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  • CAI Jigang
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 193(1): 61.
    Views vary as to the effect of artificial intelligence (AI) on the students’ academic ability. Many studies suggest the use of it in students’ assignments might result a reduced capability for independent and critical thinking. This view, however, is not supported by empirical studies. We hypothesized that writing a research article with ChatGPT could effectively develop students’ critical thinking. We conducted an experiment in the course of“Research Paper Writing and Methodology”,letting students engaged in generating a research article with ChatGPT by giving prompts and tackling feedbacks, during which students were encouraged to find problems with the given information, argument and conclusion. The results showed that students’ critical thinking is effectively improved when the generated article was finished with better quality.
  • SUN Jie, ZHAO Jing, PENG Yuxin, SHI Lifan, WANG Xingyu & ZHANG Haomin
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 193(1): 1.
    This study investigated Chinese learners with French as a third language (N = 121). Six language tests, including English morphological awareness, French morphological awareness, English-French cognate awareness,French vocabulary breadth and depth, as well as French reading comprehension, were administered separately. Through path analysis, the effect of morphological awareness on vocabulary and reading comprehension within the third language (French)and across English-French were explored respectively. The results revealed that English morphological awareness was transferable to French vocabulary knowledge by influencing French vocabulary depth and English-French cognate awareness. This study confirmed the transferability of morphological awareness even in third language acquisition.
  • ZAO Binji & ZHANG Huiyu
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 193(1): 89.
    Based on The John Fryer Papers and other archival materials, this study adopts the theory of trust to investigate how John Fryer, a missionary translator in the late Qing dynasty, mediated the relations and interests of different agents in the translation field so as to promote the translation activities. It is found that Fryer built up a thick level of interpersonal trust with authors, co-translators, Chinese governors and foreign merchants. He also developed the institutional trust by advocating the feasibility of translation, constructing translation norm and promoting translated book brand. Furthermore, he was dedicated to maintaining the cultural diversity and launched various translation-related cultural exchange activities to reinforce cultural trust, which contributed to the dissemination of the Western knowledge in China. By conducting a micro-historical analysis of Fryer’s translating behavior, this study has significant implications for translator education in the context of Chinese culture “going global.”
  • HU Bo
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 193(1): 81.
    Terminology is closely related to the context. It is necessary for the extension of legal terminology translation principle from the intra-linguistic level to the extra context level. Starting from the perspective of transknowletology, this article, by induction method, conducts systematic description of the context relationship where legal terminology translation sets in. From the vertical perspective, it can be divided into macro, meso and micro level, corresponding to context of genealogy of law, context of local country, and context of text respectively. From the horizontal perspective, it can be viewed as inter-level context, namely, context of communication. When translating legal terminology, it has to be placed into complicated context structure relation with its inclusive knowledge also being considered in order to effectively achieve the aim of communication.
  • BI Xiao & LIU Yeting
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 193(1): 15.
    Understanding the identity of non-English language teachers in Chinese secondary schools is crucial for the early cultivation of multilingual talents. This paper adopts a qualitative case study method to explore the construction and transformation of identity among six secondary school French teachers during their professional development. The study finds that the absence of French teacher training has led to a diversification of pathways into the profession. The status of French as a secondary school subject explains the co-existing identities and professional development challenges faced by French teachers. The teachers’ agency determines the extent to which their identity crises can be resolved. This paper provides targeted perspectives and research methods for the study of multilingual teacher development and offers insights for French teacher training.
  • LI Ke & WANG Tiantian
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 193(1): 50.
    As a source of information and an indicator of authors’ attitude, evidentials indicate the authors concern for the credibility of information. Evidentials can be regarded as persuasive resources of building ethos. Drawing on the distribution of evidentials in different moves of English research articles, this study analyzes the way that evidentials build ethos in different moves of English research articles. This study finds that authors select different evidentials to build their ethos in different moves of English research articles so that readers trust in their wisdom, virtue and goodwill, aiming to enhance their academic credibility and the persuasive effect of discourse.
