Acquisition Of English Pronunciation Research Articles

Language Teaching Optimization: Enhancing the Distinction Between /i:/ and // for Second Language Learners

One of the biggest challenges encountered by second language learners is to accurately differentiate between the two vowels in English: /i:/ and //, which play an important role in everyday communication and are crucial for clear transmission of information and effective communication due to their high functional load (FL). Therefore, the paper aims to gain a more profound understanding of the difficulties learners encounter in distinguishing these vowels, with the hope of providing them with more effective learning strategies and methods. In this paper, seven English majors and seven non-English majors were selected as the study participants using an empirical research method, and audio data on the participants' pronunciation of words containing /i:/ and // were collected using a recording device and analyzed using Praat. The results indicates that both groups frequently lacked an understanding of the distinctive pronunciation characteristics of these vowels, which resulted in instances of pronunciation confusion or inaccuracy. Moreover, it proposes suggestions for enhancing teaching strategies: the integration of audio and visual teaching resources and the implementation of targeted pronunciation exercises can facilitate the acquisition of English pronunciation, thereby enhancing the accuracy and fluency of their spoken English and their performance in English communication.

Language Teaching Optimization: Enhancing the Distinction Between /i:/ and // for Second Language Learners

One of the biggest challenges encountered by second language learners is to accurately differentiate between the two vowels in English: /i:/ and //, which play an important role in everyday communication and are crucial for clear transmission of information and effective communication due to their high functional load (FL). Therefore, the paper aims to gain a more profound understanding of the difficulties learners encounter in distinguishing these vowels, with the hope of providing them with more effective learning strategies and methods. In this paper, seven English majors and seven non-English majors were selected as the study participants using an empirical research method, and audio data on the participants' pronunciation of words containing /i:/ and // were collected using a recording device and analyzed using Praat. The results indicates that both groups frequently lacked an understanding of the distinctive pronunciation characteristics of these vowels, which resulted in instances of pronunciation confusion or inaccuracy. Moreover, it proposes suggestions for enhancing teaching strategies: the integration of audio and visual teaching resources and the implementation of targeted pronunciation exercises can facilitate the acquisition of English pronunciation, thereby enhancing the accuracy and fluency of their spoken English and their performance in English communication.

Phonetic Transfer of Teochew Dialect to English Pronunciation Acquisition

The transfer of phonological features in the first language to second language pronunciation during the process of second language acquisition has long been attested. A great majority of studies analyze the negative transfer from Chinese to English, yet few focus on Chinese dialects transfer to English. This paper aims to summarize the previous studies on Teochew phonological transfer to English acquisition, including consonant transfer, vowel transfer, and tonal transfer. Under the framework of Language Transfer Theory and Contrastive Analysis Hypotheses, research gaps and possible research directions for future studies will be put forward. This paper shows that phonetic transfer occurs in Teochew-speaking groups learning English, influenced by the dialects consonants, vowels and likely tones. Further research should explore transfer causes across different age groups and test classroom phonetic correction methods for Teochew-speaking English learners.

A Review of the Influence of Wu Dialect on English Pronunciation Acquisition

The Wu dialect is widely spoken in Wu-speaking regions of China, which covers a considerable number of English learners. However, the phonetic system of the Wu dialect differs significantly from that of English, which greatly affects the English learning process of Wu-speaking learners, thus attracting numerous researchers to conduct related studies. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of research on the influence of Wu dialect on English phonological learning over the past two decades and presents a selection of twenty-seven papers to explore the theoretical framework, the research methodology, and the specific impacts encountered by English language learners who speak Wu dialect. Among them, the theoretical discussion centered on language transfer theory, Fleges Speech Learning Model and Bests Perceptual Assimilation Model; the research methodology consisted of qualitative analysis and empirical study; and the focus was placed on positive and negative transfer effects, i.e., the challenges posed by the absence or presence of phonological differences in the Wu dialect to the learners of English. The findings reveal significant segmental and suprasegmental influences in English pronunciation acquisition, with segmental challenges including differentiation of consonants and incomplete articulation of vowels, and suprasegmental challenges including stress placement, intonation patterns, and phonological rhythm. In addition, the discussion highlights the need for more empirical studies to supplement qualitative analyses, the consideration of regional variations within Wu dialect, and the exploration of teaching strategies informed by research findings. Therefore, the paper advocates for future research focusing on regional differences, deeper exploration of suprasegmental influences, integration of research into teaching practices, and diversified research methods.

