Jiǎgǔwén as a Means of Teaching Chinese Characters to Foreign Beginners
The paper discusses the use of a diachronic (evolutionary) approach to teaching Chinese literacy to foreign students, especially at the opening stages of language acquisition. The methods and strategies of teaching reading and writing in Chinese still remain a controversial issue and, therefore, are in the focus of Chinese language teaching methodology. The authors believe that a diachronic approach can be of great use in demonstrating the link between the original form of the character (pictogram) and meaning, thus facilitating the retention of its contemporary graphic shape. The paper provides examples of gradual transformation of ancient jiǎgǔwén writing on bones and tortoise shells into more and more recognizable forms. It is this gradation that helps foreign students to see that many modern Chinese characters are motivated signs rather than arbitrary ones. The paper offers a sequence of exercises leading from analysis and recognition to writing. They are supposed to prevent mechanical cramming and to foster the skills of observation and the spirit of discovery.