  • SUN Yi
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 193(1): 39.
    Since the cognitive revolution in the 1970s, metaphor research has made fruitful achievements. However, the existing theories of metaphor interpretation lack interface exploration with pragmatic factors, and cannot effectively explain how the meaning of a metaphor is generated. Ad hoc concept, as an innovative development in the relevancepragmatic perspective, elaborates the core mechanism of meaning construction in the interpretation and comprehension of metaphor. This is of vital importance to the development of cognitive metaphor theories. On the basis of teasing out the progress of metaphor explanation and understanding oriented by Relevance Theory, this study highlights the central role of ad hoc concepts in metaphor comprehension, so as to enrich the theoretical framework of cognitive metaphor research and promote the development of contemporary metaphor pursuit.
  • XU Jinfen & FENG Xiaoli
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 194(2): 1.
    This study investigates English learning well-being and its underlying mechanisms among 4,096 Chinese EFL learners in undergraduate stage using psychological network analysis. The findings reveal that: 1) English learning well-being of Chinese students encompasses four dimensions, namely emotional well-being, and cognitive well-being, social well-being and cultural well-being, all of which exhibit a generally high level; 2) elements within each dimension of well-being exhibit interactive synergies;3) complex network relationships exist among the four dimensions of well-being, with the strongest interaction observed between cognitive and social well-being and the weakest between emotional and cognitive well-being;4) perceived meaning and value within emotional well-being occupies the central position in the entire network. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the well-being associated with English learning in EFL context and provides insights for enhancing learner’s well-being and optimizing foreign language teaching practices.
  • HUANG He & ZHAO Gang
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 194(2): 86.
    This paper examines four major publishing catalogs/ databases, focusing on the evolution of Chinese contemporary fiction published in the United States from 1979 to 2023. It investigates the diachronic development of English translations of contemporary Chinese literature through four key dimensions:the authors translated, the works selected, the translation models employed, and the publishers involved. The findings indicate that: (1)The variety of translated genres has expanded, reflecting an increasing interest in Chinese contemporary fiction within the U.S. market; (2)Despite a rise in the number of translated authors, fewer than 30% have received substantial promotion, highlighting the need for enhanced efforts to elevate key authors; (3) The prevailing translation model is predominantly characterized by individual overseas translators, although collaborative translation approaches are becoming more varied; and (4)The landscape of translated publications has diversified, necessitating a stronger focus on innovative cross-cultural publishing mechanisms.
  • XU Ying, ZENG Meijuan, LIU Wenxia & CHEN Jin
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 194(2): 53.
    This study performed a comparative analysis of the studies on Language Assessment Literacy (LAL) within the realms of international and domestic academia, utilizing a scoping review methodology. The aim was to explore the differences and similarities in LAL research across these contexts. Based on the Web of Science (WoS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)databases, the research examined articles published in significant journals between 2008 and 2023,selecting 52 English and 42 Chinese journal papers for analysis. The results indicated that while international LAL research has progressed through the phases of emerging, developing and surging, domestic research has transitioned from a nascent stage to a surge phase. International studies focused more on social contextual factors and diverse stakeholders, whereas domestic research concentrated on the development of LAL among foreign language teachers. In terms of methodology, international research leaned towards qualitative studies, while domestic research favored a mixed-method approach. It is suggested that domestic LAL research should broaden perspectives, expand the scope of research participants, and delve deeper into research questions to foster the professional development and education of teachers.
  • YANG Jiaqi & XU Jinfen
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 194(2): 32.
    Learner well-being is one of the most important factors to be considered in foreign language education, but little is currently known about its socio-cultural aspects. In view of this, the present study attempted to develop a measurement scale for the sociocultural well-being of EFL learners based on literature analysis, semi-structured interviews, and multiple rounds of focus group discussions. Utilizing questionnaire data from 1341 Chinese EFL learners, item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to examine the reliability and validity of the scale. The final scale comprised two dimensions (social well-being and cultural well-being)and five sub-dimensions (social integration, social acceptance, social contribution, cultural awareness, and cultural recognition),totaling 35 items. Statistical analyses affirmed the developed scale’s high reliability and validity, meeting established psychometric criteria. Consequently, this scale can serve as a robust and effective tool for researching the sociocultural well-being of EFL learners in the Chinese educational context.
