Key Issues in Chinese as a Second Language Research

Key Issues in Chinese as a Second Language Research presents and discusses research projects that serve as theoretical grounding for improving the teaching and learning of Chinese as a second language (CSL) in order to help researchers and practitioners better understand the acquisition, development, and use of CSL. With the exception of the first chapter, which is state-of-the-art, each chapter makes an attempt to bring together theory and practice by focusing on theory building and theory application in practice. The book is organized around areas where most future research is needed in CSL: phonology, semantics, grammar and pragmatics. Consisting of contributions from an international group of scholars working on cutting-edge research, this is the ideal text for researchers, graduate students and practitioners in the area of Chinese as a second or foreign language.

Istvan Kecskes is Distinguished Professor of the State University of New York, USA. He is the President of the American Pragmatics Association and the Chinese as a Second Language Research (CASLAR) Association.

Chaofen Sun is Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and, by courtesy, Linguistics and directs the Chinese language program at Stanford University, USA. He previously served as Chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Director of Stanford Center for East Asian Studies.