It’s a lonely journey”: Experiences of students learning Chinese as a foreign language at South African universities

Abstract

China’s global position has led to a growing demand for Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) worldwide. This development is observable in South Africa where four universities offer CFL courses. However, due to the absence of a substantial Chinese-speaking community and related linguistic resources, South African students study CFL in an isolated language environment with limited communicative opportunities. This creates a “lonely” language learning experience for students despite their clear motivation to learn Chinese.  Informed by sociolinguistic theories, this paper reports on a qualitative inquiry into the experiences of CFL students in South African universities. This inquiry involved conducting interviews with purposefully selected CFL students, and it explored their personal experiences in their learning of Chinese.  The findings of the study include class scheduling and tutor support, communication inside and outside the classroom, the emotional dimensions of language learning, academic ‘“push and pull’ and the particular challenges of CFL acquisition. Recommendations are made to improve CFL teaching and learning in the South African and African context. These include the use of computer generated language resources to enhance the study of Chinese; the recruitment of Chinese-speaking residents who are willing to provide CFL students with at-home visits; and the provision of student exchanges between Chinese and South African universities.