PhD Title
A Comparative Learning and Teaching of Pronunciation in Chinese as A Second Language
Supervisors
Dr Yang Lan and Dr. Melinda Whong
Research Study
In Chinese phonetics, syllables are normally made up of two parts: the initial consonants and the final vowels or vowels plus a consonant. In spite of a number of equivalent pronunciations or phonological similarities between English and Chinese, considerable differences exist in the phonetic systems of the two languages, which result in a great deal of confusion to English students when they learn Chinese pronunciation.
Moreover, Chinese syllables are pronounced in different contours which are known as tones –– four basic tones and a short and weak neutral tone. In Chinese if one tone is changed for another on one syllable, the meaning of the word will be changed. Phonetically, each of the four tones, especially the third tone, will undertake some changes more or less, when followed by another tone.
Intonation is another factor in Chinese pronunciation. As known to all, English intonation, which uses the pitch variations to express meaning over a phrase/sentence, will generally not change the lexical meaning, but it can affect the interpretation of an utterance in a message in various ways, such as in the grammatical function, the attitudinal function, the accentual function, and the discourse function. Contextual intonation in Chinese is much more complex than imagined by many people.
Given the complication of the Chinese sound system and its intonation characteristics, it is not easy for English students to speak natural and standard Chinese. In view of the research situation, a comparative study of pronunciation in English students learning Chinese is significant.
Background
I came to the United Kingdom in 2002 for further study. In 2005, I completed my MSc in International Business in Salford University and in 2007 my MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL in Leicester University. After the masters degrees, I decided to progress to my PhD in Leeds University. I started the degree in October 2010.
Email: mljw@leeds.ac.uk
