, has collected eight empirical studies showcasing research advances in multiple domains including child first language, adult additional language, and heritage language acquisition. The studies are theoretically motivated and have adopted a spectrum of innovative methodological strategies to achieve a broader understanding of the nature of learning and the learning process. The volume encompasses a wide range of contents: 1) The L1 and L2 acquisition of syntax, semantics, phonetics, and the syntax-discourse interface; 2) Data comparisons across different learner groups: L1 Chinese children, L2 Chinese learners, and Chinese heritage speakers; 3) Acquisition of language skills: speaking, listening, and writing; and last but not least, 4) Instructional interventions including consciousness-raising and metacognitive strategy training. The volume is intended to bridge the gap between research and instruction by helping teachers understand their students and their learning. Informed by research, teachers can opt for appropriate pedagogical approaches and instructional conditions for their students. The volume is guest-edited by Xiaohong Wen, Professor in Applied Linguistics and Chinese language Acquisition at the University of Houston.

This volume, through highly selective and rigorous review processes, has collected eight empirical studies showcasing research advances in multiple domains including child first language, adult additional language, and heritage language acquisition. The studies are theoretically motivated and have adopted a spectrum of innovative methodological strategies to achieve a broader understanding of the nature of learning and the learning process. The volume encompasses a wide range of contents: 1) The L1 and L2 acquisition of syntax, semantics, phonetics, and the syntax-discourse interface; 2) Data comparisons across different learner groups: L1 Chinese children, L2 Chinese learners, and Chinese heritage speakers; 3) Acquisition of language skills: speaking, listening, and writing; and last but not least, 4) Instructional interventions including consciousness-raising and metacognitive strategy training. The volume is intended to bridge the gap between research and instruction by helping teachers understand their students and their learning. Informed by research, teachers can opt for appropriate pedagogical approaches and instructional conditions for their students. The volume is guest-edited by Xiaohong Wen, Professor in Applied Linguistics and Chinese language Acquisition at the University of Houston.

In Second Language Acquisition of Mandarin Chinese Tones, Hang Zhang offers a series of cross-linguistic studies to argue that there are factors influencing tone acquisition that extend beyond simple transfer of structures from learners’ native languages.

This book is the first edited book to cover a wide range of issues related to Chinese as a second language (CSL) speech, including tone and segment acquisition and processing, categorical perception of tones, CSL fluency, CSL intelligibility/comprehensibility and accentedness, and pronunciation pedagogy. Moreover, the book addresses both theoretical and pedagogical issues. It offers an essential go-to book for anyone who is interested in CSL speech, e.g. CSL speech researchers, Chinese instructors, CSL learners, and anyone interested in second language speech.

The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Second Language Acquisition is the first reference work of its kind. The handbook contains twenty contributions from leading experts in the field of Chinese SLA, covering a wide range of topics such as social contexts, linguistic perspectives, skill learning, individual differences and learning settings and testing. Each chapter covers historical perspectives, core issues and key findings, research approaches, pedagogical implications, future research direction and additional references. The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Second Language Acquisition is an essential reference for Chinese language teachers and researchers in Chinese applied linguistics and second language acquisition.

This volume explores how linguistic research can support the teaching and learning of Chinese as a second language. It responds to a rapidly growing interest in the Chinese language all over the world, and answers the need for a strong research background for the discipline. Without that, Chinese language learning remains only a unique experience and/or a useful education challenge. The first section explores crucial issues about the structure and use of Chinese as a Second Language such as word-order, noun-noun compounds, meaning-making in writing, pronunciation and stress and tone. The second section explores the learning of Chinese by seeking answer to questions about difficulties, expectations, beliefs, use of corpus and learning how to express necessity. The authors coming from eight different countries demonstrate how existing knowledge has been generated, bring together different lines of research, point out tendencies in the field, demonstrate and explain what tools and methods researchers can use to address major issues in the field, and give direction to what future research should focus on.

This book addresses topics in Chinese grammar and the acquisition of Chinese as a first and second language. The studies presented share a common framework and comparative perspective. Changing global perspectives bring new language contacts into focus, and the Chinese-Norwegian connection figures prominently among the contributions in the book, which include investigations of Chinese-Norwegian bilingual children and Norwegian-speaking L2 learners of Chinese.