ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the path that English-speaking learners need to take to reach competency in Chinese literacy. It describes the nature of the system and current understandings of learning to read in an additional language, and in Chinese in particular. It also explores representations of the character system in contemporary textbooks and the learning processes that are imposed in order to memorise the characters required to engage in communicative activity in Chinese. In any language, orthographic awareness is typically developed through extensive input and exposure to the language in print. The orthographic knowledge of the Chinese writing system needed by novice learners can be represented in some possible ways. The literature suggests a structured curriculum and sustained instructional practice has the potential to enhance development of language-specific orthographic knowledge, and enhance the ability to apply such awareness in reading and vocabulary acquisition in Chinese.
