The use of English names by Chinese speakers - PowerPoint Presentation

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The use of English names by Chinese speakers

Simon Cotterill

Friday 5 April

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‘Chinese speakers’ = a form of Chinese is L1

‘English names’ = yingwen mingziInc. Pedro, Yuki, Golf, Celery

Definitions

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This session will briefly look at:

How names are used within Chinese culturePast research into why English names are adoptedPast research on how English names are selectedOverview

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This session will report on an investigation into:

Factors influencing whether an English name is adoptedFactors influencing which name is chosenExperiences of the minority who do not adopt English names330 Chinese-speaking students at UK HEIs surveyed

& 8 students not using an English name interviewed

Overview

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Names in

Chinese culture- Two or three characters e.g. 陳豪 Chen Hao

李雨庭

Li Yu Ting

How names are used within Chinese culture

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Names in

Chinese cultureSelection based on meaning, not associatione.g. 陳豪 Chen Hao (

Hao

= Brave)

李雨庭

Li Yu

Ting (Yu = Rain, Ting = Courtyard

)

- Freer choice of names

How names are used within Chinese culture

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Names in

Chinese culture- Use of given names differs significantly to English- Depends on relationship between two speakers- Given names are rarely used without modificatione.g. Chen Hao  Xiao

Hao

(Lil’

Hao

)

Li Yu Ting  Ting

Ting

, Ting

Zai

(Baby Ting)

How names are used within Chinese culture

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Names in

Chinese culture- Professional titles often replace given namese.g. Lao Ban (Boss) She Ji Shi (Designer) Lao Shi

(Teacher) Tong

Xue

(Student)

How names are used within Chinese culture

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Names in

Chinese culture- Kinship terms often replace given namese.g. meimei (Younger sister), shushu

(Uncle

)

How names are used within Chinese culture

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Why English names are adopted

- Used in diasporic communities for many years- Increasingly used as more Ch. speakers study overseas - Strong association with classroom-based interactionWhy English names are adopted

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Why English names are adopted

- English language teachers considered instrumental (Edwards, 2006)- Evidence that Chinese speakers sometimes adopt English names reluctantly (Edwards, 2006; Li, 1997)Why English names are adopted

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Why English names are adopted

Students expect Chinese names are:- Difficult to pronounce (Ghosh and Wang, 2003; Gilks, 2014; McPherron, 2009)

Create psychological distance with teachers

(Sercombe et al., 2014)

Why English names are adopted

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Why English names are adopted

Students expect English names allow:- Easier classroom interaction (Li et al., 2007)Projection of personal characteristics (Cheang

, 2008

)

Indication of English ability

(

Bloomaert

& Backus, 2011)

Why English names are adopted

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Which English names are adopted

- Choices can be surprisinge.g. Money, Medusa, DragonShould teachers advise against ‘inappropriate choices’?

Which English names are adopted

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Research findings

Research findings

Inference:

At least 69,122

Chinese-speaking students in UK adopt English

names

Based 95,090 Chinese students (HESA, 2018)

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Research findings

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Research findings

Inference:

At least 22,119 Chinese-speaking students currently using an English name would prefer not to

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Research findings

Inference:

At least 12,974 Chinese-speaking students currently using an English name would prefer teachers to go by a Chinese name other than their given name

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Research findings

Comments:

‘My mother chose it for me’; ‘A family member gave it to me’; ‘Picked from a dictionary myself’;

‘I chose

it at language school when I was little’.

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Research findings

Inference:

17,309 Chinese-speaking students in UK do not adopt English names

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Research findings

Comments:

‘I feel only Chinese name is my real name’; ‘The pronunciation of my Chinese name is easy for teachers’; ‘My English name is not on the paper of tutorials’.

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All 8 interviewees:

- Initial discomfort being in minority- Did not reconsider decision not to use English name- Felt decision should be left to the individual Research findings

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Interviewees’ experiences varied in relation to:

- Extent they felt expected to use an English name- Comfort/Discomfort toward Chinese name being used- Form of their Chinese name usedResearch findings

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Taking a presessional course influenced interviewees’ feeling that they were expected to use of English name

- 5 interviewees taking/taken presessional all felt they had to assert decision not to use an English name- 2 interviewees who did not do presessional had never been asked for an English nameResearch findings

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Taking a presessional course influenced interviewees’ feeling that they were expected to use of English name

Yang: I didn’t like being only one without an English name in my class at first.…but everything was strange when I arrived. I got used to living in the UK and I became comfortable in my class quickly.Zhou: I was worried when my teacher asked us to give our English name one by one, six or seven others

had given the teacher an English name, so I started to think I should make one

up quickly

, but I just said I don’t have one

.

…I was happy when the teacher seemed not to mind.

Initial discomfort soon eased

Research findings

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Some interviewees reported discomfort with Chinese given name being used

Li: Most people did have difficulty in getting my Chinese name in the first place. However, they would totally accept it afterwards. I must add one point here: at first I felt a bit uncomfortable letting people call me my given-name. In China people always call me by my full name. Calling people by their first name, especially when it only has one character, sounds too intimate.

Research findings

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Some interviewees reported comfort with Chinese given name being used

Chen: My teachers say my name differently to the way my parents do, so it’s different. Not awkward.Wang: My teacher is the only person who calls by my given name. My parents use a nickname, like my friends.

Research findings

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Some interviewees reported comfort with only part of Chinese given name being used

Xiuying: My parents and friends call me like ‘Ying Ying’ or ‘sister Ying’, so it seems normal when my teachers here say ‘Ying’, though they pronounce it differently. It would be strange for people to call me ‘Xiuying’. No one calls me this really.

Research findings

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Pronunciation may have been a factor in preference for part of name to be used

Xiuying: My parents and friends call me like ‘Ying Ying’ or ‘sister Ying’, so it seems normal when my teachers here say ‘Ying’, though they pronounce it differently. It would be strange for people to call me ‘Xiuying’. No one calls me this really.….

saying ‘

Xiuying

’ would also probably be too difficult. Chinese names are very difficult for English people to say.

Research findings

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Pronunciation = factor in comfort levels of 7 interviewees

Chen: My teacher seemed quite happy when she read my name out. She could say it well. So I decided that I did not need to use an English name.Zhou: My teachers sometimes seem uncomfortable when they try to read my name out. But when I say it to them, they seem happier. They are always happy to use it afterwards.

But

Ss’ comfort relates to Ts’ comfort, not accuracy

, in pronouncing

Research findings

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Implications for practice

Ts dealing with Chinese-speaking students should be aware of significant role they playMany students who adopt an English name would prefer to use a Chinese nameThe Chinese name they would prefer used may not be given name

Implications for practice

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Implications for practice

Benefit in giving Ss a chance to discuss name used Benefit in giving Ss a chance to change name used

Implications for practice

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Areas for future research

Impact of delivery mode on name usedImpact of changing trends in Chinese speaking worldImpact on Romanisation method

Areas for future research