  • ZHANG Mi & WU Zhixiong
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 195(3): 1-14.
    The core concepts of Chinese political discourse reflect the country’s political and governance philosophy, and the emotional attitude of target readers towards the English translation is closely related to the effectiveness of communication. This article examines the diachronic revisions of the English translation of the core concept “shehui geming” in Xi Jinping’s The Governance of China through sentiment analysis and semantic prosody, comparing the attitudinal differences between the Chinese side and the American side. The study finds significant differences in sentiment towards the two translation versions “social revolution”and “social transformation”,with the Chinese side having roughly equivalent emotional attitude towards both versions, while the American side demonstrates a more positive sentiment towards “social transformation”. Based on the outcomes of the sentiment and prosody analysis,this paper delves into the reasons behind the differences in emotional attitudes between the Chinese and the American side from the perspectives of conceptual history and lexical collocation. Lastly,implications for the translation and international communication of Chinese political discourse are proposed,including digital technology promotion and empathic communication contribution.
  • HE Zhiyuan & SONG Yang
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 193(1): 26.
    Teachers’ emotions are the product of the interaction between individual characteristics and the external environment. Using educational ecology theory as a framework, this study explores the emotions of secondary school German teachers. By analyzing the complex and variable external environments and teachers’ emotional experiences at different levels within the educational ecological system, the study found that teachers’ positive emotional experiences mainly stem from harmonious colleague and teacher-student relationships and successful teaching practices. Negative emotional experiences are primarily centered on tasks with weak relevance to teaching and a lack of understanding from outsiders. Additionally, due to the relatively weak foundation, the development of the German subject and teachers’ emotions are more susceptible to the influence of policy orientation, local educational research institutions, and various levels within the ecological system.
  • WANG Jianying
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 193(1): 71.
    The agency of primary school English teachers in the New Curriculum Reform has a great impact on the quality of English teaching and the professional development of teachers. Research on the agency of primary school English teachers in northwest Yunnan Province helps to reveal how they participate in teaching reform. This paper, based on the analysis of interview discourse within the framework of Positioning Theory, examines the tensions arising from various conflicts revealed by the teachers involved in the study. The analysis identifies several including the clash between teachers’ actual teaching behavior and their ideals, between their agency and their recognition of rights and duties; and between their understanding of students’ needs for overall development and specific needs in English learning. The findings suggest that primary school English teachers should focus more on children’s needs for overall growth, especially their socio-emotional development rather than solely on achieving a high level of expertise in English teaching. These research findings are significant for properly understanding and respecting local primary school English teachers, and promoting their professional development.
  • LI Zheng
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 194(2): 65.
    For the past few years, the blended teaching model has been a hot issue in the innovation of teaching in higher education, which represents the trend of the application of educational technology in universities. With the guidance of online / blended curriculum standards, the paper introduces and analyzes the design and important issues in blended courses from four perspectives, i.e. “learning objectives”,“learning evaluation”,“learning activities”,and“learning resources”,using the National Level First Class Online-offline Blended Course “Listening and Speaking for General Academic Purposes”as an example. Furthermore, the paper concludes and summarizes the principles for designing and ideas of constructing blended courses based on experiences from course development and construction.
  • ZHANG Shanshan & LI Changying
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 194(2): 23.
    Based on the EMPATHICS model, this study investigated the foreign language learning well-being of four doctoral candidates. The data mainly came from in-depth semi-structural interviews. The findings are as follows: 1)doctoral candidates’ subjective well-being directly hinged on learning motivation and was mainly manifested as the pleasure derived from aspiration for knowledge and the satisfaction from completion of academic tasks. The psychological well-being mainly came from the academic growth, the cultivation of perseverance and the improvement of thinking pattern. Social well-being was derived from the actualization of social value emerging from social interaction. 2)Four doctoral candidates achieved psychological well-being and social well-being by overcoming negative emotions and establishing positive social interaction. The transformation between different types of well-being was influenced by doctoral candidates perezhivanie (lived / emotional experience)as well as indicative of a new perezhivanie. Finally, this study concludes by pointing out the importance of heightening doctoral candidates well-being by regulating negative emotions and enhancing interpersonal interaction.
