ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a synopsis of the debate about the relationship between Teaching Chinese as a Second Language (TCSL) and general linguistic theories in the larger context of the formation and evolution of TCSL as an interdisciplinary academic field. This is followed by overviews of the major theoretical frameworks, including Generative Linguistics, Functional Linguistics, Cognitive Linguistics, and Sociocultural Theory, which have come to bear on TCSL in non-trivial ways within the last two decades. As these overviews indicate, a unified professional vision is emerging in the field as a result of the infusion of theoretical and empirical inputs in the collective endeavor of knowledge construction and application. The chapter ends with a call for greater efforts to bridge empirically grounded linguistic research and pedagogical practice.