Common Pronunciation Errors among Vietnamese Learners of English from Phonological Perspectives

This study investigates the phonological challenges encountered by Vietnamese learners of English and explores the strategies employed to address these challenges. A mixed-methods approach was employed, comprising a quantitative survey administered to 152 participants and semi-structured interviews conducted with a subset of 7 participants. Quantitative analysis of survey data revealed perceived difficulty levels for various phonological aspects of English pronunciation, with reconciling spelling and pronunciation emerging as the most challenging aspect. Qualitative interviews provided deeper insights into learners' experiences, highlighting additional phonological challenges such as distinguishing between vowel sounds and mastering intonation patterns. Participants reported employing a range of strategies, including regular practice, utilization of resources, and participation in interactive learning experiences, to address pronunciation difficulties. The implications of this research are twofold. Firstly, it contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the complexities surrounding English pronunciation learning among Vietnamese learners. Secondly, the identified strategies offer valuable insights for language teaching and support. Educators can tailor their teaching approaches to address the specific phonological challenges highlighted in this study, fostering more effective English pronunciation acquisition among Vietnamese learners. Additionally, the findings underscore the importance of providing diverse learning resources and opportunities for interactive practice to enhance pronunciation skills. These implications not only enrich our understanding of language acquisition processes but also have practical implications for educators, curriculum developers, and language learners alike.

Error Analysis of English Pronunciation Acquisition by Chinese Non-English Majors

Chinese non-English majors are a large group of English learners. In the process of English pronunciationacquisition, issues such as incomplete phonological knowledge, transfer of mother tongue, and overgeneralization, lead to confusion of phonemes and stress, misunderstanding of syllable structure, and errors of assimilation, drop, and epenthesis. The accuracy of English pronunciation can only be improved by knowing both English and Chinese phonological systems, strengthening the teaching of English phonological knowledge, and adopting various phonological training activities.

The Influence of Stress Position on English Vowel Pronunciation and Its Significance for Phonological Acquisition of Chinese Students

Pronunciation is an important part of English learning. Vowel pronunciation, in particular, is an obstacle that learners often encounter. Various literature and experiments have suggested that when Chinese students learn English, they often make pronunciation deviations or errors because of the differences between their native vowels and English vowel pronunciation. Therefore, it is of far-reaching significance to study the influence of the position of stress in words on the pronunciation of English vowels. The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of the position of stress in words on the pronunciation of English vowels, and to apply the results to the acquisition of English pronunciation by Chinese students. Through data and information analysis, a method is expected to be found to improve the quality of English pronunciation acquisition, and provide theoretical and practical support for English teaching. The results of this study show that the stress position in a word has a certain influence on the pronunciation of English vowels, and the pronunciation of vowels in different positions is obviously different, through which practical suggestions for Chinese students' English pronunciation acquisition can be provided, such as more targeted training for different vowel pronunciation.

The Influence of Chinese Dialect on English Pronunciation Acquisition: Evidence from Liaoning Accent as An Example

It is universally known that people are always affected by their mother tongue during the process of second language acquisition (SLA), especially in the aspect of speaking. In the circumstance that there are huge differences between the two languages, the accent of L1 will be transferred into L2 unconsciously by the learners. Chinese EFL learners can be deemed as one of the typical examples. There are varieties of accents in each province or region of China; hence the learners usually speak English in the way of their dialects pronunciation. This article found the following problems by analyzing the questionnaire: the Liaoning learners are prone to adding rhotic sound and pronounce it clearly at each word; they are used to add stress in the end of sentences; also, they are more likely to speak fast so that some vowel may be ignored. And all these phenomena are generated because these features exist in the Liaoning accent itself, and they are negatively transferred into the English speaking.

