The Acquisition of Chinese Pinyin and Hanzi focuses on the learning of Pinyin and Hanzi among learners of Chinese as a second language (CSL) from Egypt and the United Kingdom. The objectives of this book are to explore the roles of L1 writing system background, individual differences, and meta-linguistic awareness in the acquisition of Pinyin and Hanzi.

This book presents a unique comparison of the performance in learning Chinese between two groups of CSL learners using L1 scripts with different writing directions, namely the right-to-left Arabic and the left-to-right English. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the orthographic and phonological features of Arabic, Chinese, and English, illustrating how L1 background and individual differences (such as foreign language aptitude and experience of study abroad) impact CSL learners' performance in Chinese meta-linguistic awareness (e.g., phonological awareness and phonetic radical awareness) and literacy skills (e.g., Hanzi reading and writing). Furthermore, it examines the contribution of meta-linguistic awareness to literacy skills. The book also discusses the theoretical implications for understanding the significance of phonological skills for the development of literacy skills and the pedagogical considerations for designing instructional activities for Pinyin and Hanzi in the CSL classroom.

This book is intended for researchers, graduate students, and practitioners interested in CSL teaching and learning.

Haiwei Zhang received his PhD in Applied Linguistics from University of York and is an Associate Professor at the School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University. His publications cover a wide range of topics, including the acquisition and measurement of Chinese Hanzi and vocabulary among CS/FL learners, Chinese language teacher education, and research methods. His publications have been featured in both top Chinese and English journals in the field of applied linguistics.