L’ICONICITÀ DELL’ORDINE DELLE PAROLE DEL CINESE MODERNO STANDARD. Una tassonomia pedagogica per discenti italofoni

The volume explores syntactic iconicity as a key to understanding and teaching word order in Modern Standard Chinese. Assuming that linear arrangement is not arbitrary but reflects speakers’ conceptualizations, it outlines the main iconic principles governing clause organization, highlighting both their descriptive power and their implications for language pedagogy. Drawing on an analysis of a corpus of learner writing across proficiency levels, it shows how the most recurrent word-order errors stem from violations of specific principles. From this investigation emerges a pedagogical taxonomy that provides teachers and researchers with a practical tool for diagnosing and addressing acquisitional difficulties. In this perspective, grammar is not a set of arbitrary rules but a system motivated by experience: teaching word order thereby promotes accuracy, metalinguistic awareness, and a deeper understanding of Modern Standard Chinese.