An Usage analysis of Adverbs “gang （刚）” 、 “gāngcái（ 刚才）” and “gānggang（刚刚）” in Modern Chinese ; Case study of Chinese Special Degree Program Students of University of Kelaniya

Abstract

While learning Chinese, students face many grammatical problems, especially when they use synonyms, such as “gāng 刚” 、 “gāngcái 刚才” and “gānggang 刚刚”. “gāng” 、 “gāngcái” and “gānggang” can all express the time not long ago and have similar meanings, but their usage is different. These three words are “Just”, and “Just now” in English. Moreover, the textbooks and dictionaries do not help to distinguish the synonyms. “gāng” 、 “gāngcái” and “gānggang” have many subtle and complex differences in semantics and syntax, which are often misused by learners who regard Chinese as a language in their learning process. I collected some examples through questionnaires and surveys from Chinese Special Degree Program Students of University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka and did a statistical analysis. Chinese and Non-native Chinese scholars have done similar research studies among foreign students who are studying Chinese regarding the errors which are often done and how to teach “gāng” 、 “gāngcái” and “gānggang” accurately for foreign students. The Chinese learning and teaching process in Sri Lanka also can be grammar error. When learning Chinese language, understanding the subtle differences among these words can help greatly improve the level of proficieny in Chinese. If these are not carefully identified, it is easy to misuse. Moreover, a clear understanding of this helps to successfully complete Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK). The objective of this study is to investigate whether Chinese Special Degree Program Students of University of Kelaniya , Sri Lanka are familiar with “gāng” 、 “gāngcái” and “gānggang” , If the Undergraduates are unable to distinguish the different usage of the 3 forms, then it is necessary to identify how they make the errors and to provide solutions to them.