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Article published In: Chinese Language and Discourse
Vol. 16:2 (2025) ► pp.271–304

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Establishing joint attention to embodied actions with zheyang(zi) in Taiwan Mandarin cooking demonstrations

ORCiD logo with link | Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center
Published online: 8 July 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/cld.24036.hua
Abstract
This study examines how teachers employ the Chinese manner demonstrative, zheyang(zi) ‘like this; this way,’ to direct students’ attention toward their embodied actions during instructional demonstrations. Data consists of 84 cases from 12.5 hours of videotaped interaction in a cooking class in Taiwan. Drawing on interactional linguistics, the study explicates the distinct interactional imports of zheyang(zi) when used (a) before, (b) after, (c) concurrently with, or (d) during a continuous demonstrated action, analyzing its linguistic structure, multimodal configuration, and sequential positioning. The multimodal analysis reveals how the design of zheyang(zi)-marking instruction reflects teachers’ orientation toward the progressivity and materiality of a demonstrative activity and how gaze shows participants’ understanding of zheyang(zi). By examining the interplay between grammar, embodiment, and material transformations, the study contributes to our understanding of the reflexive relationship between grammar choices and activity context.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Demonstratives and the formation of references in social interaction
    • 2.2Chinese manner demonstrative zheyang(zi)
  • 3.Data
  • 4.Analysis
    • 4.1Before a demonstrated action: Serving as prospective indexical
    • 4.2After a demonstrated action: Serving as retrospective indexical
    • 4.3Concurrent with a demonstrated action: Highlighting the manner of the action
    • 4.4In the course of a continuous action: Summarizing or redirecting to the demonstration
      • 4.4.1Summarize the core of an instruction
      • 4.4.2Redirecting students’ attention back to a demonstration
  • 5.Discussion and conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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