Chinese Character Segmentation Strategies and the Use of Orthographic Knowledge: A Study on Ethnic Minority Adolescent CSL Learners

Abstract

Purpose: The study investigates the character segmentation strategies and the use of orthographic knowledge of ethnic minority (EM) Chinese as a second language (CSL) learners (N=151) from a Hong Kong mainstream secondary school. Method: Grade 7 to 11 EM CSL learners of various ancestral origins, all native speakers of alphabetic languages without prior formal training on Chinese components and spatial configurations, were given a 26-question paper-and-pencil assessment test on the separation of Chinese components. The data collected was analyzed to their use of orthographic knowledge during the process of characters segmentation. Results: Five general character segmentation strategies were identified in this study, namely (1) agglomeration of components; (2) hybrid agglomeration of sequenced strokes and components; (3) arbitrary repetition of (parts of) component; (4) agglomeration of sequenced strokes; and (5) unanalytical agglomeration of strokes. The results show that there is a strong connection between character segmentation strategies of CSL learners and the learners’ use of orthographic knowledge. The high-scoring learners were able to discern components of varying levels in a character and segment them in an orderly sequence, whereas the low-scoring learners were unable to discern components but to arbitrarily segment characters as strokes in an orderly or disorderly sequence. Conclusions: An analysis of the results concludes that specific, feature-based perceptual training on Chinese orthographic knowledge, inclusive of character components and spatial configurations, is likely to enhance EM CSL learners’ ability to accurately recognize Chinese characters for effective decoding.