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Teaching Chinese Students To Ask Wh-Questions, Xue Jiang, Ettien Koffi, Chad Kuehn Apr 2019

Teaching Chinese Students To Ask Wh-Questions, Xue Jiang, Ettien Koffi, Chad Kuehn

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The challenges of a second language are many: one of those challenges for Chinese students of English is asking WH questions. This paper will attempt to illuminate what makes WH-questions in English challenging for the Mandarin L1 speakers, and why. Negative transfer from Mandarin structure and its effect on word order are especially analyzed. The implications for ESL/EFL learners and possible teacher interventions will also be explored, including the sequence in which Wh-Question words are to be introduced to learners.