Volume 29, Issue 5, 2020
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.1100
Motivation, Strategy and Attitude: Sustainable Challenges in Chinese Language acquisition in India
Abstract
According to official language act 1963, English language is treated as official language of India. So apart from English, all other foreign languages come into third foreign language category. Inadequate research attention has been paid to the learning of Chinese as a third language in India. This study explores the learning of Chinese as third language in University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia University & other foreign language institutes in Delhi, India. The study examines the motivation, purpose, strategy, attitude and problems of Indian students in Chinese language acquisition. It is based on primary research data collected through questionnaire from different universities and coaching institutes in India. For this, thirty-seven question items were designed and distributed to two hundred students selected from simple random sampling. Based on the data analysis, study concludes that the instrumental motivation is the sole reason behind third foreign language acquisition in India, and it also positively influences the proficiency of that language. The study also proves that foreign language enjoyment positively influences the attitude in third language acquisition. It also reveals that Indian students have strong desire for third language (Chinese) acquisition, however they face some obstacles which needs targeted care and help from the government and schools. In addition, this research also includes a large number of contents directly related to teaching, hoping to contribute to the substantial improvement of Chinese teaching and learning in India
Keywords
Third foreign language, Chinese Language acquisition, Motivation, Strategy