Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.53> Article
Research Article

Syntactic Priming in L2 Chinese: A Comprehensive Review of Influencing Factors

Lu LiZhejiang Normal University*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Syntactic priming—the reuse of a recently encountered sentence pattern—offers a practical window on how learners assemble form and meaning. Although the phenomenon is well documented for Indo-European languages, evidence for Chinese as a second language (CSL) is comparatively thin and uneven. This review synthesizes prior empirical work on CSL and traces how priming effects vary with learner proficiency, the complexity of target constructions, discourse position, and properties of input, including modality and frequency. Taken together, the studies suggest that priming is not a uniform boost: it scales with proficiency, interacts with constructional difficulty, and depends on where and how forms appear in context. Pedagogically, these patterns argue for proficiency-sensitive task design and for calibrating input modality and dose to consolidate specific structures rather than relying on generic practice. The review also points to gaps—limited observation in naturalistic settings and few designs that examine interactions among factors—that constrain broader claims. Extending research to ecologically richer environments and testing cross-factor dependencies would sharpen both theoretical accounts of CSL production and classroom applications.

Keywords: syntactic priming; Chinese as a second language; learner proficiency; input modality; frequency
Published: April 7, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.21760
Volume: CHR Vol.53
pp. 46-50
Download PDF

References

  1. Yang, J., & Zhang, Y. (2007). Sentence production in syntactic priming. Advances in Psychological Science, 15(2), 200-210.
  2. Zhu, H., Zheng, H., Jin, Z., & Mo, L. (2009). An experimental study on syntactic priming effects in oral sentences of Chinese children aged 4-6. Psychological Science, 32(4), 876-879.10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.2009.04.033
  3. Branigan, H. P., Stewart, A. J., & Pickering, M. J. (1998). Is syntactic priming a two-way effect? Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, (20), 1-6.
  4. Liu, M., & Zhang, X. (2013). An Investigation of Chinese University Students’ Foreign Language Anxiety and English Learning Motivation. English Linguistics Research, 2, 1.
  5. Li, J. (2018). A comparative study of syntactic priming effects among elementary and intermediate-advanced Chinese learners. Beijing Foreign Studies University.
  6. Lv, J., & Yan, Y. (2023).Syntactic priming effects of Chinese verb-copying sentences from the perspective of second language production.Chinese Language Learning.(03),84-94.
  7. Zha, Y., & Wu, S. (2014). An experimental study on syntactic priming effects in Chinese.Language Teaching and Research. (01),13-19.
  8. Yu, Z., & Zhang, Q. (2020).The influence of syntactic structure and verb repetition on syntactic priming effects in Chinese spoken sentence production.Acta Psychologica Sinica, 52(2), 283-294. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1041.2020.00283
  9. Feng, L., & Gao, C. (2020). The influence of input methods and discourse position on syntactic priming effects in Chinese second language learners. Language Teaching and Research.( 04),37-48.
  10. Mahowald, K., James, A., Futrell, R., & Gibson, E. (2016). A meta-analysis of syntactic priming in language production. Journal of Memory and Language, 91, 5-27.10.1016/j.jml.2016.03.009