  • SUN Shanshan & WANG Xin
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 194(2): 13.
    Based on the EMPATHICS model of well-being proposed by Oxford (2016), this article conducts empirical research on eight students participating in college English literature courses. Through data including self-narrated materials and semi-structured interviews about learning experiences, it examines the connotation of learners’ well-being in L2 literary studies and explores the nexus between L2 literary studies and learners’ well-being. The research findings reveal that literary studies is more conducive to inspiring learners’ well-being due to its rich emotional experiences. It is more likely to facilitate learners in discovering the meaning of learning and internalizing the motivation for learning. Literary studies contributes to the cultivation of positive individual traits such as critical thinking, which has a predictive role in individual positive performance.
  • CHU Yige & ZHU Zhenwu
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 194(2): 76.
    Harold de Campos, a Brazilian concrete poet, was a distinguished translation theorist and sinologist in Latin America. He was renowned for his exceptional achievements in concrete poetry, translation as pedagogy, translation criticism and practice. His distinctive thought of translating traditional Chinese poetry into Portuguese gained him recognition since the formal introduction of Chinese poetry into the Portuguese literary world in the late 19th century. His poetics of “transcreation”is innovatively implemented within a specific cultural context through his approach to translating Chinese poetry, which he refers to as “reimagination”. Campos transformed the Brazilian literary scene by introducing and translating a plethora of canons of Eastern and Western poetry. He elevates the act of translation to a scintillating pedagogy that educates the target audience and inspires creative writing in concrete poetry. The aesthetic standard of Brazilian literature and art was significantly influenced by this poetic philosophy. The objective of this paper is to analyze the fundamental meaning of Campos’s poetics of“transcreation”,examine the application of “reimagination”in a specific case of translating Chinese poetry, and investigate the intimate correlation between the theory and practice of “transcreation” poetics. Additionally, it improves the reception of classical Chinese poetry in Latin America and provides fresh insights for interpreting Chinese poetry in cross-cultural contexts.
  • LIU Xinman & WANG Shaohua
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 195(3): 15-24.
    The rhetorical “presence”of the diplomatic sentence pattern with Chinese characteristics is a unique rhetorical mode of diplomatic discourse. This paper integrates Cognitive Linguistics theories with New Rhetoric theories to explore the effect of rhetorical “presence”of the diplomatic sentence pattern with Chinese characteristics and its construal mechanism. The major findings are as follows:The diplomatic sentence pattern with Chinese characteristics achieves the effect of “presence”of diplomatic discourse through the “quantitative foregrounding”rhetorical strategy. Its rhetorical construal mechanism is that the discourse producer can promote the rhetorical “presence”by using antithetical or juxtaposed sentence patterns. The antithetical sentence is characterized by the pair mapping of the same form and the echo of the content, while the juxtaposed sentence is characterized by the repeated scanning of forms and the progressive progression of contents. Both can highlight “one world under heaven”,“peaceful development”, “win-win cooperation ” and other diplomatic philosophies containing Chinese characteristics to enhance the transmission and identification of China‘s diplomatic stance. The study of cognitive rhetoric of the diplomatic sentence pattern with Chinese characteristics contributes to the construction of the diplomatic discourse system of major country with Chinese characteristics in the new era and China’s image of major country.
  • LI Xiang & LI Dongyu
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 195(3): 85-97.
    This study focuses on the intercultural competence of foreign language teachers in primary and secondary schools and explores the factors that promote the development of intercultural competence. Based on survey data from 430 foreign language teachers in primary and secondary schools,the results of the structural equation modeling are as follows:1 ) Teacher professional development has a significant direct effect on intercultural competence;2)Although the direct effect is not significant,the perceived organizational support can indirectly promote the enhancement of teachers’ intercultural competence through mediating effects;3)Professional development and the perception of organizational support have significant independent and serial mediating effects on intercultural competence. The study provides theoretical support and practical references for the development of teachers’ intercultural competence.
  • WEN Qiufang
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 196(4): 40.

