The Acquisition of Chinese Pinyin and Hanzi

The Acquisition of Chinese Pinyin and Hanzi focuses on the learning of Pinyin and Hanzi among learners of Chinese as a second language (CSL) from Egypt and the United Kingdom. The objectives of this book are to explore the roles of L1 writing system background, individual differences and metalinguistic awareness in the acquisition of Pinyin and Hanzi. This book presents a unique comparison of the performance in learning Chinese between two groups of CSL learners using L1 scripts with different writing directions, namely the right-to-left Arabic and the left-to-right English. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the orthographic and phonological features of Arabic, Chinese, and English, illustrating how L1 background and individual differences (such as foreign language aptitude and experience of study abroad) impact CSL learners' performance in Chinese metalinguistic awareness (e.g., phonological awareness and phonetic radical awareness) and literacy skills (e.g., Hanzi reading and writing). Furthermore, it examines the contribution of metalinguistic awareness to literacy skills. The book also discusses the theoretical implications for understanding the significance of phonological skills for the development of literacy skills and the pedagogical considerations for designing instructional activities for Pinyin and Hanzi in the CSL classroom. This book is intended for researchers, graduate students, and practitioners interested in CSL teaching and learning.