Causes of and Remedies for Chinglish in Chinese College Students’ Writings

Abstract

Based on Interlanguage Theory and other theories, this study examines data from samples of Chinese college students’ writings and interviews with the students to explore the causes of and remedies for Chinglish (a term used to refer English with Chinese characteristics). It claims that Chinglish is mainly caused by syntactic transfer from Chinese, the influence of Chinese thought patterns, inadequate exposure to authentic English and insufficient practice in English writing. The interviews with the students showed that the proportion of L1 thinking decreased with the writer’s L2 development. The recommended remedies for Chinglish include raising students’ awareness of distinctions between English and Chinese, increasing their exposure to authentic English and practice in English writing, and adjusting their thought patterns.