Cai, WeiZhang, Jiafan2022-12-192022-12-192022-12-13Zhang, J. (2022). Comprehension of implied meaning in Chinese second language listening (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.http://hdl.handle.net/1880/115601https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/40535Listening comprehension is a crucial skill for second language (L2) communication and acquisition. However, listening has received less attention than reading given the transient nature of speech signals and the intangible cognitive processes involved in it. The current study investigates how Chinese L2 learners deal with implied meanings in listening comprehension and whether heritage language affects the comprehension of implied meanings. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected by means of an implied meaning test and stimulated recall interviews. 22 heritage and 24 non-heritage Chinese learners participated in this study. Results show that Chinese L2 learners in this study have good abilities in understanding implied meanings in listening and that heritage learner outperformed non-heritage language learners in the comprehension of implied meanings. Learners in this study used various clues to different extents to deduce implied meanings in listening. The most frequently used clue is semantics. Results show both similarities and differences in the use of clues by heritage and non-heritage learners. The results also indicate that background knowledge and semantic clues are positively related to the accuracy in comprehending implied meanings. Pedagogical implications are provided in light of the findings of the study.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Chinese listeningImplied meaningsHeritage languageNon-heritage languageEducationEducation--Bilingual and MulticulturalLanguageLiteraturemaster thesis