Intonation Patterns of Chinese EFL Learners and Their Correlation with Holistic Prosody Ratings

Abstract

Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners often face challenges when acquiring intonation skills. This study employed AM theory as the theoretical framework and utilized the Tone and Break Indices (ToBI) labeling system to analyze 29 recordings of first-year English major female students enrolled at a university in China. The aim is to examine the intonation patterns exhibited by these learners and explore their correlation with prosody ratings. The findings revealed that H*, L+H*, and L* were the most commonly observed pitch accent types among Chinese EFL learners. Furthermore, the L tone predominated in phrase accents and boundary tones, while the prevalent intonation pattern in intonation phrase boundaries was identified as the L-L% pattern. The study also identified negative correlations between the proportion of L* and the proportion of L-, as well as between prosody ratings and phrase accent density, and between prosody ratings and the proportion of L*. These findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge on intonation acquisition and hold significant implications for language pedagogy.