Cross-cultural differences in adult Theory of Mind abilities: A comparison of native-English speakers and native-Chinese speakers on the Self/Other Differentiation task

Theory of Mind (ToM) refers to the ability to compute and attribute mental states to ourselves and other people. It is currently unclear whether ToM abilities are universal or whether they can be culturally influenced. To address this question, this research explored potential differences in engagement of ToM processes between two different cultures, Western (individualist) and Chinese (collectivist), using a sample of healthy adults. Participants completed a computerised false-belief task, in which they attributed beliefs to either themselves or another person, in a matched design, allowing direct comparison between “Self”- and “Other”-oriented conditions. Results revealed that both native-English speakers and native-Chinese individuals responded significantly faster to self-oriented than other-oriented questions. Results also showed that when a trial required a “perspective-shift,” participants from both cultures were slower to shift from Self-to-Other than from Other-to-Self. Results indicate that despite differences in collectivism scores, culture does not influence task performance, with similar results found for both Western and non-Western participants, suggesting core and potentially universal similarities in the ToM mechanism across these two cultures.

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The use of discourse markers but and so by native English speakers and Chinese speakers of English

Pragmatics ◽

10.1075/prag.27.4.01liu ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 479-506 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Binmei Liu

Keyword(s):

Mandarin Chinese ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Communicative Competence ◽

Oral Proficiency ◽

Discourse Markers ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

English Speakers ◽

Oral Discourse ◽

Chinese Speakers ◽

Native Speakers Of English

Abstract Previous studies have found that but and so occur frequently in native and non-native English speakers’ speech and that they are easy to acquire by non-native English speakers. The current study compared ideational and pragmatic functions of but and so by native and non-native speakers of English. Data for the study were gathered using individual sociolinguistic interviews with five native English speakers and ten L1 Chinese speakers. The results suggest that even though the Chinese speakers of English acquired the ideational functions of but and so as well as the native English speakers, they underused the pragmatic functions of them. The findings indicate that there is still a gap between native and non-native English speakers in communicative competence in the use of but and so. The present study also suggests that speakers’ L1 (Mandarin Chinese) and overall oral proficiency in oral discourse affect their use of but and so.

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English Nasalance Values of Chinese Learners of English

Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica ◽

10.1159/000510940 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Yilan Liu ◽

Sue Ann S. Lee

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Mandarin Chinese ◽

Language Production ◽

First Language ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

Potential Effect ◽

English Speakers ◽

Chinese Speakers ◽

Chinese Learners ◽

Chinese Learners Of English

Introduction: Although a number of studies have been conducted to investigate nasalance scores of speakers of different languages, little research has examined the nasalance characteristics of second language learners. Objective: The goal of the current study was to examine whether English nasalance values of Mandarin Chinese speakers are similar to those of native English speakers, examining the potential effect of the first language on the nasalance scores of the second language production. Methods: Thirty-two adults (16 Mandarin Chinese speakers and 16 native English speakers) with a normal velopharyngeal anatomy participated. Nasalance scores of various speech stimuli were obtained using a nasometer and compared between the 2 groups. Results and Conclusions: Chinese learners of English produced higher nasalance scores than native English speakers on prolonged vowel /i/ and /a/, the syllable “nin,” and non-nasal sentences and passages. The first language effect on nasalance of the second language found in the current study suggests the importance of linguistic consideration in the clinical evaluation of resonance.

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The effects of script on visual search

Interlanguage studies bulletin (Utrecht) ◽

10.1177/026765838700300202 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 102-113 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

David Green ◽

Paul Meara

Keyword(s):

Visual Search ◽

Search Strategy ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

Spanish Speakers ◽

English Speakers ◽

Native Spanish Speakers ◽

Chinese Speakers ◽

English Orthography ◽

Letter Search ◽

The Way

Native English speakers search short strings of letters differently from the way they search strings of nonalphanumeric symbols. Experiment 1 demonstrates the same contrast for native Spanish speakers. Letter search, therefore, is not a result of the peculiarities of English orthography. Since visual search is sensitive to the nature of the symbols being processed, different scripts should produce different effects. Experiments 2 and 3 confirmed such differences for Arabic and Chinese scripts. Furthermore, these experiments showed no evidence that native Arabic and native Chinese speakers adapt their search strategy when dealing with letters. Implications of these findings are considered.

