Chapter published in:
English Pronunciation Instruction: Research-based insightsEdited by Anastazija Kirkova-Naskova, Alice Henderson and Jonás Fouz-González
[AILA Applied Linguistics Series 19] 2021
► pp. 255–278
Chapter 11Acquisition of English onset consonant clusters by L1 Chinese
speakers
Yulia Lavitskaya | Saint Petersburg State University
Antonina Zagorodniuk | Saint Petersburg State University
The present study investigates the syllable
modification processes used by L1 Chinese speakers in producing
English two-consonant onset clusters. The results show greater
pronunciation accuracy for combinations of fricative+liquid,
followed by voiceless stop+liquid and voiced stop+liquid clusters.
The findings suggest two sources contributing to production errors:
L1 influence and coarticulation effects. Transfer from Chinese is
manifested in the systematic devoicing of the initial voiced
consonant and vowel epenthesis. We argue that a hierarchy of
production difficulty is motivated phonetically. This chapter also
examines the pedagogical implications of our findings, helping EFL
teachers to better understand the source of cluster
mispronunciations. Finally, we present teaching techniques which
should lead Chinese learners of English to acquire consonant
clusters more effectively.
Keywords: L2 phonology, English consonant clusters, Chinese learners of English, language transfer, coarticulation effects, L2 pronunciation teaching
Article outline
- Introduction
- The present study
- The acquisition of English syllable structure by L1 Chinese speakers
- Research questions
- Research methodology
- Stimulus materials
- Participants
- Procedure
- Data analysis and results
- Discussion of results and key findings
- Pedagogical implications
- Phase 1.Familiarisation with initial consonant clusters
- Phase 2.Contrasting and discrimination of initial consonant clusters
- Phase 3.Follow-up practice
- Conclusions
-
Notes -
References
Published online: 13 October 2021
https://doi.org/10.1075/aals.19.11lav
https://doi.org/10.1075/aals.19.11lav
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