On the Phonology Characteristics of Leizhou Dialect in Malaysia

Based on first-hand materials obtained from field investigations in Malaysia, the results show that: firstly, there are 17 initials in the Leizhou dialect of Malaysia, including the implosives initial and the [f] initial. The pronunciation of Leizhou dialect in China is already rare, some of which are retained in the Leizhou dialect of Malaysia. Its initial consonant is borrowed from local Hua Yu or other Chinese dialects. Secondly, the Leizhou dialect of Malaysia has 46 finals. The pronunciation and timbre of some of its vowels are similar to the Yue dialect of Malaysia [&#592] main vowel. Thirdly, there are 8 monosyllabic tones in the Leizhou dialect of Malaysia. The pronunciation and tone of some of its characters are similar to the Xia Yin entering tone of Yue dialect of Malaysia.

A Comparative Study on English Pronunciation and Phonology of Chinese EFL Learners

Pronunciation often gets ignored over grammar and vocabulary in EFL programs.However,words stressed incorrectly or with inappropriate pitch or intonation will impede the learner in getting the intended message across.Phonology,then,should be an integral part of any EFL lesson.This paper examines the current situation of English pronunciation of Chinese students and aiming to present a procedural approach for incorporating phonological elements into an EFL syllabus.

Differences between Generative Phonology and Traditional Phonology

Phonology as a subject has gone through a history of almost a century. During these years, linguists have tried many ways to interpret phonology in various aspects, which makes different various ways from the traditional schools. This paper will put emphasis on the major differences between them, hoping to give an innovation to the aim of research.

American English-Speakers’ Perception of Non-Native Phonotactic Constraints: The Influence of Training in Phonology

The purpose of the present study was to examine the differences between perceptions of non-native phonotactic rules and constraints by monolingual English-speaking undergraduate students in a program of communication disorders who had taken and passed a course in the study of phonology and by undergraduate students in communication disorders who had not yet taken a course in phonology. Participants listened to audio recordings of words from Hindi, Hmong, Kurdish, Russian, and Swedish recorded by speakers fluent in those languages. Each of the words contained at least one phonotactic constraint that is not permitted in American English phonology. Participants were instructed to write exactly what they heard after each word in the recordings, and their perceptions of the illegal constraints were scored as correct or incorrect. No significant difference was found between the students who had taken a phonology course and the students who had not. The most common misperception made was the omission of one phoneme when two were illegally combined. The results of this study, though not consistent with anticipated results, have many implications for issues concerning the linguistic diversity of the United States, among other issues related to language.

A Brief Introduction to Phonology, Morphology,Lexicology, and Semantics

Phonetics is a fundamental branch of linguistics and itself has three different aspects.Articulatory Phonetics—describes how vowels and consonants are produced or'articulated'in various parts of the mouth and throat.Acoustic Phonetics—a study of how speech sounds are transmitted:when sound travels through the air from the speaker’s mouth to the hearer’s ear.

The Practical Meaning of Understanding Phonetics and Phonology

Phonetics and phonology are two significant areas of English pronunciation.Understanding the concepts of phonetics and phonology is essential for English teachers,which helps them prepare for the class and develop their own speaking competence.In addition,learning knowledge in these two areas also help students understand the language more efficiently.

Main Problems with English Phonology for Chinese Mandarin Speakers

This paper uses the test books and learning situations of middle school beginners as an example, presents three main problems with phonology for Chinese Mandarin speakers: sound level, word level and connected speech level. It also gives solutions with supportive evidences to overcome these problems for beginners.

A Phonology-Based Contrast between English and Chinese

With the advancement of modern linguistics, an increasing number of linguists commence on engaging in the comparativestudy between English and Chinese on the basis of phonology. As a result, this paper explains what phonology is, and makes a con-trast between English and Chinese from the phonological components, including syllable,tone and intonation,rhythm,stress and pho-neme, which intends to give English learners a clear and full understanding of differences between English and Chinese and eventu-ally to enlighten them to master English.

The Inner Split in Genetics of Wu Colloquial Expression“[hÃɲ33 paʔ3 lÃɲ33 tÃɲ31]”

“[ã44 kã44 paʔ5 lã44 tã53]”(Chinese characters transcription“昂更八冷打”)is an colloquial expression in Tongxiang dialect of Suzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Sub-branch,Taihu Branch,Wu.It describes an awkward state with unfinished tasks.Its similar expressions can be found in other regions of Taihu Branch,including Yixing,Changzhou,Shaoxing and Ningbo,usually serving as“all”,while the expression“[hÃɲ33 paʔ3 lÃɲ33 tÃɲ31]”(“亨八冷打”)in Shanghai Sub-branch indicates“the remaining parts”when used alone.“[hÃɲ33 paʔ3 lÃɲ33 tÃɲ31]”stands for“all”only when followed by a word with meaning of“adding together”.In this paper,it is concluded and deduced from other similar morphemes that the contradictory connotations are related to an“inner split”process of an original word.Considering similar morphemes in other Chinese dialects(including Cantonese,Hakka,Jianghuai and Min),the following analysis proposes three possible original expressions and correlating trajectories of this inner phonetic-semantic split process,and selects a most credible way based on the rhyming dictionary and previous reconstructive models of ancient Chinese phonology.This presumptive analysis indicates that a broader“split and derivate”process generating new morphemes exists widely in Sinitic dialects as a natural company of phonetic features in Chinese language flow.

