Korean-speaking Learners’ Production of Mandarin Non-low Back Vowels

Abstract

Vowels are the main components of Chinese syllables, and in order to produce standard Chinese pronunciation, it is essential to accurately distinguish the pronunciation of vowel variants under different conditions. Korean-speaking learners often struggle with differentiating Chinese non-low back vowels, leading to pronunciation errors. Through Praat speech analysis of formant values for the pronunciation of Chinese non-low back vowels by six participants, Korean L2 Chinese speakers and L1 Chinese speakers’ vowel spaces were compared. It was found that the distinction between /ʅ / and /ɿ / was not very clear, with both vowels overall shifting closer to /i /. In terms of /u / and /o / pronunciation, Korean L2 Chinese speakers differentiated these two vowels mainly based on the value of F2, whereas L1 Chinese speakers primarily distinguished them by the difference in F1 values, indicating variations in tongue height. Furthermore, the F1 and F3 values for /ɣ / were higher for Korean L2 Chinese speakers, suggesting an incorrect interpretation of /ɣ / as a front vowel with slightly higher tongue position, whereas it should align closely with /o / in terms of height.