A Successful
Mandarin Learner
Agnès Roussel
Group Members
9531327 林欣怡 Kim Lin
9531341 趙韻嘉 Jessica Chao
9531351 黃美芳 May Huang
9531365 李佳璇 Winnie Lee
9531371 洪慧真 Kelly Hung
Agnès
Introduction
1. Who and why
2. Data collection
3. Learner’s background
4. Analysis
-- learner’s learning condition
-- learner’s characteristic
5. Discussion
6. Suggestion & conclusion
7. Q & A
Introduction

Who

Why
Data Collection Methods

Face to face interview

Telephone interview

E-mail interview

Picture-taking

Recording
Learner’s Background

Clermont-Ferrand, the center of the France.

National College of Music and Dance in
Avray.

Major » Clarinet

She also obtained the qualification of
French Teaching 2years.
Analysis
Learner’s learning conditions

Corrective feedback of pronunciation,
intonation, and word choice

Ample time

Modified input
Learner’s Characteristics

Knowledge of another language

Cognitive maturity

Metalinguistic awareness

Knowledge of the world

No nervousness about speaking
Personalities

Intelligence

Aptitude

Motivation

Attitude
Age of Acquisition

Accent

Writing/Reading/Listening
Discussion
Behaviorism
 Imitation

Listen to the
 Radio
 Tape
 TV program
- Imitate the sounds or the sentences
she had heard
 Pronunciation benefit a lot
Behaviorism

Practice

Listening & speaking everyday

Listen to the radio or tape and
speak out loud

Practice writing Chinese words
Behaviorism

Reinforcement

Lots of praises
 encourage her to learn
Behaviorism

Reinforcement

Lack of correction on intonation,
pronunciation, word-choosing
 never know what’s wrong with
her sentences.
Behaviorism

Habit formation

Early stage

Watch TV news an hour everyday
 Train her listening ability
Behaviorism

Making “flash-card”
 Help her memorize the new
vocabularies easily.
Innatism

Universal Grammar

Agnès knows nothing about Chinese.

Create new forms by herself.

UG helps her discover the structure
of the language

There are some different language structures
between Chinese and French.
Innatism
 The
word order
 Mandarin- “我愛你” (S+V+O)
 French- “我你愛” (S+O+V)
 Direct
object
 Mandarin- nouns or pronouns come after the
verb (“The dog eats it, the dog eats the cookie”)
 French- pronouns precede the verb
(“Le chien le mange”- literally, “the dog it eats”)
Innatism

French and Mandarin still have the
similarities only if you know how to
change the language structure properly
Critical Period Hypothesis

After the puberty, Agnès still can learn
the target language pretty well, except for
 pronunciation
 intonation

The younger you are, the easier it is to learn
another language.
Krashen’s “Monitor Model”
The monitor hypothesis


Communication:

focus on fluently

mistakes are acceptable
Writing:

more time to think

less mistakes
Krashen’s “Monitor Model”
The Natural Order Hypothesis
 In school: step by step
 simple sentences
 basic grammar structure
 dialogue

Acquired from the environment
 numbers
 prices
Krashen’s “Monitor Model”
The Input Hypothesis
 In
school:
 comprehensible input
 The
environment
 simple words
 slow down the speed
Krashen’s “Monitor Model”
The Affective Filter hypothesis
 Doesn’t like the way the teacher teach
 Doesn’t want to go to school
 Changes to another school
Interactionism

Exposed to the native environment

Have chance to interact with native speaker

Native speaker will slow down the speech
to make it more comprehensible
 improve her speaking ability
Learning Strategies
Advance Organizers
Self-Management
Self-Monitoring
Repetition
Grouping
Learning Strategies
Note Taking
Imagery
Auditory Representation
Contextualization
Question for Clarification
Communication Strategies
Topic avoidance
Nonlinguistic signals
Appeal for help
Stalling or time-gaining strategies
Suggestions

Preview and review the lesson before
and after the class.

Making “Flash-cards” to help you
memorize the vocabulary.

Learners can cultivate their interest
while learning a foreign language. Such
as watching movies or listening to
music.
Suggestions

Speak out loud to practice your
speaking ability.

Be positive and do not afraid of
making mistakes or asking questions.
Conclusion
Characteristics of
a successful language learner are
patience, deligence and motivation
Conclusion

By this case study, it helps us to know
what personalities a successful language
learner has, and what methods a
successful language learner uses.

For our further language learning, Agnès’s
language learning processes and experiences
can be a good example for everyone to
follow.
Thank you
for
your attention .