    This paper explores the adjustment of the Production-Oriented Approach (POA) in the AI era, shifting the focus of classroom teaching from the cultivation of non-immediate communication skills to Spontaneous Communicative Competence. The paper first reviews the development of POA and analyzes its achievements and limitations in cultivating non-immediate communication skills. It then discusses the necessity, feasibility, and innovation of integrating AI technology to facilitate this shift, proposing an AI-empowered blended teaching model. Finally, through a specific teaching case, the paper demonstrates the application steps of this model in cultivating Spontaneous Communicative Competence. The study shows that the AI-empowered blended teaching model can effectively facilitate the shift in POA classroom teaching to focus on Spontaneous Communicative Competence, offering new ideas and methods for foreign language teaching reform.


  • LI Cha
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 195(3): 61-73.
    Grounded in complex dynamic systems theory (CDST),this study tracked the development of six English learners’ interactional repertoire in disagreements over thirteen weeks by analyzing two dimensions:turn lengths and disagreement techniques. Dynamic Systems Theory methods including moving min-max graphs and the critical moment method were employed, along with qualitative methods such as conversational analysis. Results show that the two dimensions both experienced non-linear development during the observation period. Firstly, the development of turn lengths varied from person to person and some meaningful variability was found. Secondly, disagreement techniques were diversified, and the development of “direct disagreement”and “agreement / retelling +disagreement”was prior to that of “atypical indirect disagreement”.
  • XU Wensheng & KANG Rongyao
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 195(3): 25-37.
    War metaphors are a focal point and challenge in the outbound translation of Chinese party and government documents. Taking Xi Jinping’s The Governance of China as an example, this study aims to describe the use of war metaphors in Chinese party and government literature and their English translation strategies. The research finds that the war metaphors in this document represent a complicated conceptualization of warfare, emphasizing the cause-and-effect relationship of “offensive-victory”, and constructing an appraisal system centered on positive resources. The study proposes a “frame-representation”framework to describe the translation strategies of war metaphors, finding an overall tendency towards “de-militarization of the frames”and “proximity to the original in representation”. In specific dimensions such as the mapping principles, the topics of the metaphors, and the evaluative attitudes, different re-framing features are exhibited.
  • ZHANG Wei
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 195(3): 38-46.
    The current reform in translational education in China should prioritize compilation and application of the textbooks featuring moral and political education (MPE). Taking Understanding Contemporary China’s Chinese-English Translation (UCCCET)as an example, the present article will highlight the guiding principle in compiling UCCCET, systemize the characteristics in these textbooks, and outline the suggestions for the teachers in using these textbooks. By so doing, the article intends to clarify and enhance the norms in writing translational textbooks on MPE to train more qualified translators to better serve China’s national strategy.
  • TANG Bin, REN Wei & SUN Yuqing
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 195(3): 74-84.
    Research on second language (L2)pragmatics has predominantly focused on English as an L2, with relatively less attention paid to other languages such as Japanese. This study focuses on the performance of Chinese learners of Japanese in email requests, examining the differences in the use of request strategies, external modifiers, and internal modifiers between beginner and intermediate learners of Japanese in China. The results revealed that beginner learners tend to use more direct request strategies, whereas intermediate learners gradually shift towards using more indirect and polite strategies similar to those of native speakers. The frequency of external modifiers increases with language proficiency, yet learners still use them less frequently than native speakers. In terms of internal modifiers, the usage patterns of beginner learners are closer to those of native speakers compared to intermediate learners, reflecting the non-linear development of internal modifiers. However, neither beginner nor intermediate learners fully attain the politeness levels and usages of native speakers in making requests. Based on the empirical data, this study conducts an in-depth exploration of the pragmatics of Japanese as a second language, revealing the relationship between second language pragmatic competence, language proficiency, and native language background. It provides significant support and theoretical grounding for the expansion of second language pragmatics theory and Japanese language teaching.
  • GAO Jun & XIN Lijun
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 194(2): 44.
    The present paper studies cataphora in natural conversation from the perspective of epistemics. It is found that the imbalanced epistemic status towards the referent of cataphor prompts the interactants to make referential negotiation, thus touching off cataphora. Typically, it is the speaker (K+)who provides the postcedent, while there are cases where the recipient (K-)seeks confirmation by providing a candidate postcedent based on common ground, shared knowledge or contextualization cues. In so doing,the interactants achieve epistemic balance and the conversation moves forward after achieving intersubjectivity. As for the referential negotiation, four types are identified:(1)The postcedent is provided by the speaker in the same turn;(2)The postcedent is produced by the speaker after the next turn;(3)The postcedent is given by the speaker after multi-turns;(4)Sometimes the recipient provides the postcedent in the next turn.
  • MA Zhi-gang & YU Xiaomei
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 195(3): 47-60.
    During the time course of establishing non-local syntactic relationships,the adult L2 learners’ interlanguage mechanism would also activate WH elements as variables and maintain their storage in the temporary memory, but would fail to construct mental representation for the intermediate gaps by way of successive cyclycity. This leads to the formation of contrasts between native representation and interlanguage representation. In terms of WH-dislocation, the present study obtains results through a self-paced reading design, which reveals the following behavioral pattern:sentence processing in interlanguage relies more on lexical semantic information, whereas less on structural information, thereby lending support to the Shallow Representation Hypothesis. Although displacement, as the inherent property of natural languages, receives crucial emphasis in recent theoretical inquiry, interlanguage grammar still lacks structural dependency, which well accounts for the lack of structural representation for WH elements and the insubstantial effects from L2 learners’ native language background.
  • ZHANG Hongqian & HU Fanzhu
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 196(4): 1.

