The Influence of Chinese Language on Time Cognition of Thai Chinese language learners: A case study of Chinese major student at Faculty of Liberal Arts, Prince of Songkhla University

Abstract

This research article aimed to investigate whether Thai Chinese language learners who speak standard Thai developed a vertical time cognition after learning Chinese, and whether factors such as Chinese language proficiency, duration of Chinese language study, and experience in China influenced this development. Although standard Thai includes vertical directional terms such as “up” and “down” (Royal Institute, 2013), and studies on the conceptualization of "time" among northern Thai speakers have found metaphors indicating vertical movement of time (Ampala, 2016), some research suggests that while standard Thai has vertical directional terms, there is no clear metaphorical representation of time moving in a vertical direction. This contrasts with Chinese, where vertical metaphors such as “上 (shàng)” (up) and “下 (xià)” (down) are often used to indicate the past being above and the future being below. Chinese also features horizontal metaphors such as “前 (qián)”(front) and “后 (hòu)” (back), which typically convey the past as being in front and the future behind (Potikit, 2023). Therefore, this study focused primarily on examining the time cognition in native standard Thai speakers after learning Chinese. The researchers employed memory tests and time-position identification tests as research instruments to examine the influence of the Chinese language on the time cognition among Thai Chinese language learners. The case study, conducted with first- to fourth-year students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (Chinese) program at the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Prince of Songkhla University, revealed that the Thai Chinese language learners developed a time cognition in a vertical direction. Chinese language proficiency significantly influenced the differences in vertical time cognition among the learners with varying proficiency levels. Additionally, when questions were presented in Chinese, the learners demonstrated a more distinct vertical time direction compared to when questions were asked in Thai. However, factors such as the duration of Chinese language study and experience in China did not have a statistically significant impact on vertical time perception among the learners. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the time cognition in Thai Chinese language learners and help reduce communication errors. These results can also inform the design of teaching plans for Thai learners of Chinese.