An Acoustic Study of the Stop Consonants in Lettered-Words Produced by Chinese Mandarin Speakers

Abstract

This paper presents key findings from an acoustic study on Chinese Mandarin Speakers’ realization of the stop consonants in lettered-words and the stop consonants in Chinese phrases. The research was conducted through voice recording and analysis of data collected from Chinese Mandarin speakers. Recordings of 2000 overall tokens were collected and analyzed using Praat phonetic software. The mean VOT values obtained from both lettered-words and Chinese phrases were compared and statistically tested using the Independent Samples t-test. The research findings show that first, the stop consonants in lettered-words produced by Chinese Mandarin speakers are all voiceless stop consonants, distinguished as being [+aspirated] and [-aspirated]. Second, the VOT values of [p] [t] [k] in lettered-words are significantly lower than their counterparts in Chinese phrases. Third, the stop consonants in lettered-words have the same stop pattern as those in Chinese phrases. The research presents proof that where there is phonemic similarity (but phonetic dissimilarity) across Chinese Mandarin and English, L1 phonetic properties are strong for Chinese Mandarin speakers to produce lettered-words in L1 environment, which further confirms former scholars’ conviction of mother tongue interference in L2 learning. Similar phonemes in L1 and L2 are realized identically to L1 sounds, and there is significant interference from the speaker’s native language on phonetic properties produced in L2. In addition, the research presents implication for future research that might explore other acoustic features of lettered-words in Chinese Mandarin.