英语学习者口语产出中的异常停顿研究

A Study of Irregular Pauses in Oral Production by English Language Learners

本研究招募36名留学加拿大中国大学生和36名加拿大当地大学生,参与124篇英语文章的朗读测试,探索中国学习者在语流当中的异常停顿现象、产生异常停顿的语言环境以及相应的发音问题。研究结果显示:(1)中国英语学习者产生异常停顿的频率显著高于母语者,停顿位置出现在单词、惯用语串和句子中;(2)高水平学习者在单词里的停顿频率显著低于中级学习者,但这两组受试者在句子与惯用语串里的停顿频率并无显著差异;(3)停顿常发生于以下浊辅音的发音之前:[b][d][g][dʒ][z][ð]。本研究的发现表明发音问题可能会引发中国英语学习者异常停顿,需要在教学实践中巩固学生的英语语音知识,加强发音训练。

This research recruited 36 Chinese international students and 36 local students from a Canadian university to participate in a reading aloud test.The study aims to explore the phenomenon of irregular pauses made by Chinese English learners,identify the linguistic contexts in which these pauses occur,and examine the underlying pronunciation issues.The results indicate that(1)comparing with native speakers,Chinese English learners exhibit a significantly higher frequency of irregular pauses that occur within words,idiomatic phrases,and sentences;(2)advanced learners produce fewer pauses within words than intermediate learners,but there is no significant difference in frequency regarding irregular pauses within sentences and idiomatic phrases;(3)pauses often occur before the realization of voiced consonants including[b][d][g][dʒ][z][ð].These findings suggest that pronunciation problems among Chinese English learners may lead to irregular pauses and highlight the importance of reinforcing students’English phonetic knowledge and enhancing pronunciation training in teaching practices.