The Effect of English Teaching on the Acquisition of English Vowel System: The Case of Chinese Learners of English from Zhejiang Province in China

Abstract

As an important part of the phonological system, vowel pronunciation receives a lot of attention. Teaching and learning are important parts of a person's English vowel system. It is therefore necessary to examine the current state of students' vowel knowledge and skills and the current state of vowel teaching in order to better guide the teaching of English. This paper focuses on the impact of English language teaching on the English vowel system, using Zhejiang, China as an example. The research study included the collection of pronunciation data from respondents and a linguistic background survey in the form of a questionnaire. Based on the results, it specifically explored the vowel pronunciation of different subgroups (English majors and non-English majors, native speakers and respondents) and the pedagogical causes of the formation of pronunciation characteristics. It has been found that systematic phonics instruction does help students to pronounce vowels correctly, and that instruction does mitigate factors such as negative native language transfer, helping students to develop a vowel system that is closer to that of their native speakers.