Chapter One Introduction
1.1Research Background
如今，英语学习已逐步进入中国基础教育，在许多城市在小学英语教学，以使学生学习英语的早期和法师很好，成功地学习英语，并奠定了基础他们的成功在未来社会中，英语，大学生如何提高英语学习的高级阶段有效地成为一个新兴的问题。传统上，人们一直认为“好”的语言包括精度，确定性和清晰度，和模糊性，模糊性，不精确性，以及不确定性，应避免。然而，歧义之一内在的自然语言的特点，在日常生活中，人们总是用暧昧的话语和话语来传达信息和相互沟通。事实上，含糊不清的语言亘古不变的影响通信对方，正好相反，它是含糊不清，在沟通的过程中起到了积极的作用，它使自然语言显示了强大的实力。例如，你找出一个人，他身材高大，大耳朵，高鼻梁和脂肪的中间人，你可能会发现他很快，但是，如果告诉他准确的高大，他的鼻子的高度，穗长，体重和年龄，你可能会发现，他的困难。Nowadays, English learning has gradually into the fundamental education in China, English teachingwere included in the primary school in many cities, in order to make the student to learn English early andmaster it well, to learn English successfully , and to lay a foundation for their success in the future society，as the advanced stage of English, college students how to improve English learning effectively is becomingan emergent issue.Traditionally, people always believe that ‘good’ language includes precision, certainty and clarity, andambiguity, vagueness, imprecision, as well as uncertainty should be avoided. However, ambiguity is one ofthe intrinsic characteristics of natural language, In daily life, people always use ambiguous words andutterances to convey information and communicate with each other. In fact, the ambiguity of language doesnot affect the communication each other, just oppositely, it is the ambiguity plays a active role in theprocess of communication, it makes the natural language show the strong strength. For example, havingyou to find out a person, he is the tall, big ear, high nose and fat middle-man, you may find out him quickly,however, if be told his accurate tall, the height of his nose, the ear length, the weight and the age, you mayfind out him difficultly.
在日常沟通中，它可能会出现的一些模棱两可的话。美国语言学家琼斯说。“我们所有的人，当我们说话或写作时，我们经常使用的语言和方法不精确，模棱两可和难以界定。但是，这并不妨碍使用的话，我们都是有用的，必要的。例如，在莎士比亚的著名悲剧“哈姆雷特”，哈姆雷特的著名独白：“要，或不被”关于暧昧的语言是典型的例子。如果莎士比亚写道：“嗯，这是很难的，你知道。我想不通，如果我要杀死自己或不是“，明显的表现力要少得多。恩格斯在“自然辩证法”中说：“辩证法不知道的绝对差异和固定边界，不知道是无条件的普遍有效性的'非此即彼！它使固定的形而上学的差异互相过渡，除了'非此即彼！“并在适当情况下，承认“亦此亦彼！ “这是模糊理论的基础。 （伍铁平引用）。暧昧的语言是非常重要的，在我们的生活中。国外还是在国内的许多研究也表明，歧义实际上是呈现开放了大量的语言使用，并作为一个完整的理论语言生活的不可分割的组成部分，模糊。In the daily communication, it may appear a number of ambiguous words. American linguist Jonessaid. “all of us, when we speak or write, we often use the language and methods imprecision, ambiguousand difficult to define. But this does not prevent the words we use are useful, and necessary. For example,in Shakespeare's famous tragedy "Hamlet ", Hamlet’s famous monologues: “To be, or not to be” is thetypical example about ambiguous language. If Shakespeare wrote it as” Well, it’s hard, you know. I can’tfigure out if I should kill myself or not “, obvious the expressive power is much less.Engels said in "Dialectics of Nature " : “Dialectics do not know the absolutely difference and fixedboundary, do not know the unconditional general validity of the 'either-or! It makes fixed metaphysicaldifferences transition each other, in addition to 'either-or!' and, where appropriate, recognition of 'He alsovital! “This is the basis of fuzzy theories. (cite from Wu Tieping). The ambiguous language is veryimportant in our life. Many studies abroad or at home have also suggested that ambiguity is actually appearin a great deal of language use, and that ambiguity as an integral component about a complete theory oflanguage.
Thus, ambiguity is the nature of language. Just as LA.Zadeh said:” in the real world, most categories isambiguous we encountered, Some just a little fuzzy, Some are significantly blurred, because of thischaracteristics of natural language, ambiguity become the topic can not be avoided of linguistics research”(cite from Ying yan).when learning English, because of English and Chinese belong to two different categories of languagesystems, during learning English, Chinese college students must confront and have confronted languageambiguity and uncertainty whether in pronunciation, word and phrase or syntax and so on. Learners areoverwhelmed with new information that must be handled, absorbed and related to existing knowledge.Unfortunately, the structure, the vocabulary, the phonological and phonetic elements of the two languagesdo not relate one-to-one. Then the learners would encounter a large number of apparently inconsistent orambiguous information: lexical items that different from the native language, rules that not only differ butthat are internally contradictory due to certain “exception”, and the whole English cultural system that isdifferent from that of the native culture. Given the complexities of English learning: information difference,unexpected language and conditions, new cultural rules, and substantial imprecision, it makes tolerance ofambiguity is the key to success in language learning.
