Error Analysis of Synonymous Nominal Classifiers in Chinese and Teaching Strategies: Implications for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language

Nominal classifiers in Chinese are numerous and varied in usage, presenting a significant challenge in the teaching of Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL). Among the most pedagogically problematic are synonymous nominal classifiers—those that share overlapping semantic features yet differ in subtle but critical ways. This study investigates the error patterns produced by CFL learners when using synonymous nominal classifiers, drawing on corpus data from the Global Chinese Interlanguage Corpus and the HSK Dynamic Composition Corpus. Sixteen groups of commonly used synonymous nominal classifier sets were identified and systematically analyzed based on the International Chinese Education Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards (2021). Subsequently, five high-error groups were selected for in-depth error analysis: linear classifiers (条/tiáo, 根/gēn, 支/zhī, 道/dào), planar classifiers (片/piàn, 面/miàn, 张/zhāng, 幅/fú), animal individual classifiers (头/tóu, 条/tiáo, 只/zhī, 匹/pǐ), personal individual classifiers (个/gè, 位/wèi, 名/míng, 口/kǒu), and quantitative classifiers (对/duì, 双/shuāng, 副/fù). Four primary error types were identified: collocational misuse, differences in measurement scope, cross-use of overlapping semantic features, and overgeneralization. The underlying causes include negative transfer from the learner's first language, negative transfer from the target language knowledge, cultural interference, and the use of avoidance strategies. Based on these findings, the study proposes pedagogical recommendations targeting teaching methodology, textbook design, and classifier dictionary compilation.