THE ACQUISITION OF THE MODAL VERB 能 (NENG) IN CHINESE BY VIETNAMESE STUDENTS
Main Article Content
Abstract
The modal verb 能 (neng) carries three main meanings: (1) expressing ability (能1); (2) indicating possibility (能2); and (3) denoting permission (能3). Based on an interlanguage corpus, this study examines how Vietnamese students acquire and misuse the modal verb 能. This study identified 2,048 instances of the modal verb 能. The meaning 能2 was the most frequently used, followed by 能1 and 能3. The research reveals that Vietnamese students acquire 能 relatively easily, grasping its various meanings even at the elementary stage. However, a notable number of errors, including overuse and misuse, persist. These errors occur across all the three meanings of 能 and at all the three stages of language learning. This study posits that factors such as the number of meanings of 能, semantic interference between 能 and other modal verbs, the differences between 能 and the Vietnamese equivalent “có thể”, and incomplete textbook content have influenced Vietnamese students’ acquisition of the modal verb.
Keywords
modal verb 能, acquisition, error analysis, Chinese, Vietnamese students
Article Details
References
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