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Article

Open Access

"Language Ability": A Key Concept in Foreign Language Education

Author(s)

MIAO Peng

Full-Text PDF Download XML 326 Views

DOI:10.17265/1539-8080/2023.12.001

Affiliation(s)

University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China

ABSTRACT

"Yuyan nengli" (语言能力) is a key concept of foreign language education. Its corresponding English expressions are diverse and complex, involving terms, such as "ability", "competence", "proficiency", "skill", "capability", and "capacity". The related Chinese expressions, such as "yuyan jineng" (语言技能), "yuyan shuiping" (语言水平), "sibian nengli" (思辨能力), and "kua wenhua nengli" (跨文化能力), often have semantic overlap with these English expressions. This article analyzes expressions relevant to "language ability" in both English and Chinese, summarizes their possible referents, and clarifies their meanings, to provide valuable clues for the development of foreign language education in China.

KEYWORDS

yuyan nengli, language ability, linguistic competence, language skills, language proficiency

Cite this paper

US-China Foreign Language, December 2023, Vol. 21, No. 12, 471-475 doi:10.17265/1539-8080/2023.12.001

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