Chapter Two Literature Review
2.1 Studies on Tolerance of Ambiguity
The study of TOA is beginning of the study of ITOA by American psychologist Frenkel-Brunswik in1949, he proposed that ITOA resorted to black-white decision, it drew a conclusion immediately andexcluded the ideas uncertain or imprecision. He believed that the learners’ ITOA were not willing to thinkthe multiple-possibility to question, instead of, they were willing to handle the problem with the certainanswer. Thus, TOA embodies the one’s personality trait. So to define TOA is considerable as it relates withpsychological working, therefore, it can not be directly observed and can only be inferred from what oneactually does. Fortunately, the field of psychology provides us with vision and theoretical framework forprobing this concept. When we try to define TOA, we are encountered with two double tasks: to determinewhat tolerance is and to interpret the meaning of ambiguity. McLain (1993) supposed that tolerancesuggested “begrudging acceptance” whereas intolerance suggested “rejection” and added that tolerance“extended along a continuum from rejection to attraction”. This definition seems rather ambiguous and itreflects the elusive character intrinsic in the term “tolerance”.To define ambiguity is also not easy. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English WithChinese Translation defines ambiguity as “n”:1.a double meaning, either deliberate or caused byinexactness of expression. 2. an expression able to be interpreted in more than one way
Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines ambiguous as “adj: 1. doubtful or uncertain, inexplicable;2. capable of being understood in two or more possible senses.”（cite from Luo Jing）In fact, in English, there are a number of words that can express the concept of “ambiguity”, such asvague, uncertain, fuzzy, indefinite, inexplicit, indefinable, undefined, indeterminate, undecided, indistinctand so on. Throughout the whole paper, in order to be conform to the term ‘tolerance of ambiguity’, theword “ambiguity” is used to cover all the concepts mentioned above and replace all of them.Since ambiguity is one of the intrinsic characteristics of natural language, humans must deal with it.Due to the TOA is related to one’s psychological and cognitively and emotional state, inpiduals appeardifferent levels of tolerance or intolerance in English learning, higher tolerance or lower tolerance toambiguous situations. Hence, what is of importance is the way an inpidual reacts to an ambiguousstimulus, how he/she explains it and how he/she psychologically and cognitively deals with it. Whenambiguous situations were assessed by the inpidual as “desirable”, he/she was characterized as tolerance of ambiguity(Budner, 1962).
Chapter Three Theoretical Foundations........... 28-34
3.1 Krashen’s Input Hypothesis Theory.........28-29
3.2 Swain’s Output Hypothesis Theory......... 29-31
3.3 Learning Styles Theory.........31-34
Chapter Four Research Design .........34-39
4.1 Research Questions......... 34
4.2 Subjects .........34
4.3 Research Instruments .........34-35
4.3.1 Questionnaire .........35
4.3.2 Listening Comprehension Paper......... 35
4.4 Procedures .........35-37
4.5 Data Collection and Analysis .........37-39
Chapter Five Findings and Discussion......... 39-48
5.1 the Correlation Between TOA and Listening Comprehension......... 39-40
5.2 the Differences in Listening Comprehension Achievement......... 40-45
5.3 Results and Discussions from the Correlation Studies......... 45-48
Conclusion
Although great efforts have been made to assure the reliability and validity of the present investigation,limitations are inevitable. First, the subjects of this study are only limited to the 110 students from onefaculties in Gansu Agricultural University. It would be better to expand the sample to include students fromvarious faculties and universities, as a bigger and more perse sample group might be more persuasive.Second, questionnaires are chosen as the tool for the present study, which is made to be a quantitative one.Yet, qualitative research as interviews, observation may help to provide a more comprehensive result. Andlistening comprehension test are chosen only one of the CET4 papers, this paper include only the implied idea questions and specific detail questions, lack of other question types, therefore, this is a limitations.Third, the subjects' personal subjective factors are out of the control of the investigator while investigationis carried out. We are not ensure whether the subjects' answer to the questionnaires is exactly consistentwith their most authentic opinions, as subjects' questionnaires completion process may be influenced bytheir physical conditions, their mood and even their personality and the environment surrounding them
Although tentative answers have been made to a few questions in correlation between tolerance ofambiguity and listening comprehension, further investigations in related field are still desirable. Furtherstudies may go to the following orientations:
1) The relationship between tolerance of ambiguity and listening strategies and skills training, such ashow to improve learners' tolerance of ambiguity through TOA-oriented listening strategies and skillstraining;
2) The correlations between tolerance of ambiguity and other language learning skills, especially theproductive ones as speaking and writing;
3) To investigate the possible sources of TOA differences between male group and female group,between efficient listeners and ineffective listeners;
4) To find and help overcome the student's cognitive blocks.
References
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