    The so-called “discourse frame” is a kind of inner meaning structure constructed by “discourse events”, and it is the “overall meaning” embedded either within texts or across intertextual spaces. While individual “discourse events” presents a series of different specific “discourse frames”, is there a “meta-frame”behind it—a fundamental framework that all “discourse events” inevitably engage with? Based on the theory of “New Speech Act Analysis”, this paper proposes an analytical pathway to examine discursive “meta-frame ”  through the dynamic interplay of Subject - Context - Intention - Text - Rules. Building upon this “meta-frame”, we may construct analytical frameworks emphasizing respectively “speech subjects”, “contextual parameters”, “intention typologies”, “textual processes”, “rule systems”; we may construct analytical frameworks primarily focused on dyadic relationships such as“subject-context”, “subject-intention”, “subject-text”, “subject-rules” and so on; we also may construct analytical frameworks integrating triadic interactions including “subject-context-intention”, “subject-text-intention” and so on. Furthermore, discourse frame analysis should neither rigidly adhere to any specific research approach, nor neglect the need to construct an awareness of “meta-frame”.

  • GONG Yumiao, FENG Yin, PEI Shuangshuang & ZHANG Songsong
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 197(5): 1.

    Through a semantic processing task priming paradigm, this research investigates the priming effects of the matching task of macro-categories on micro-category in metaphor processing, hence taking an insight into the realization mechanism of metaphorical categorization. The result shows that in the semantic structure mapping task, even without being explicitly demanded to recognize the category relation between the topic and the vehicle, the shortened reaction time to category associated target demonstrated that the mapping task activated the category association between the topic and the vehicle, yet the same priming effect was not found in pure semantic associating task. In contrast to pure semantic associating task, the priming effect of the mapping task exerted on category target indicates that the categorization of the topic and the vehicle is based on the structural mapping between the semantic relations involving the topic and the vehicle and the corresponding objects. This study provides further empirical evidence for the first-matching-later-projecting model in metaphorical categorization.

  • CHEN Lang
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 196(4): 29.

    Research on metaphor, metonymy and application of cognitive linguistics has been moving into deeper territories. Classic topics of cognitive linguistics, i. e., categorization, prototypes and center-periphery radiations, conceptual metaphor, polysemy, constructions, meaning-driven and usage-frequency-based learning, are being increasingly intertwined with second-language pedagogy while simultaneously expanding toward social, cultural and interdisciplinary concerns. Building on introspective and psycholinguistic experimentation, new methods now include discourse analysis, corpus techniques and cognitive-neuroscientific approaches. With cognitive-linguistic inquiry situated in second-language teaching and the “real world” (see Low, Todd, Deignan & Cameron 2010; Cameron & Maslen 2010), this interview with Jeannette Littlemore, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, President of the International Association for Researching and Applying Metaphor (2023-2027), and Professor of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Birmingham, foregrounds two key insights: (1) language is formed, developed, varied and innovated in use, governed by multi-dimensional factors beyond fixed rules; (2) cognitive linguistics can be an invisible yet powerful operational tool to understand lived experience and solve real-world problems, provided that its methodological and interdisciplinary boundaries continue to be pushed. Current international advances on construal, categorization, conceptual transfer, embodiment, resemblance, metonymy and gesture stand in contrast to China’s still-lagging scene marked by dispersion, redundancy and fragmentation; a stronger interdisciplinary research community is to be built up in urgency. Beyond the scholarship, Professor Littlemore’s reflections on academic life and her advice to doctoral students and early-career scholars offer timely inspiration.

