中美关系对汉语二语教学的影响

本文以香港中文大学雅礼中国语文研习所 (Yale-China Chinese Language Center, 简称CLC) 的成立和发展为例，探讨中美两国之间的关系对汉语二语教学和学习者的影响。在研习所成立至今六十几年的汉语二语教学实践中，我们可以看到两国关系除了直接影响来自美国的汉语二语学习者，在生源、教学资源、课程设置等方面也对整个领域有着很大的影响，包括沉浸项目，特别是与中国关系密切的交流项目。在二语教学领域，沉浸项目的出现与这一领域教学理念和关注点在过去几十年中发生的变化有着明显的因果关系，这些变化也是本文讨论的重点之一，因为两国关系对侧重“语用为纲”语言项目的影响远大于对“结构为纲”项目的影响。研习所立足香港，从前殖民地到共和国特区，香港这个中西文化交汇点在不同时期都有着自身独特的地位和功能，不管是中美关系处于“冰河期”还是“蜜月期”，香港的汉语二语教学“借势”和“避坑”的经验教训，在我们认真思考国际中文教育的过去、现在和将来的时候，或许能带来一些启示。

This paper examines the impact of China-US relations on the field of Chinese as a second language (CSL), using the experience of the Yale-China Chinese Language Center (CLC) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong as example. Through the Center’s over sixty years history, we observe that bilateral relations not only directly affect American CSL learners, but also significantly influence the entire field in terms of student enrollment, teaching resources, and curriculum design, including immersion programs, particularly those with ties to China. In the CSL field, the emergence of immersion programs has a clear causal relationship with changes in teaching philosophies over the past several decades. These changes are also a focus of this paper, exploring from different perspectives how these changes either strengthen or weaken the impact of China-US relations on CSL learners. Having transitioned from a British colony to a Special Administrative Region of China, Hong Kong has been a meeting point of Chinese and Western cultures, and has maintained its unique position and function across different periods. Whether China-US relations were in an “ice age” or “honeymoon period,” Hong Kong’s CSL experiences in “leveraging opportunities” and “avoiding pitfalls” may offer some insights as we consider the past, present, and future of international Chinese education. (207 words)