Abstract
This study investigates the merging of the syllable-initial /n-/ with /l-/ in English and Putonghua by Hong Kong students. Cantonese, a Chinese dialect, is the mother tongue of Hong Kong students. English is their second language and Putonghua is the standard spoken Chinese which they learnt at school. Previous studies indicate that the initial /n-/ is replaced by /l-/ in Hong Kong Cantonese. This study closely examines to what extent L1 phonological transfer occurs in the production of English and Putonghua by Hong Kong students. The participants were students from universities in Hong Kong. Six oral tasks in each of the three spoken languages (i.e. Cantonese, English and Putonghua) were designed for collecting data. A follow-up interview was conducted with each participant to find out their phonological awareness between /n-/ and /l-/. Results show that: (1) L1 phonological transfer occurred in English is less evident than in Putonghua. (2) Different writing systems of English and Chinese may lead to different degrees of L1 phonological transfer in English and Putonghua. (3) Not only the L1, but also the learning process and phonological awareness of the learners play important roles in the phonological acquisition of English and Putonghua.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 12th English in Southeast Asia Conference |
| Pages | 29-37 |
| Publication status | Published - 12 Dec 2007 |
| Event | 12th English in Southeast Asia Conference - Bangkok, Thailand Duration: 12 Dec 2007 → 14 Dec 2007 |
Conference
| Conference | 12th English in Southeast Asia Conference |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Thailand |
| City | Bangkok |
| Period | 12/12/07 → 14/12/07 |
Research Keywords
- L1 phonological transfer
- interlanguage phonology