  • ZHANG Bisheng
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 196(4): 68.

    The scientific and technological translation in the late Ming Dynasty was a climax in the history of Chinese translation, marking the beginning of the systematic exchange and integration of Chinese and Western scientific and technological cultures. The representative practices of this kind were those conducted by Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi. Taking Matteo Ricci’s cultural adaptation strategy as the object of examination, this paper explores the cultural integration in the practice of scientific and technological translation in the late Ming Dynasty. It is found at first that the social changes and unique cultural background of the late Ming Dynasty contributed to the formation of Ricci’s cultural adaptation strategy, and the development of western science and technology provided a rich practical basis for Ricci’s cultural adaptation strategy in a variety of translation practices. At the same time, the academic missionary work based on translation of Western science and technology, the localization policy showing his respect to Chinese culture, and the upper-class approach of befriending the scholars and bureaucrats were the main elements of the cultural adaptation strategy. On the basis of understanding the strategy of cultural adaptation, the paper, thereafter, analyzes the cultural integration in the translated works of the late Ming Dynasty represented by Elements of Euclid, Tongwen Suanzhi (Epitome Arithmetic Practice), and Qiankun Tiyi, among others. It is finally concluded that the cultural adaptation strategy facilitated the mutual learning and integration of Chinese and Western scientific and technological cultures in the late Ming Dynasty, thus promoting the transformation of the traditional Chinese scientific and technological knowledge system into a new knowledge system.

  • LI Xiaojuan
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 196(4): 21.

    Criticality has always been highly valued in academic literature review but seems to be overlooked in cross-language studies. This current study adopted the attitude polarity taxonomy and the graduation system in Martin’s appraisal theory to compare the critical attitude in Chinese and English academic literature reviews excerpted from 30 Chinese SSCI articles and 30 English CSSCI articles. Results showed that the frequency of negative attitude in English literature review is significantly higher than that in Chinese and also English utilizes much more down toners, especially in the form of verbs and modal verbs, to present author’s cautious but objective authorial stance. The potential factors underlying these differences in criticality are also discussed in depth.

  • TIAN Liangbin, SUN Wentong, YANG Daran
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 196(4): 12.

    The exo-skeletal model (or XS model) is a representative theory of neo-constructionist approaches, which offers unique insights into lexical derivation and argument structure, among other aspects. Given that there has been no comprehensive introduction to this theory at home, this article will attempt to provide a relatively in-depth introduction and analysis. On this basis, the article reflects on the XS model, and summarizes its advantages and disadvantages. Finally, this article discusses the possible insights that the XS model may bring to the research on Chinese argument structure, word classes, and idiomatic expressions, in the hope of providing a reference for the XS model’s further application in Chinese.

  • WANG Dan & LIANG Chaoqun
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 196(4): 50.

    One of the important directions in the teaching and research of foreign literature is the people’s sense of gain in education, as can be logically deduced from Xi Jinping’s people-centered thought. The ideas contained in the instruction to “Tell Chinese stories well!” also highlight the importance of literature, as aesthetic resources, for people’s education. To enhance the effectiveness of foreign literature teaching and research, we need to reconstruct the history of foreign literature and build a robust cognitive framework, in which we clarify the key points of the history of human relations constructed by literature and literary theories, dialectically treat the existing literary histories constructed by the “canon”, and push for Chinese values to interact with foreign literature. In constructing such a cognitive framework in communication with students, it is especially necessary to have heightened geopolitical awareness. In addition, interdisciplinary approach is recommended, for other disciplines, such as finance, will prove to be able to stretch thinking and improve students’ mental sophistication and spiritual resilience.

  • LIU Yajie
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 196(4): 80.

    Influenced by the meaning characteristics of Chinese philosophical terms, the compilation of Chinese- English dictionaries of Chinese philosophical terms is required to reveal the historical and cultural connotations of terms as well as reconstruct the unique contexts for different meanings of polysemous terms with the help of interpretation. This paper, based on literature review and case analysis, draws on the research ideas of conceptual history and puts forward three specific principles that need to be followed in the English interpretation of C-E dictionaries of Chinese philosophical terms: the principles of historical objectivity, orientational conformity and contextual adaptation. Hopefully, it will help to solve the main problems in the compilation of such dictionaries in a more targeted manner, and then give full play to the important functions of such dictionaries in international exchanges and cultural dissemination.

