Investigating second language learners’ usage of Mandarin numeral classifiers: A case-based study

Abstract

This article reports on the profiles of Mandarin Chinese Numeral Classifier usage by two learners of Chinese as a second language (CSL). The data were collected from the essays they wrote in one academic semester during which they were preparing for a Chinese proficiency test. The findings suggested that the two CSL learners used the general classifier? ge to a relatively higher proportion than the native speakers did. Apart from the general classifier? ge, the two CSL learners also used a variety of specific classifiers. The learner with higher proficiency used more types of classifiers than the learner with lower proficiency although the learner with lower proficiency used more tokens than the learner with higher proficiency. Interestingly, the accuracy rate in the usage of specific classifiers in both learners’ essays was quite high.

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