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The phonological preparation unit in spoken word production in a second language

Bilingualism Language and Cognition ◽

10.1017/s1366728915000711 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 351-366 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

CHUCHU LI ◽

MIN WANG ◽

JOSHUA A. DAVIS

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Interference Effect ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

Spoken Word ◽

English Speakers ◽

Lexical Competition ◽

Chinese Speakers ◽

Spoken Word Production ◽

Native Chinese Speakers

This study investigated the phonological preparation unit when planning spoken words with native Chinese speakers who speak English as a Second Language (ESLs). In Experiment 1, native Chinese speakers named pictures in Chinese, and the names shared the same onset, same rhyme, or had nothing systematically in common. No onset effect was shown, suggesting that native Chinese speakers did not use onset as their preparation unit. There was a rhyme interference effect, probably due to lexical competition. In Experiment 2, the same task was conducted in English among Chinese ESLs and native English speakers. Native speakers showed onset facilitation whereas ESLs did not show such an effect until Block 3. ESLs’ phonological preparation unit is likely to be influenced by their native language but with repetition they are able to attend to sub-syllabic units. Both groups showed rhyme interference, possibly as a result of joint lexical and phonological competition.

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Native English speakers' authority in English

English Today ◽

10.1017/s0266078415000516 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 35-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ying Wang

Keyword(s):

Statistical Significance ◽

Large Population ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

English Speakers ◽

Chinese Speakers ◽

Second Language Speakers ◽

The Future ◽

Intercultural Encounters ◽

Official Status ◽

Interesting Area

Given the unprecedented spread of English, native English speakers (NESs) have been estimated to number 508 million by 2050 (Graddol, 1997: 27), while a bold estimation of speakers of English is 2 billion by 2050 (Crystal, 2008: 4–5). The international demographic profile of English presents a scenario whereby the development of English depends on how this language is used by non-native English speakers (NNESs), who are obviously in the majority for English use (e.g. Brumfit, 2001: 116; Crystal, 2008: 6; Graddol, 1997: 10; Mauranen, 2012; Seidlhofer, 2011: 7–8). While the importance of the number of English speakers globally is acknowledged, English in China remains a particularly interesting area for linguists. Not only English is widely learned in China, but also Chinese speakers of English are increasingly involved in intercultural encounters. In Graddol's (1997, 2006) discussion of the future of English, a comprehensive account is put forward about China, a country that has statistical significance for the development of English, given its large population of people who know English and its economic development. As Crystal (2008: 5) notes: [I]f India is the significant factor in relation to second-language speakers (in the sense of countries where English has some sort of special status), then China is surely the corresponding factor in relation to foreign-language speakers (in the sense of countries where the language has no official status). In this sense, it would seem that China will play an important role in shaping the profile of English use in the future. If this is an acceptable hypothesis, the development of English in China has implications for the future world of English use.

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contrastive study of discourse markers used by native and Chinese L2 English speakers across speech context

East Asian Pragmatics ◽

10.1558/eap.33278 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 101-126

Author(s):

Binmei Liu

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Analysis ◽

Explicit Instruction ◽

Discourse Markers ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

English Speakers ◽

Linguistic Features ◽

Chinese Speakers ◽

Contrastive Study ◽

Language Classrooms ◽

The Impact

Discourse markers (DMs) are difficult even for advanced L2 speakers compared with L1 speakers because of their special linguistic features. The influence of contextual factors on the use of DMs has not been examined in detail in the literature. The present article investigates the impact of speech contexts (interview vs conversation) on the use of DMs by native and advanced Chinese speakers of English. Data for the study were gathered using individual sociolinguistic interviews and group conversations. A quantitative analysis revealed that native English speakers used and and just more frequently in the interviews than in the conversations at a significant level; the Chinese speakers of English used oh, ok, and uh huh significantly more often in the conversations than in the interviews. A qualitative analysis showed that the functions of well varied across the contexts by both groups. The article further analyses the reasons for these differences: they can be due to different functions of individual markers across contexts or influence of L2 speakers’ native language (Mandarin Chinese), etc. The results indicate that the advanced L2 English speakers may not have acquired some DMs used by the native English speakers in terms of frequency and functions across the speech contexts. The article suggests that explicit instruction of functions of DMs which are difficult for L2 speakers of English can be strengthened in EFL/ESL (English as a foreign/second language) classrooms.

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Non-verbal Communication between Two Non-native English Speakers: Iraqi and Chinese

Theory and Practice in Language Studies ◽

10.17507/tpls.1002.06 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 189

Author(s):

Khalid Wahaab Jabber ◽

Aymen Adil Mahmood

Keyword(s):

Facial Expression ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

Body Language ◽

Verbal Communication ◽

The Body ◽

English Speakers ◽

Chinese Speakers

This study investigates non-verbal communications used by an Iraqi speaker to transfer meaning to a Chinese speaker and vice versa. Different situations, from Chinese environment, have been chosen and analyzed according to the body language movements. The study found out that although the two languages, Iraqi Arabic and Chinese, are differentiated in verbal languages; the two speakers can communicate and understand each other nonverbally. It is also evidence that non-verbal communication between the Iraqi and Chinese speakers is somewhat similar in spite of their two differentiated cultures, they could understand each other’s facial expression, gestures, proxemics, haptics, and Tactile.