  • WANG Shuyi, SHI Jianjun & SHEN Nachuan
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 197(5): 24.

    This study utilizes natural language processing (NLP) technology to construct a Japanese discourse cohesion index system. It then investigates the acquisition of discourse cohesion in Japanese by advanced learners with different native languages, specifically Chinese and Korean. The findings reveal discrepancies between the essays written by advanced learners and those written by native speakers in aspects such as lexical overlap, semantic overlap, connectives, and references. By calculating the Euclidean distance between the cohesion indices of native speakers’ essays and those of language learners, it is observed that, compared with essays written by Chinese learners, those written by Korean learners are more cohesive and closer to those written by native speakers. This phenomenon can be attributed to the similarities between Korean and Japanese. This discovery enhances the theory of language transfer by providing empirical evidence from discourse cohesion in the essays written by foreign language learners from China and Korea.

  • JIANG Yongjiu
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 197(5): 11.

    Previous studies on interrupting have paid little attention to its dynamic generating mechanism. This paper, taking assistance-type cooperative interrupting as the research object, has made a comprehensive interpretation of how it is generated from the perspective of relevance theory and politeness principle. It is found that assistance-type cooperative interrupting is a verbally communicative behavior in which the interrupter, governed by the politeness principle, assists the interrupted person in conveying communicative information and intention based on the assumed understanding inferred. This process entails two pragmatic manifestations: 1) the awareness of participating, namely, confirming the conversational topic initiated by the interrupted person; 2) the awareness of caring for others’ needs, namely, satisfying the transactional motivations of the interrupted person. This study deepens the understanding of interrupting, which can provide inspiration for future research.

  • WANG Ying & WU Yaowu
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 196(4): 58.

    At present, China’s translation and language service industry is expanding rapidly, and translation education is developing at a fast pace. However, there remains a shortage of high-quality and professional translators, particularly those proficient in non-common languages. By examining the development and establishment of the Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI) program, this study reviews relevant research since its inception, identifies issues that have emerged during its implementation, and extracts valuable experiences and insights. These findings are then applied to the construction of the doctoral program in translation and interpreting (DTI). The study proposes that China’s DTI program should adhere to the principles of serving national strategies, innovating cultivation models, constructing a multi-dimensional evaluation system, and emphasizing institution-specific characteristics. These measures aim to contribute to the development of professional degrees in translation and interpreting in the new era.

  • CHE Xiangqian & HU Weihua
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 196(4): 88.

    Translation of kernel concepts should follow the essential principle of coherence and focus on the inherent relationships among the propositions as a system. Theoretical foundations such as Quine’s “web of belief”and Davidson’s coherence theory of truth provide a robust linguistic philosophical basis for examining the “truth ” in coherent translation practices. In his work The Thought of Chang Tsai (1020-1077), Ira E. Kasoff meticulously adheres to the principle of coherence, focusing on the key concepts of the Guanzhong School. Through systematic compilation and comprehensive analysis, the author maintains a continuous and coherent vision. By threading the ideas through the lenses of rationalism and the theory of Qi, the translation underscores the internal consistency of these concepts. Furthermore, by tracing the historical lineage and comparing them with contemporaneous philosophies, the work highlights the evolutionary inheritance of these ideas. As an exemplary case of Neo-Confucianism in translation, The Thought of Chang Tsai (1020-1077) offers a model for the cross-cultural interpretation of classical Chinese philosophical concepts.

  • TANG Jin
    Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2025, 197(5): 42.

    This study employed a meta-analytic structural equation modeling approach to synthesize data from 24 studies with a total of 15, 828 valid samples. The results indicate that foreign language enjoyment and foreign language anxiety are two emotional dimensions that are both interrelated and independent, each exerting a significant influence on foreign language achievement. Meanwhile, four moderating variables including gender, language skills, cultural group, and second language affect the relationship between these two emotional factors and foreign language achievement to varying degrees. Further comparisons reveal that, compared with foreign language anxiety, foreign language enjoyment exerts a stronger impact on foreign language achievement.