Search results

Result list

• VCZHU080

  Analyse the ways in which language choices reflect cultural practices and values and how language is used to express familiarity and distance between participants in interactions

  Elaborations

  • exploring how known languages influence their own communicative preferences, such as reflecting the values of one culture when communicating in another, for example, differences in the use and frequency of ‘thank you’ and 谢谢
  • making connections between their first language and how it influences communication in additional languages, for example: Why do Chinese speak English in certain ways? What features of my first language influence how I speak Chinese? How does this affect mediation of ideas between languages?
  • interacting with people of different ages and positions, varying language and level of formality according to relative status, for example, using appropriate ways to accept or decline requests, compliments or suggestions (你能不能帮我一点忙？---- 对不起，我没有空; 您找谁？- 你爸爸在家吗？)
  • examining how concepts such as humour and humility are conveyed in Chinese, and discussing how these may be perceived by non-native Chinese speakers
  • reflecting on taboos in language use and how these can impact on communication across cultures, for example: Is it okay to ask someone’s age in China? Why do numbers and colours matter? What are we superstitious about in Australia? What hand gestures are acceptable with Chinese speakers? What can I joke about?
  • defining familiarity and distance as they relate to language use

  VCZHU080 | Languages | Chinese | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | The role of language and culture

• VCZHU190

  Explain how gender, social class and age affect language use in formal and informal contexts

  Elaborations

  • exploring different levels of formality involving a range pf settings and participants
  • viewing a variety of blogs and comparing language use in order to hypothesise about the age and gender of the authors
  • comparing informal interactions such as live interviews with studio discussions about an issue on news and current affairs programs
  • considering the impact of using formal language in establishing one’s authority or to display knowledge on a topic
  • reading extracts of 古典小说, such as 《水浒传》, and noticing how language use differs from contemporary speech, for example, 史进道： 小人大胆， 敢问官人高姓大名？ 那人道：洒家是经略府提辖， 姓鲁， 讳个达字。 敢问阿哥，你姓什么？
  • converting informal spoken language into formal register to suit particular purposes, and experimenting with terms such as 明文规定 and 众所周知

  VCZHU190 | Languages | Chinese | Background Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Language variation and change