English-ordered Chinese (EOC) is the use of Chinese words to represent the meaning of English phrases and sentences that maintains the order (syntax) of the original English.
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EOC was conceived of as a tool to teach beginner's English to Chinese speakers by the Confucius Institute at Michigan State University.
EOC is a way for Chinese speakers with no knowledge of English to discover the similarities and diffences between Chinese and English grammar and syntax. The similarities between Chinese and English (both being analytical languages with canonical subject-verb-object word order) are sufficient for most EOC sentences to be understood by Chinese speakers, with differences also being readily apparent.
EOC can be combined with a gradual replacement of the Chinese words with the original English words. By replacing highly constrained words with English, students are able to guess the meaning of the English words. In this way, in addition to becoming familiar with English syntax and grammar, students can begin to acquire English vocabulary.
In written form, computer technology can also be used provide students with multiple choices to demonstrate knowledge of English vocabulary (using, for example, a pull-down menu on each English word) with feedback provided as to whether the choice was correct or incorrect. By gradually replacing the Chinese words of EOC with their original English words, Chinese-speaking students can develop the ability to learn and/or orally understand English.
中文 : 这周 我 和 我的朋友 去过 那个公园。 EOC : 我 去过 那个公园 和 我的朋友 这周。 English : I've been to that park with my friend this week.
Although the basic idea of EOC had been around for a while, the role it played in learning English as a second/foreign language were limited. Popularly known as 'Phrase Reading' or 'Slash Reading' (deriving from the slashes '/' used to separate chunks of phrases in sentences), its primary aim was to read and understand English only.
Using EOC as an intermediary language, a Chinese learner of English can not only understand, but also learn, to produce English easily. EOC is also useful in helping learners become aware of the difference between English and Chinese word order.
When EOC is used in class, the main work for learners is to translate each given Chinese phrase into English. This requires less effort since the word order already is in English. The teacher's job is to create EOC, by first dividing English sentences into chunks (in other words, 'phrase reading' English texts in advance), and then translating each chunk individually. The end result will look like the second example sentence above.
Through replacing EOC with English, Chinese-speaking learners will become more familiar with English syntax and grammar. This helps them translate Chinese (not EOC) into English more smoothly in the future.