Linguistic Analysis of Chinese Language Usage in Face-to-Face versus Virtual Communication: Insights from Non-native and Native Chinese Speakers

In the contemporary educational landscape, the prevalence of online and face-to-face (F2F) teaching, along with the advancement of blended teaching as a pivotal force in educational reform, has transformed the learning environment. However, the nuances between these two instructional modes remain insufficiently explored. This study employs an experimental task, leveraging certain linguistic parameters from narrative analysis, to quantitatively assess the oral expression abilities of 40 learners of Chinese as a second language and 40 native Chinese speakers, both in online settings and in F2F settings. The study compares oral performance in online versus F2F interactions and investigates how varying linguistic backgrounds influence language parameters. Findings indicate that different communication styles have varying impacts on diverse language parameters, and the influence of communication mode on performance is more pronounced among native speakers. F2F interviews exhibit superior oral performance compared to online interviews, as evidenced by fewer repetitions and hesitations, a lower total number of characters and sentences, and greater communicative efficiency. The implications of this study are far-reaching, including the optimization of teaching by effectively integrating online and F2F methods, emphasizing practical and contextually relevant instruction for non-native learners, and incorporating communication efficiency as a crucial metric in teaching evaluation frameworks.