English Is An International Language

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The third part 'Contextualizing communicative competence in PR China' highlights English language teaching in China. In his chapter 'Sustaining self-directed language learning in the Chinese context', Snow describes his study of a group of MA students majoring in English in Nanjing University with the purpose of measuring the sustainability of their self-directed language learning. After he finds out that it is extremely difficult for learners to sustain self-directed language learning and recognises the most significant barriers as being time constraints and the temptation to opt out, the author suggests two strategies for learners to use: (1) Setting clearly focused, narrow goals; (2) Playing to one's interests and to potential rewards.

One unique chapter 'Using media to teach culture-specific gestures in the Chinese context' addresses in a very professional manner the issue of non-verbal communication patterns in different cultures. By presenting to readers her investigation into the gestures made by 10 Chinese and 10 Americans, Zhao finds out that Chinese speakers do not use gestures as much as Americans. She strongly ...
... recommends that gestures be introduced to Chinese EFL learners due to the prevalence of gestures in the English-speaking environment. In her chapter 'Willingness to communicate in the Chinese EFL classroom: a cultural perspective', Peng reports the findings of her research into 118 Chinese university students at various levels of competence. Peng asserts that there are eight factors (inadequate linguistics competence, for example) that contribute to the students' unwillingness to communicate in the English classroom. Based on these affecting factors, the author provides some suggestions to the teacher, such as enhancing students' cultural awareness by exposing them to more authentic communicative interaction.

In Hansen Edwards' chapter, 'China English' is discussed together with 'English as a native language' and 'English as an international language'. Given the fact that China has so many English learners who speak so many different dialects, she wonders whether it is linguistically and psycholinguistically possible to teach them a 'standard' pronunciation. She advocates the use of some modern sound technologies and computer software in pronunciation teaching. However, this leaves a tricky question open to those who dislike the idea of China English. If we could access such advanced and expensive equipment to teach pronunciation, why not teach Chinese learners 'standard' English As a Chinese saying goes, those who aim to walk 100 steps will end up with only 90. The next two chapters address L2 writing, 'The effectiveness of anonymous written feedback from peers and the teacher on revisions in China' (Xu and Liu) and 'Adaptation of the "writing across the curriculum" model to the Hong Kong context' (Braine and McNaught). One aspect the two chapters have in common is how to develop students' writing through redrafting. In the chapter by Xu and Liu, the focus is on comparing the feedback from peers and the feedback from the teacher, but in the other chapter the focus is on adapting a very impressive American teaching practice: 'writing across the curriculum' (WAC) into the Hong Kong context.
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