Teaching and/or learning Chinese as an additional language: Challenging terminology and proposed solutions

Abstract

The Chinese language is becoming one of the most important languages in the world. The demands and interests in learning Chinese as an additional language are rapidly growing, but research in this area has not kept up with the accelerated development of this promising field. A key issue immediately faced in this area of research is the variety of identifying or descriptive terms (e.g., Chinese as a second, foreign, international, heritage, subsequent, additional language) that are inconsistently used. As will be expanded on below, this has created confusion and difficulty in research and teaching and learning practice. This paper details the examination of these perplexing terms, and the proposal of teaching and/or learning Chinese as an additional language as a viable term, as it is politically and pedagogically appropriate. The purpose of the study is to identify terminology that can be used to deepen our understanding and enhance the quality of teaching and/or learning Chinese as an additional language in the present global culture.