A Study on English Phonetic Acquisition from the Perspective of Transfer Theory

English, as an international lingual Franca, has become one of the most widely-used languages in the world. Mastering English doesn't just mean getting information from all over the world; it also means communicating and expressing yourself with people from different cultural backgrounds. So far, EFL has received much attention in many counties. As an indispensable part of language acquisition, pronunciation learning should be valued at the beginning of foreign language study, for example, the kindergarten stage. This paper aims to illustrate the negative transfer of the mother tongue on English pronunciation acquisition from the segmental and suprasegmental aspects. Based on the studies and analysis, it hopes to inspire teachers to arouse awareness of the differences between English and Chinese pronunciation among learners, making students acquire native-like pronunciation actively and positively. It’s suggested that EFL learners can their pronunciation and intonation through practice.

A Transformation of Oral English Teaching Method in the Network Environment

In order to effectually improve the application effect of the existing oral English teaching methods, this paper studies the conversion of effective oral English teaching methods under the network environment, aiming at the application problems, such as the flexibility of the current education platform. We build an effective oral English teaching platform which is comprised of oral English perception processing module, oral English pronunciation acquisition program module, oral English pronunciation preprocessing module, and oral English pronunciation error detection modeling module. We establish the information technology teaching objectives of the effective oral English teaching model on this basis. This research work is focused on the study of the output driven input-facilitated college oral English teaching model in oral English classroom. It is performed to realize the transformation of effective oral English teaching methods under the network environment. The experimental results show that the transformation effect of the effective teaching method of oral English, under the designed network environment, is better as compared to the existing work. The error detection rate in the proposed methodology reaches up to 98.6%, which is significantly higher than the results obtained by researchers in their existing work. The proposed method has obvious application advantages.

IDENTIFYING AND OVERCOMING CHALLENGES IN TEACHING AND LEARNING PRONUNCIATION IN AN EFL CLASS: AN EXPERIENCE FROM CAMEROON

Purpose: There are still gaps in knowledge with regard to reliable research-based information on what works and what does not work in pronunciation teaching. This gap can be filled by increased academic research on this topic, especially from other teachers’ experiences and practices. This paper investigates some factors hindering the English as a Foreign Language learner (EFL) learners’ acquisition of English pronunciation and reviews issues with English pronunciation instruction from a teacher’s perceived challenges.
 Methodology: The setting that defines the EFL learner is presented in a case study of an institution of Higher learning, Prepavogt in Yaounde. The participants are 51 students who are in the first year of their studies in a Management and Finance department. Data was collected through observation and analyses of audio tape recordings of students’ oral productions as part of a pre-test and post-test TOEFL examination preparation during the 2020/2021 academic year. Textual data representation is favored as the objective was to supplement qualitative statements with some data.
 Findings: The findings reveal the factors that affect the students ease of learning pronunciation. These emanated from factors such as the novelty in exposure to the practice of phonetics, the influence of mother tongue, and lack of interest. Segmental features; such as vowels, consonants and suprasegmental features like intonation and stress were all identified as posing serious problems that affected intelligibility. From the pre-test to the post-test, observed individual student improvement are indicators that the teaching strategies, coupled with the supporting audio-visual material, were successful in arousing students’ interest, and developing improved pronunciation. 
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: With the popular decry of how pronunciation skills training are done in secondary schools, which have been proven to be unhelpful, this study demonstrates that appropriate target and focused teaching with supporting equipment, and teacher motivation is needed to train for effective and intelligible standard pronunciation in English among the Cameroonian EFL learners.

