The perception and production of English speech sounds by Cantonese ESL learners in Hong Kong
-
Alice Y. W. Chan
Abstract
This article discusses the perception and production of English speech sounds by Cantonese ESL learners in Hong Kong and examines the validity of the claims of the Speech Learning Model for explaining second language speech production by Hong Kong Cantonese ESL learners. Forty university English majors participated in the study, which included two L2 speech perception tasks, two L1 L2 speech perception tasks, and three L2 speech production tasks. It is found that although the perceived similarity between the L1 and the L2 is inversely related to L2 speech perception, such an inverse relationship between perceived L1 L2 similarity and L2 speech production is not so straightforward and is often mediated by other widespread phonological phenomena such as final obstruent devoicing and final lateral vocalization. Speech perception and speech production, thus, do not bear a strict one-to-one relation, and correct discernment of a target sound does not necessarily lead to correct production. The predictions of the SLM regarding speech production do not seem to be entirely borne out. Further research is needed to investigate the perceptual and production abilities of ESL learners of other linguistic backgrounds.
©[2014] by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Masthead
- Expressing number productively in Mandarin Chinese
- The perception and production of English speech sounds by Cantonese ESL learners in Hong Kong
- The Finnish accusative: Long-distance case assignment under agreement
- Many heads are better than one: The spread of motivated opacity via contact
- English copy raising constructions: Argument realization and characterization condition
- Implicit lexical knowledge
- Getting closer: Codification of subjective semantic prosody in Spanish continuative aspect
- Notice from the Board of Editors
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Masthead
- Expressing number productively in Mandarin Chinese
- The perception and production of English speech sounds by Cantonese ESL learners in Hong Kong
- The Finnish accusative: Long-distance case assignment under agreement
- Many heads are better than one: The spread of motivated opacity via contact
- English copy raising constructions: Argument realization and characterization condition
- Implicit lexical knowledge
- Getting closer: Codification of subjective semantic prosody in Spanish continuative aspect
- Notice from the Board of Editors
