ALexico-PragmaticCritiqueofMisusesofDeShihou, by HOU Guojin, p. 13

The thesis is a lexico-pragmatic discussion of various uses, mainly a critique of misuses, of the Chinese constructiondeshihou. It elaborates its semantic and structural features, and maintains that the unmarked use is the predicative expression plusdeshihou. The paper classifies all uses ofdeshihouinto three types: Type A being appropriate and effective use (right use), Type B being use (habitual use) that is not very appropriate or effective, and Type C being inappropriate or ineffective use (misuse). Exemplified by abundant examples from the mass media, the thesis holds that misuse ofdeshihouis imperiling the purity of the Chinese language, thus calling for nationwide caution.

AProbeintoTemporalMeaningsandUsageofEnglishPrepositions, by PENG Zhuo, p. 18

Basing on the study of spoken English data of 40 English prepositions in British National Corpus, this research has got the following conclusions: In the oral expression of English native speakers, the use of temporal meanings has taken small proportion of the overall use of English prepositions; English native speakers tend to use more period of time to express the temporal meanings; in most cases, the temporal meanings of prepositions which they use have got directions; native speakers tend to use more prepositions which have got temporal schema of ray; the temporal words which collocate with English prepositions are usually those words expressing short time within one day; in the meanwhile, these temporal words are mostly indirect temporal words; when expressing time, most of the English prepositions are used in past tense. By probing into the conclusions above, this research has dug out inner reasons for those conclusions. This research intends to arouse the vast majority of English practitioners’ interest for temporal usage of English prepositions, make them deeply understand English temporal concept, and help reduce the obstacles to intercultural communication.

AnEmpiricalStudyofPragmaticInstructionwithintheRealmofFFI, by ZHAO Yongping & PENG Jie, p. 33

FFI refers to the instruction involving language form, which includes Focus on Forms (FonFS), Focus on Form (FonF), and Focus on Form and Function (FonFF). FonFF intends to integrate language form and function effectively, and has great value for pragmatic teaching of a foreign language. With 207 college non-English majors as the participants and English request as the target pragmatic form, the present study explores the effect of different FFI devices on the learners’ acquisition of target pragmatic form. The results show that three FFI devices facilitate the learners’ acquisition of pragmatic form to some extent compared with the device of Focus on Meaning (FonM). In addition, as to the three FFI devices, FonFF is superior to FonFS and FonF, while FonFS is better than FonF. As a result, the present study verifies the efficiency and superiority of FonFF.

AStudyofChineseEFLLearners’OralChunk-outputontheBasisofDualCodingTheoryofMultimediaLearning, by FENG Junchao, p. 38

The capacity of chunk-output is highly correlated with communicative competence in oral language. Based on dual coding theory (DCT) and multimedia learning theory, this article investigated the impact of DCT of multimedia on second oral-language teaching. A sample of 118 sophomores participated in this research under different learning environments. One-way ANOVA analysis of data indicated that the levels of EFL learners’ oral proficiency improved, the performance of sophomores in experimental group was doing better than the control group. There were significant differences in four chunk-output indexes, namely number, frequency, diversity and length of chunks; however, the four indexes in experimental group significantly increased, and the increase of last two indexes of the control group is not obvious. The findings provide insights into how to apply DCT of multimedia to oral language teaching so as to promote chunk-output of learners and develop their level of oral proficiency.

TheStudyofEnglishMiddleConstructionandItsAcquisitionfromanInterfacePerspectiveofSemantics,PragmaticsandSyntax, by ZHANG Qin, YANG Lianrui & GAO Xiuxue, p. 43

On account of its unique syntactic and semantic features, English Middle Construction (MC) is especially hard for second language learners to acquire. Based on the theory of Interface Hypothesis, this article aims to investigate the semantic and pragmatic selectional restrictions on typical English middle construction and atypical English middle construction from the interface perspective of semantics, pragmatics and syntax. It would help to give suggestions for L2 learners in their acquisition of English MC and provide implications for future research in this regard.

AComprehensiveManagementSystemforExternalMTISupervisors, by FENG Qi & XU Kejia, p. 49

External supervisor system is a crucial part of MTI quality control. Based on the practical experience of MTI program management at a university in Shanghai, this paper discusses some problems in the current management system, including the qualification of prospective applicants, their academic ranks and titles, performance assessment and coordination between internal and external supervisors, and attempts to propose strategies and suggestions for comprehensive management mechanism. It is proposed that each training program set up a corresponding management model covering the selection of qualified candidates, training plans, regular meetings, and performance assessment in accordance with its own situations and the guidelines of National Supervisory Committee for MTI Education.

OntheConstructionofBlackManhoodinBailey’sCafé, by WU Yulian, p. 52

InBailey’sCafé, the contemporary African American writer Gloria Naylor has constructed a new type of black manhood, which transcends violence inherent in traditional black manhood. This represents the writer’s intention of resolving racial violence, and integrating the racial trauma and racial survival strategy, and blending conventional education and racial confidence as well, thus reflecting the writer’s desire for a racial utopia and a utopia of the two sexes. However, the writer’s ambiguity in black violence expresses black men’s awkward position and the writer’s ambivalence, hence the illusory nature of a racial utopia and a utopia of the two sexes. Nevertheless, this new type of manhood contributes to the construction of self-identity and the realization of black values.

ChangeofIdentityinthePerspectiveofSpacePolitics:AnAnalysisofIdentityinRagtime, by ZHU Yun, p. 57

E. L. Doctorow’sRagtimejuxtaposes historical and fictional figures in one text. By rewriting the history of the early 20 years of 20th century to construct the social space, the novel presents USA’s historical space reproduction as a nation in the macro scale, and discloses in the micro scale the authority’s political violence against Coalhouse Walker, who dares to cater for racial equality and justice and against those lower groups who struggle for class benefits in order to maintain the existing social space order. The novel explores the problems of national, racial and class identities, with which it alludes to the society Doctorow lives in.

AGiantinShortStories,ADwarfinNovels:HaroldBloom’sCriticalViewsonHemingway’sStyle, by JIA Guodong, p. 62

Harold Bloom makes a unique review of Hemingway’s writing and his style from the viewpoint of the intertextuality and aesthetic subjectivity. He holds that Hemingway created many classic short stories with the style of simplicity, leaving a deep influence on the world literature. His ability for short stories could be as good, if not better, as that of any other writers in the world like Guy de Maupassant. However, Bloom also states that Hemingway did not perform as well in his writing of novels. Bloom’s view constitutes a new direction in Hemingway criticism. Through the review of Bloom’s critical comments on Hemingway and his style, this paper concludes that Hemingway’s study could reach a higher level if Bloom’s commentaries could be integratedly with the traditional Hemingway’s criticism.