Studies in Literature and Language
Pronunciation of English Consonants and Vowels and Diphthongs of Mandarin-Chinese Speakers
Abstract
This paper aims to analyze the production of English consonants, vowels and diphthongs of Mandarin-Chinese speakers and find out problems existing in their English pronunciation. Based on the analysis of 50 participants recordings, it is concluded that the subjects have difficulty in pronouncing the dental fricatives /T/ and /W/ and the regular plural forms. In terms of vowels and diphthongs, major problems appear in confusion between /i:/, /I/ and /eI:/. The substitution of /s/ for /W/ is typical for Mandarin speakers from Northern part of China. The findings may provide guidance for English teachers and learners when teaching or learning English pronunciation. Special attention should be paid to the problematic consonants, vowels and diphthongs.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/n
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