The Role of a Pronunciation LMOOC in Higher Education Studies

This paper examines the creation and running of the Language MOOC (LMOOC) “The Acquisition of English Pronunciation through Songs and Literary Texts” (1st ed.) and its effects on the proficiency rates of English pronunciation of a group of Spanish speakers registered in the Degree in English Studies offered at the Distance Learning University in Spain (UNED). The LMOOC included a new approach to phonetics teaching and learning based on the stress and rhythmic patterns of literary and music forms. It was offered as voluntary, complementary material to the 640 students registered on the second-year compulsory course on English Pronunciation. The results of a final oral exam showed that the students who took the LMOOC did much better in their oral production than those who only worked with the regular course materials. The LMOOC allowed us to investigate a reversed methodology to phonetics teaching, from rhythmic patterns to sounds, which proved to be highly beneficial to the students of higher education programs with a relevant impact on their pronunciation competences and skills. These findings also suggested that using an implicit methodology to phonetics teaching based on poems and songs is a good complement to explicit learning.

Negative Transfer of Zhangshu Dialect in Jiangxi Province to High School Students’ Acquisition of English Pronunciation

Negative Transfer of Zhangshu Dialect in Jiangxi Province to High School Students’ Acquisition of English Pronunciation

Developing a Pronunciation Computer Program for the Acquisition of English Phonemes and Word Stress

This study devised a pronunciation computer program to examine whether mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) could facilitate college students’ acquisition of English phonemes and word stress. Thirty-eight participants enrolled in the remedial English class offered at the language center of a national technological university in central Taiwan. Before the class, they were asked to read a word list. In the following six weeks, they were taught to distinguish and articulate English phonemes and to predict word stress locations using the designed computer program. They were also instructed to review the learning materials using the smart-phone version of the devised program. After the teaching session, each participant was asked again to read the same word list and fill out an assessment questionnaire. The sound analyses show that their readings of English minimal pairs and word stress placement were more accurate than their performances before the instruction. Their responses to the questionnaire indicate that both the given instruction and the designed computer program were satisfactory. In the open-ended questions, some of them said that they have built up a better understanding of phonemes and word stress, and that they would try to predict polysyllabic word stress when reading English articles. The present findings can be further applied to research on MALL-based English pronunciation acquisition.

Comparative analysis of American English and Mexican Spanish consonants for Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training

The objective of this work is two-fold. Firstly, we aim at detecting similarities and differences between the consonant systems of two languages, namely, American English and Mexican Spanish. To achieve this, we perform a theoretic comparative analysis of consonants of the two languages at the level of both phonemes and allophones. Secondly, a possible practical usage of our results is considered; therefore, as an example of an application, we consider computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) for teaching American English pronunciation to Mexican Spanish speakers. In particular, we took advantage of the results of our analysis to define some hypothetic error patterns which can be used as a starting point for diagnosing possible mispronunciations, their posterior verification, and adjustment taking into account the principles of phonotactics and empirical phonetic analysis of the English learners’ speech. The latter will result in error rules to be applied in a CAPT system for error identification and generation of appropriate corrective feedback. An adequate choice of correcting techniques will improve English pronunciation acquisition and help learners to develop less accented speech. Also, similarities found between the two consonant systems make it possible to organize and present the pronunciation teaching material using a stress-free method of helping learners to adjust their speech organs to new sounds building on the phonetic habits of their first language.

Status Quo and Prospective of WeChat in Improving Chinese English Learners’ Pronunciation

With the ubiquitous usage of wireless, portable, and handheld devices gaining popularity in 21st century, the revolutionary mobile technology introduces digital new media to educational settings, which has changed the way of traditional teaching and learning. WeChat is one of the most popular social networking applications in China featured by its interactivity and real-time communication that has attracted attention of educators to its pedagogical value. This study evaluates the utilization of WeChat in mobile learning and, in particular, its potential for improving English pronunciation among English learners in China. It probes into the perennial problems of Chinese students in English pronunciation acquisition and oral practice, discusses WeChat’s support functions in mobile learning, demonstrates the relevant empirical studies of WeChat in teaching and learning, and analyses the potential value of using WeChat in improving English pronunciation. Examinations in this paper enable one to reflect on the strengths of mobile learning by WeChat and to explore how this social media tool is likely to solve the pronunciation difficulties of Chinese English learners. It is found that applying WeChat to English pronunciation teaching and practicing helps create better self-directed learning environment, enhance learning flexibility and improve oral learning effectiveness. It is hopefully that insights gained from examining how WeChat helps improve English pronunciation learning will shed light on further innovations of teaching designs in this area.

Motor learning theory-based approach for teaching English as a second language

This study examined the effectiveness of a motor learning theory-based protocol in which feedback that was reduced in frequency, with a four-second delay, coupled with practice, was provided for adult Korean-speaking learners of English. Twelve learners participated in a study composed of a pre-test, an intervention of 12 weekly sessions with a native-speaking experimenter, and a post-test. Seven also participated in a delayed post-test 6 months after the completion of the intervention sessions. The learner output was judged by a panel of 10 native speakers in terms of intelligibility, naturalness, and precision, revealing a significant increase between the pre-test and post-test, and between the pre-test and delayed post-test, indicating the benefits of this intervention for the learners’ acquisition of English pronunciation. The difference between the post-test and delayed post-test, however, was not significant, demonstrating the beneficial effects of this intervention on the long-term retention of English pronunciation.

Error Patterns for Automatic Error Detection in Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training Systems

This paper presents error patterns built on the basis of our comparative analysis of American English and Mexican Spanish phonemes and allophones which can be applied in designing the error detection module of a Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) System for teaching American English pronunciation to Mexican Spanish speakers. Error identification is important for an adequate choice of correcting techniques which improves English pronunciation acquisition and helps learners to develop less accented speech. Since automatic individual error detection remains a highly complex computational task, error patterns can enhance the system performance and improve its precision. To the best of our knowledge, error patterns in American English speech generated by Mexican Spanish speakers has not been defined in previous work which was done mainly for Castilian- originated standard Spanish.

An Early 20th Century Korean Phonetic Alphabet

In this paper, we examine early efforts in English language education in Korea, focusing on a student’s glossary of Chinese characters that contains Mandarin Chinese, English, and Japanese glosses of the meanings of each character. This book, the Ahak Pyeon, employs a modified version of the Korean Hangul writing system in order to phonetically render the English words, thereby facilitating the acquisition of English pronunciation for Korean learners. We examine the system proposed in this work in detail, noting issues of phonetic accuracy and clarity and assess it with respect to its suitability as a linguistically-sophisticated phonetic transcription system suitable for the representation of English teaching. In this paper we discuss the principles employed in the Ahak Pyeon to render a reasonably accurate phonetic characterization of the pronunciation of the English words included in the book as well as a discussion of the challenges faced by the developer of the system. We discuss this work in terms of the general adaptability of the original Hangul writing system, the creativity of the revised system, and the potential of this system for developing phonemic awareness among Korean learners of English.

Measuring Vowel Duration Variability in Native English Speakers and Polish Learners

This paper presents a set of simple statistical measures that illustrate the difference between native English speakers and Polish learners of English in varying the length of vocalic segments in read speech. Relative vowel duration and vowel length variation are widely used as basic criteria for establishing rhythmic differences between languages and dialects of a language. The parameter of vocalic duration is employed in popular measures such as ΔV (Ramus et al. 1999), VarcoV (Dellwo 2006, White and Mattys 2007), and PVI (Low et al. 2000, Grabe and Low 2002). Apart from rhythm studies, the processing of data concerning vowel duration can be used to establish the level of discrepancy between native speech and learner speech in investigating other temporal aspects of FL pronunciation, such as tense-lax vowel distinction, accentual lengthening or the degree of unstressed vowel reduction, which are often pointed out as serious problems in the acquisition of English pronunciation by Polish learners. Using descriptive statistics (relations between personal mean vowel duration and standard deviation), the author calculates several indices that demonstrate individual learners' (13 subjects) scores in relation to the native speakers' (12 subjects) score ranges. In some tested aspects, the results of the two groups of speakers are almost cleanly separated, which suggests not only the existence of specific didactic problems but also their actual scale.