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Producing culturally appropriate narratives in English as a foreign language

Narrative Inquiry ◽

10.1075/ni.16.2.08kan ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 379-407 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jennifer Yusun Kang

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Cultural Differences ◽

First Language ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Narrative Discourse ◽

English Speakers ◽

Language And Culture ◽

Discourse Production ◽

Cross Cultural Differences

Cross-cultural and second/foreign language (L2) studies on oral narratives have suggested that one’s native language and culture affect discourse production in an L2 and have detected areas of difficulty for L2 learners in producing extended discourse. However, written narrative has received less attention, although it can provide rich data on cross-cultural differences and hold important implications for L2 literacy acquisition and pedagogy. This study was designed to investigate culturally preferred written discourse styles and their effects on L2 writing of personal narratives. It explored cross-cultural differences in the use of narrative structural features including evaluation between first language written narratives produced by native speakers of American English and first- and second-language narratives written by Koreans learning English. Differences in first language narrative styles were used to explain how Korean EFL learners’ narrative discourse in English could vary from native English speakers’ discourse norms. Participants were Korean adult EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners and American native-English speakers in the U.S. The findings show that specifically Korean cultural strategies were evident in the Korean English learners’ English narrative discourse rather than the preferred discourse style of the target language and culture. The findings hold implications for L2 writing pedagogy and L2 training in discourse production.

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Discourse Structure in Nonnative English Discourse

Studies in Second Language Acquisition ◽

10.1017/s0272263100010470 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 71-86 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Andrea Tyler ◽

John Bro

Keyword(s):

Discourse Markers ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

Discourse Structure ◽

English Speakers ◽

Written Discourse ◽

Linguistic Communication ◽

Chinese Speakers ◽

Spoken English ◽

Competing Hypotheses ◽

Organizational Patterns

A frequently discussed hypothesis concerning the source of cross-linguistic communication difficulty in written discourse is conflicting organizational patterns (Kaplan, 1966, 1987). Extending the argument to oral discourse, Young (1982) argued that spoken English discourse produced by Chinese speakers evidenced a discourse-level topic-comment structure that native English speakers find difficult to follow. However, Tyler (1988) argued that the perception of incoherence might better be understood as the cumulative result of interacting miscues at the discourse level, that is, miscues in syntactic incorporation, lexical discourse markers, tense/aspect, and lexical The study reported here aims at testing these competing hypotheses. One hundred fifteen subjects rated four versions of the Chinese-produced English discourse presented in Young's study for comprehensibility. Results indicated that the effect of discourse miscues on comprehensibility was highly significant (F = 70, p <.0001). However, there was no significant effect for order of ideas (F = .47, p <.49).

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Effect of L2 exposure: From a perspective of discourse markers

Applied Linguistics Review ◽

10.1515/applirev-2016-0004 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 73-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Binmei Liu

Keyword(s):

Second Language Acquisition ◽

Discourse Markers ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

Target Language ◽

English Speakers ◽

Exposure Group ◽

University Of Florida ◽

Chinese Speakers ◽

And Function ◽

The University

AbstractDiscourse markers (DMs) are of particular interest in the field of second language acquisition because a speaker’s use of L2 DMs may be good indicators for measuring the effect of exposure to the target language community on his/her L2 pragmatic competence. Previous studies lack detailed comparisons of the use of DMs in terms of frequency, variety, and function by a higher exposure group and a lower exposure group of L2 users. Previous studies lack native English speakers as baseline data as well. The current study investigates the effect of English exposure on the use of English DMs by Chinese speakers of English studying in the U.S. Data for the study were gathered using individual sociolinguistic interviews with five native English speakers and ten Chinese speakers of English at the University of Florida. The L2 exposure amount was assessed according to their total hours of natural/social English exposure since beginning to study English. Results showed that the higher exposure group used DMs at a higher rate and a wider variety than the lower exposure group. The L2 speakers acquired six native-like markers (and, like, just, y’know, sort of/kind of, and I mean) at different rates. And was the easiest marker to acquire by both exposure groups. Like and y’know showed clear differences in terms of frequency and function between the two exposure groups.

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