ABSTRACT
Traditional targets such as going to graduate school and becoming a sinologist have been replaced by functional and instrumental use of the language, as well as the desire for competence in Chinese culture and Chinese language. In contrast to the rapid development of Chinese as a second language (CSL), research on CSL acquisition has acutely lagged behind. The changes in CSL learners’ factors, and the burgeoning demand for understanding students and their linguistic and cognitive needs call for more empirical studies on a wide range of topics to scrutinize the nature of Chinese language learning and factors that affect learning. Chinese heritage language learners are generally exposed to the Chinese language use in real-life situations. Language knowledge and learning process are difficult to measure due to their complexity and abstract nature. This introduction also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book.
