Teaching Chinese as a Second Language in Taiwan: Fusion and Inclusion

by Chun-yi Peng, Jung-yueh Tu, Chen-chun E

Overview

This book focusses on the teaching and learning of Chinese as a second language (CSL) in contemporary Taiwan. It explores linguistic, social, and pedagogical perspectives and offers unique insights into Taiwan’s diverse language landscape, from international students to immigrant learners.

Readers will gain an in-depth understanding of how Mandarin is taught and learned in Taiwan, benefiting from the book’s linguistic approach and its examination of multilingualism, teacher education, and immigrant language programs. It provides practical insights for CSL teachers and learners, combining theoretical analysis with real-world examples of language use in Taiwan.

This book is ideal for CSL instructors, aspiring teachers, and students interested in learning Mandarin in Taiwan. It will also appeal to scholars studying language pedagogy, and sociolinguistics, and those involved in teacher education programs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032295404
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/30/2025
Series:	Routledge Studies in Chinese as a Foreign Language
Pages:	142
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Chun-yi Peng is Professor of Chinese at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY.

Jung-yueh Tu was an associate professor at the Center for International Chinese Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and is currently an associate professor at National Chengchi University.

Chen-chun E is an associate professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at National United University, Taiwan.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. Voicing Taiwan: Phonetic and Phonological Variations in Mandarin 3. “Frozen Garlic (凍蒜)!”: Language Contact and Loanwords in Taiwan Mandarin 4. Shèqūcí: Encoding Taiwanese Culture in Community Expressions 5. Pragmatics in Online Communication: Unconventional Language Forms in Taiwanese Texting 6. Oscillating Features: Syntactic Variations in Mandarin Grammar 7. Strait Crossing: Ideologies, Identities and Policies in Sinophone Societies 8. Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

"Teaching Chinese as a Second Language in Taiwan: Fusion and Inclusion is an essential resource for Chinese teachers in training and students of Chinese as a second language who are eager to understand Taiwan’s unique learning environment. It offers a comprehensive exploration of CSL from linguistic, societal, and pedagogical perspectives, highlighting the differences and nuances between Taiwan and China. By incorporating local linguistic features and language variations, the book provides invaluable socio-cultural insights into Taiwanese society. A must-read for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of Mandarin as it is taught and spoken in Taiwan."

Yufen Chang, PhD, Director of the Chinese Language Instruction, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

"The pedagogy of prescriptive grammar prevails in Chinese as Foreign Language (CFL) education. This teaching method allows CFL learners greater access to the target language communities by eliminating linguistic variations. For learners of Chinese as a second language (CSL) in Taiwan, however, the pedagogy of prescriptive Chinese might not successfully help the learners’ desire to navigate the local linguistic environment. A solution to that problem is now suggested by the descriptive approach to grammar, as presented in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language in Taiwan: Fusion and Inclusion.

In this book, Chinese instructors can find not only empirical pedagogical sequences for teaching CSL that are implemented in Taiwan but also theoretical foundations for the needs of such pedagogy. This book reorients our attention to the pedagogy of Taiwan Chinese, which may be nonconventional but is surely legitimate."

Hsin-fu Chiu, PhD, Associate Professor of Chinese, California State University, Los Angeles

 

From the Publisher