Chinese Learners’ Pronunciation Problems and Listening Difficulties in English Connected Speech

Danxin Liang

doi:10.5539/ass.v11n16p98

Abstract

The study investigated the impact of mother tongue on Chinese EFL learners’ English pronunciation in making connected speech, and the influence of pronunciation on listening comprehension. Fifty university students of English major were assigned to listen to 25 sentences which are spoken in normal speech and include different sound variations. For further analysis, they were required to read the sentences aloud and have their reading recorded in the meantime. The reading results indicated that the subjects’ performance of pronunciation in making connected speech was poor, negatively affected by their mother tongue. The equally disappointing results of the listening test denoted that the subjects’ performance of listening comprehension was positively correlated to their skills of pronunciation. Correspondingly, it is attested that negative transfer of mother tongue would lead to substandard pronunciation of English connected speech and unsatisfactory accomplishment of listening comprehension.

Highlights

Listening and speaking are the language skills closely integrated and simultaneously occurring
Fifty university students of English major were assigned to listen to 25 sentences which are spoken in normal speech and include different sound variations
It is attested that negative transfer of mother tongue would lead to substandard pronunciation of English connected speech and unsatisfactory accomplishment of listening comprehension

Summary

Introduction

Listening and speaking are the language skills closely integrated and simultaneously occurring. One’s intelligible oral output can lead to others’ real-time successful auditory interpretation. Smooth processing of the oral message can in turn foster further communication. Transmission of intelligible verbal message primarily guarantees fluid oral-auditory interaction. The crux of interaction is one’s speaking proficiency. As the fundamental and indivisible part of speaking, pronunciation must be attached weight to. Though nice or native-like pronunciation is not equated with good speaking ability, it is instrumental to better comprehension of oral communication because listeners do depend on perspicuous sounds to promote input processing

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion