Acquisition of L2 Mandarin Chinese tones with learner-created tone visualizations
This paper reports on a study of 35 Mandarin Chinese learners who (1) created pitch curves of their spoken word tones and (2) compared their pitch curves with those of native speakers while practicing pronunciation. Following a pretest, the learners received training for 20–25 minutes weekly over nine weeks and took a posttest. Two types of data analyses were performed. First, native speakers of Mandarin auditorily rated the pretests and posttests. The ratings revealed that learners’ pronunciation of tones improved between pretest and posttest. Second, acoustic analyses of the learners’ recordings were conducted, and the learners’ production was compared with that of native speakers. Results indicated that students’ pronunciation of some tones improved in the posttest. The postsurveys indicated that two-thirds of the participants found viewing pitch curves helpful. This study confirms previous research but suggests that acoustic analyses complement auditory analyses with more precise indications of L2 learners’ tonal difficulties.
Keywords: tone acquisition, pronunciation, open source software, acoustic analysis, visualization
Published online: 30 March 2015
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.1.1.04chu
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.1.1.04chu
Cited by
Cited by 16 other publications
Chun, Dorothy M.
2017.
In The Handbook of Technology and Second Language Teaching and Learning,
► pp. 393 ff. 
Chun, Dorothy M.
2019.
In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics,
► pp. 1 ff.
Godfroid, Aline, Chin-Hsi Lin & Catherine Ryu
2017. Hearing and Seeing Tone Through Color: An Efficacy Study of Web-Based, Multimodal Chinese Tone Perception Training.
Language Learning 67:4 ► pp. 819 ff.
Hassanzadeh, Mohammad & Mohammad Javad Salehizadeh
2020. Focus on form options in second language pronunciation instruction: The case of lexical stress.
TESOL Journal 11:2
Jiang, Yan
2017. Examining the auditory approach: Lexical effects in the perceptual judgment of Chinese L2 tone production.
Chinese as a Second Language Research 6:2 ► pp. 225 ff.
Levis, John M.
2018.
In Intelligibility, Oral Communication, and the Teaching of Pronunciation,
Levis, John M.
2018. Plenary talk.
Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 4:2 ► pp. 260 ff.
Levis, John M.
2018. Technology and second language pronunciation.
Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 4:2 ► pp. 173 ff.
Levis, John M.
2019. Teaching-oriented research.
Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 5:1 ► pp. 1 ff.
Nguyen Van, Nhi, Son Luu Xuan, Iurii Lezhenin, Natalia Bogach, Evgeny Pyshkin, D. Roy, G. Fragulis & H.A. Cantu Campos
2021. Adopting StudyIntonation CAPT Tools to Tonal Languages Through the Example of Vietnamese.
SHS Web of Conferences 102 ► pp. 01007 ff.
O’Brien, Mary Grantham
2021. Ease and Difficulty in L2 Pronunciation Teaching: A Mini-Review.
Frontiers in Communication 5
O’Brien, Mary Grantham, Tracey M. Derwing, Catia Cucchiarini, Debra M. Hardison, Hansjörg Mixdorff, Ron I. Thomson, Helmer Strik, John M. Levis, Murray J. Munro, Jennifer A. Foote & Greta Muller Levis
2018. Directions for the future of technology in pronunciation research and teaching.
Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 4:2 ► pp. 182 ff.
WIENER, SETH, MARJORIE K. M. CHAN & KIWAKO ITO
2020. Do Explicit Instruction and High Variability Phonetic Training Improve Nonnative Speakers’ Mandarin Tone Productions?.
The Modern Language Journal 104:1 ► pp. 152 ff.
Wiener, Seth, Kiwako Ito & Shari R. Speer
2021. EFFECTS OF MULTITALKER INPUT AND INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD ON THE DIMENSION-BASED STATISTICAL LEARNING OF SYLLABLE-TONE COMBINATIONS.
Studies in Second Language Acquisition 43:1 ► pp. 155 ff.
Yang, Bei & Nuoyi Yang
2019. Development of disyllabic tones in different learning contexts.
International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 57:2 ► pp. 205 ff.
Zhang, Yuping, Jun Li, Shuang Song, Twila Tardif, Margit Burmeister, Sandra M. Villafuerte, Mengmeng Su, Catherine McBride, Hua Shu & Kevin Paterson
2016. Association of DCDC2 Polymorphisms with Normal Variations in Reading Abilities in a Chinese Population.
PLOS ONE 11:4 ► pp. e0153603 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 11 january 2022. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
References
References
Boersma, P., & Weenink, D.
(2014) Praat: Doing phonetics by computer [Computer program]. Version 5.3.77, retrieved 18 May 2014 from http://www.praat.org/
Chan, M.K.M.
(2003) The digital age and speech technology. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, 38(2), 49–86.
Chun, D.M., Jiang, Y., & Ávila, N.
(2013) Visualization of tone for learning Mandarin Chinese. In J. Levis & K. LeVelle (Eds.), Proceedings of the 4th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference. Aug 2012 (pp. 77–89). Ames, IA: Iowa State University.
Guo, L., & Tao, L.
(2008) Tone production in Mandarin Chinese by American students: A case study. In M.K.M. Chan & H. Kang (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20 North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics, (pp. 123–138). Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University.
Hao, Y-C.
(2012) Second language acquisition of Mandarin Chinese tones by tonal and nontonal language speakers. Journal of Phonetics, 40, 269–279.
Hardison, D.M.
(2004) Generalization of computer-assisted prosody training: Quantitative and qualitative findings. Language Learning & Technology, 8, 34–52.
He, Y., & Wayland, R.
(2010) The production of Mandarin coarticulated tones by inexperienced and experienced English speakers of Mandarin. Speech Prosody 2010 Conference Proceedings 100123:1–4.
Levis, J., & Pickering, L.
(2004) Teaching intonation in discourse using speech visualization technology. System 32(4), 505–524.
Miracle, W.C.
(1989) Tone production of American students of Chinese: A preliminary acoustic study. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers’ Association, 24, 49–65.
Molholt, G., & Hwu, F.
(2008) Visualization of speech patterns for language learning. In V.M. Holland & F.P. Fisher (Eds.), The path of speech technologies in computer assisted language learning (pp. 91–122). New York, NY: Routledge.
Shen, X-N.S.
(1989) Toward a register approach in teaching Mandarin tones. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers’ Association, 24(3), 27–47.
Sun, S.H.
(1998) The development of a lexical tone phonology in American adult learners of Standard Mandarin Chinese. Honolulu, HI: Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Center.
Wang, X.
(2008) Training for learning Mandarin tones. In F. Zhang & B. Barker (Eds.), Computer enhanced language acquisition and learning (pp. 259–273). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
(2012) Auditory and visual training on Mandarin tones: A pilot study on phrases and sentences. International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching, 2(2), 16–29.
Wang, Y., Jongman, A., & Sereno, J.A.
(2003) Acoustic and perceptual evaluation of Mandarin tone productions before and after perceptual training. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 113(2), 1033–1043.
Wang, Y., Sereno, J., & Jongman, A.
(2006) Second language acquisition and processing of Mandarin tone. In P. Li, L.H. Tan, E. Bates, & O.J.L. Tzeng (Eds.), Handbook of East Asian psycholinguistics (Vol. 1: Chinese). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.