Asymmetry Across Stress Patterns: Production and Perception of English Word Stress by Chinese ESL Learners
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Hsueh Chu Chen
Dr. Hsueh Chu Chen is Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages and Associate Director of the Centre for Research on Linguistics and Language Studies at The Education University of Hong Kong. She has conducted extensive research across multiple fields, including interlanguage phonetics and phonology, third language phonology, foreign accent and intelligibility, and the integration of computer-assisted and corpus-based approaches in pronunciation teaching and learning.
Dr. Qianwen Han is a lecturer at Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology. She specializes in acoustic phonetics, pronunciation and perception training, and second/multilingual language acquisition. Her research investigates the relationships between pronunciation, perception, and multilingualism, contributing to both theoretical understanding and practical applications in language education.
Abstract
The interference of a tonal language poses challenges for Chinese learners of English to acquire word stress. The lack of symmetry between word stress problems in production and perception, and the absence of attention to specific stress patterns in teaching and learning, can reduce the effectiveness of word stress acquisition. The purpose of this paper is twofold: to examine the relationship between English word stress production and perception and to investigate how English word stress production and perception are affected by specific stress patterns. Ninety participants were involved in a production task and a perception task. Test words were selected based on 26 stress patterns in three categories: syllabic structure, phonological similarity, and vowel reduction. The results show that the production and perception of English word stress differ significantly without a strong linear correlation. Although the accuracy of word stress perception was higher than production for the test words in general, the comparative status of production and perception varied across different stress patterns. Specifically, in the syllabic structure category, the highest symmetry rate of word stress assignment in the production and perception for ˈσCVCC (e.g., climax, abend), while the symmetry rate for ˈσoCVV(C) (e.g., abdicate, importune) was the lowest and the most problematic for production. In the phonological similarity category, production and perception of word stress were most symmetrical for words with the suffix “-eous” and the most asymmetrical for words with the suffix “-ese,” which was also the most problematic for production. Identification of vowel reduction was more challenging for /ɒ/ than /æ/ in both production and perception. It is suggested that Chinese ESL teachers prioritize the teaching of stress patterns with low symmetrical relationships to achieve efficient learning outcomes.
About the authors
Dr. Hsueh Chu Chen is Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages and Associate Director of the Centre for Research on Linguistics and Language Studies at The Education University of Hong Kong. She has conducted extensive research across multiple fields, including interlanguage phonetics and phonology, third language phonology, foreign accent and intelligibility, and the integration of computer-assisted and corpus-based approaches in pronunciation teaching and learning.
Dr. Qianwen Han is a lecturer at Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology. She specializes in acoustic phonetics, pronunciation and perception training, and second/multilingual language acquisition. Her research investigates the relationships between pronunciation, perception, and multilingualism, contributing to both theoretical understanding and practical applications in language education.
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, [HCC]. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.
Acknowledgments
This study is supported by the General Research Fund (No. 18600218).
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Second Language Acquisition
- Asymmetry Across Stress Patterns: Production and Perception of English Word Stress by Chinese ESL Learners
- The Efficacy of Written Corrective Feedback Explicitness on the Grammatical Accuracy of Passive Voice Tenses
- An Inquiry Into the Effect of Peers on L2 Motivation Under the L2 Motivational Self System
- Using L1 in English-Medium Content-Based Classrooms: A Case Study of Teachers’ Perspectives in Hong Kong
- Comparing the Effect of CHL Background on Chinese Receptive Vocabulary Breadth Between Indonesian and Thai CS/FL Learners: A Mixed-Methods Study
- Teacher and Learner Factors Shaping Classroom Emotions: Evidence From High School Students in Xinjiang, China
- Testing, Evaluation and Assessment
- Appropriation and Actualization of a Formative Assessment Initiative at a Chinese Local University: The Power-Process Nexus
- Teacher Development
- Facts and Fallacies About English Language Teaching: Evidence From the Literature on Job Advertisements
- Abstracts
- Chinese Abstracts
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Second Language Acquisition
- Asymmetry Across Stress Patterns: Production and Perception of English Word Stress by Chinese ESL Learners
- The Efficacy of Written Corrective Feedback Explicitness on the Grammatical Accuracy of Passive Voice Tenses
- An Inquiry Into the Effect of Peers on L2 Motivation Under the L2 Motivational Self System
- Using L1 in English-Medium Content-Based Classrooms: A Case Study of Teachers’ Perspectives in Hong Kong
- Comparing the Effect of CHL Background on Chinese Receptive Vocabulary Breadth Between Indonesian and Thai CS/FL Learners: A Mixed-Methods Study
- Teacher and Learner Factors Shaping Classroom Emotions: Evidence From High School Students in Xinjiang, China
- Testing, Evaluation and Assessment
- Appropriation and Actualization of a Formative Assessment Initiative at a Chinese Local University: The Power-Process Nexus
- Teacher Development
- Facts and Fallacies About English Language Teaching: Evidence From the Literature on Job Advertisements
- Abstracts
- Chinese Abstracts
