Weihua Zhu - Interaction in Mandarin Chinese and English as a Multilingua Franca: Context, Practice, and Perception

This book would not have become a reality without funding from Language Learning: A Journal of Research in Language Studies in its initial research stage and funding from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation in its later stages. I am especially indebted to my colleagues in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who have supported my career goals and helped me in many ways. They are, in alphabetical order, Naomi Geyer, Naomi McGloin, Junko Mori, William Nienhauser, Steve Ridgely, and Hngmng Zhng. Particularly, I cannot thank Rania Huntington enough for protecting my research time and leading me through difficulties. Without her, I would not have been able to finish this book.

My sincere gratitude also goes to those who have galvanized me intellectually and offered me valuable insights. Diana Boxer ignited my passion for discourse analysis and pragmatics and has provided me extensive personal and professional guidance for many years, for which I am eternally grateful. Dniel Kdr opened my eyes to the possibility of gaining diverse perspectives about the object of inquiry through the integration of varying research methods. My heart was deeply touched by Lucy Pickerings care, encouragement, and professional support in times of hardships. I also greatly appreciate the constructive feedback to improve the quality, coherence, and content presentation of chapters by Diana Boxer, Dniel Kdr, and Richard Young, despite their busy schedules. Their sage wisdom has counseled me and inspired my writing. Additionally, I would like to thank the editors and anonymous reviewers for their great suggestions, which made this book better.

I also wish to acknowledge the valuable contributions of all the people whom I have had the pleasure to work with. They include Matthew Fledderjohann, Amy Gaeta, Gabrielle Kelenyi, Ytng Ln, Yngtin Lu, and Jn Wng, graduate students from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who helped me with data transcription, transcript check, literature search, and proofreading; Professor Jn Wng and her students from Nanchang University, who helped me with field research, data transcription, and coding; the participants who allowed me to record and study their use of Mandarin or English in informal contexts; and those whom I interviewed.

Although I do not need to thank my family because kqi politeness is not encouraged among family members in China, I still want to take this opportunity to thank my parents, my siblings, and my husband for challenging me to finish the book as soon as possible. I particularly would like to thank my son, who went through a tough college application process while keeping me company during the process of writing this book. We shared the feelings of loss, frustration, relief, and joy, and we both eventually achieved our goals. The tremendous amount of support from my family, who has been and will continue to be my pillars of strength, is amazing.

A questionnaire for demographic information

: 1) ; 2) , , ,

You are invited to participate in a study that investigates: (1) how Chinese users of English interact with one another in English at English Corners in the Chinese-dominated environment; (2) how L1 Chinese speakers interact in Mandarin Chinese in everyday life. Please fill out this questionnaire because your background is very important for this study. All information obtained in connection with this study will remain confidential, even if the study may be published in an academic journal or presented at a professional conference.

1. (Name): _________________________________________________
2. (Age): 1019 2029 3039 4049 5059 6069 7079
3. (Sex): (female) (male)
4. (Degree): (Below Bachelors) (Bachelors) (Masters) (PhD)
5. (Occupation): _____________________________________________

6. , (Your income in comparison with living expenses):

   (Low) (Middle) (High)

7. ? , 8, 9, 1213(Can you speak English? If not, skip questions 8, 9, 12, and 13.)

   (Yes) (No)

8. (Years of studying English):

   9 (09 years) (no less than 10 years)

9. (Experience in English-speaking countries):

   (never been abroad) ____________(at least once; if so, how long? ___________)

10. _______ (The person youve just talked with is your ________)

    (relative) (friend)

    (acquaintance) (stranger)

11. ? (How do you feel about your conversation with that person?)

    (enjoyable) (friendly) (nothing)

    (unfriendly) (offensive)

12. ? (How often do you come to English Corners?) _______________________________________
13. ? (Why do you come to English Corners?)

Transcription conventions (adapted from Schiffrin 1987)

Schiffrin, Deborah. (1987) Discourse markers . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.