Abstract
Prosody has been emphasised in second language (L2) pedagogy as a strong contribution to successful intercultural communication. As English and Chinese are typologically different languages (Chinese is a syllable-timed language while English a stress-timed language), many differences in stress and rhythmic patterns trouble Chinese learners of English. This study analy s es acoustic speech samples for 13 prosodic features collected from 16 Chinese L2 learners and examines the relative importance of various prosody features on language attitudes that native and non-native English listeners hold towards Chinese-accented speech . The results revealed that Chinese speakers have a relatively slow speech rate and produce more stressed words in their English speech compared with native English speakers. W hen listeners heard long and inappropriate silent pauses in the speech, the integrity rating of the speakers decreased. The speech rate contributed significantly to both attractiveness rating and competence rating. That is , listeners evaluated speakers as more competent and attractive if the latter spoke faster. Keywords : L2 fluency; rhythmic patterns; foreign accent; pronunciation learning; language attitudes DOI: http://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2016-2202-07
Highlights
Understanding the relationship between foreign-accented speech, intelligibility and language attitudes is essential both to theoretical inquiries on the nature of speech perception and to the evaluation of successful communication in everyday contexts
Regarding the space value, Chinese speakers put stress on 66% of words, more than twice as many as British English (BrE) speakers did (32%). These findings suggest that Chinese learners tend to produce significantly more stressed words in their utterances compared with BrE speakers
Consistent with previous studies, the results revealed that Chinese speakers have relatively slow speech rates as compared to British English speakers
Summary
Understanding the relationship between foreign-accented speech, intelligibility and language attitudes is essential both to theoretical inquiries on the nature of speech perception and to the evaluation of successful communication in everyday contexts. Hong Kong is a multilingual and multicultural society, so English communication by non-native English speakers (NNSs) is commonly observed in English as a second language (ESL) classrooms (Cantonese teachers and South Asian students; Cantonese teachers and Mandarin students). The aim of most pronunciation courses at Hong Kong universities is for students to achieve a native-like accent; this goal is strongly supported by the findings of various attitudinal studies, indicating that L2 learners with little noticeable foreign accent in the target language are generally rated more favourably by native speakers (NSs) than learners with a strong foreign accent (Gallois & Callan 1981, Teufel 1995). Only a very small percentage of studentsachieve this ideal goal. Jenkins (2002) claimed that NNSs outnumber NSs globally, so teaching English as an international language (EIL) is more realistic and relevant than
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