Deducing the Intonation of Chinese Characters in Suzhou-Zhongzhou Dialect by Its Singing Technique in Kunqu:A New Probe into Ancient Chinese Phonology

Kunqu is a comprehensive art which is considered to be an epitome of the achievements of Chinese Xiqu.It was unanimously selected by UNESCO from the first round of entrants for the category of"Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity",with emphasis on its heritage value as embodied in language,literature,music,singing technique,dance,performance,set design,makeup,and more,and has been given the status of living fossil by artists both in China and abroad.Based on the relationship between the intonation of Chinese characters and singing techniques,especially the criterion in Kunqu that the"singing technique follows the intonation of a Chinese character",we attempt to deduce the intonation of Chinese characters in the Suzhou-Zhongzhou dialect based on its singing technique.Specifically,we deduce the archaic intonations of Chinese characters by the exclusive singing techniques in Kunqu for the purpose of exploring a new approach to Chinese phonology of the Ming and Qing dynasties from an interdisciplinary perspective of artistic criterion and linguistics.

English Intonation Research and Teaching

Through the discussion and comparative research on theories, types and uses of English intonation, it is found that intonation is an indispensable part of oral communications. Proper use of intonation lies in knowing their functions and in the ability to correctly utter the patterns. Therefore, intonation theoretical knowledge is crucial and helpful to the English phonology teaching; and teachers need to properly incorporate intonation knowledge into teaching practice.

The Differences between Dalian Dialect and Standard Chinese

Dalian dialect is one kind of Northern dialect.Its formation is due to many factors including history,geographical location,Shandong dialect and influence from Russia and Japan.This paper analyzes the main difference between Dalian dialect and Standard Chinese,also presents the characteristics of Dalian dialect in four aspects: phonology,morphology,syntax and slangs.

Obstacles for Chinese EFL Learners to Improve Speech Intelligibility

As the primary means of communication,speech is an essential aspect for humans to interact and build connections in the social world.Speech intelligibility is critical in social communication;unintelligibility may lead to confusion,misunderstanding,and frustration.Many Chinese learners of English find it challenging to apply English into social interaction and reach mutual intelligibility with international communicators.This article analyzes the obstacles impeding Chinese EFL learners’speech intelligibility development,from the aspects of phonology(segmental and suprasegmental features)and pragmatics.Some strategies are proposed to help Chinese learners ameliorate phonology and pragmatics problems and improve speech intelligibility in English communication.

Response of Plant Phenology to Climate Warming in Liaohe River Delta

Based on the analysis of phenological variation characters of Populus simonii in spring and autumn in Liaohe River Delta during 1989-2009,the relationship model between phenophase difference and temperature variation was constructed,and the responses of phenophase to the changes of temperature and critical temperature duration were analyzed under the background of climate change.The results showed that spring phenophase in Liaohe River Delta in recent 21 years occurred a little earlier without obvious trend feature,and spring phenophase change was mainly affected by temperature fluctuation,with the nonlinear relationship between them.Meanwhile,autumn phenophase was significantly delayed and mainly determined by the time of temperature dropped to a certain index.

Pronunciation in English Pedagogy in China

Teaching English pronunciation in SLA has been a challenge for almost every English teacher because students' local Chinese accents have been a major obstacle when they're learning English.This article is aiming to illustrate the phenomena and solutions of the pronunciation in English pedagogy.

Investigation into Phonological Attrition among Beginner Chinese Mandarin Language Learners

Studying foreign language attrition is important in the context of Chinese language learning because, in light of a growing worldwide interest in learning Chinese languages, language professionals need to understand the complexities of Chinese language acquisition. However, little research exists to date on foreign language attrition among Chinese language learners. In this study, we examined the features of language attrition,especially phonological attrition, among Mandarin learners in a higher educational institution in Brunei Darussalam. Additionally, we sought to test, in a Bruneian context,prominent theories and hypotheses about language attrition, including markedness theory and functional load theory. Our sample consisted of 86 beginner Mandarin students who spoke Malay as their native language and English as the academic language. Participants were 18-20 years old and studied Mandarin formally 4 hours per week for 14 consecutive weeks, during which they were also required to study for 8 hours per week on their own.Subsequently, they took a 3-month break from studying. We tested participants before and after the break and computed descriptive statistics to compare the results of the two tests. Our results showed the greatest attrition rates in tones and special structures of Mandarin, with less attrition in final and initial sounds. We discuss specific phonological findings as they relate to native Malay speakers, and we describe how our findings confirm or contradict,within the Bruneian context, existing theories. We conclude that markedness theory is applicable in our research context, but our findings failed to support functional load theory.

A Contrastive Study on French and Urhobo Phonological Systems A Case Study of Articles and Demonstrative Structures

It is a general knowledge that French as a language is widely spoken internationally whereas Urhobo is mainly spoken in the geographical location where it belongs. It is also spoken, and this, sparingly so, by Urhobo persons in the Diaspora. Presently, Urhobo has become a language of study at the Delta State University, Abraka. It has also been included in the educational curriculum for study at the lower cadre of secondary school education in the Delta State. This situation has triggered the author＇s interest in doing a contrastive phonological study. The significance of this study is that it will highlight the salient differences in some of the grammatical aspects in the languages under consideration and also identify the difficulties that learners experience as a result of these difficulties. The author will also, as much as it is possible, proffer solutions to these learning difficulties.

Saudi Speakers＇ Perception of the English Bilabial Stops/b/and/p/

Languages differ in their phoneme inventories. Some phonemes exist in more than one language but others exist in relatively few languages. More specifically, English Language has some sounds that Arabic does not have and vice versa. This paper focuses on the perception of the English bilabial stops/b/and/p/in contrast to the perception of the English alveolar stops/t/and/d/by some Saudi linguists who have been speaking English for more than six years and who are currently in an English speaking country, Australia. This phenomenon of perception of the English bilabial stops/b/and/p/will be tested mainly by virtue of minimal pairs and other words that may better help to investigate this perception. The paper uses some minimal pairs in which the bilabial and alveolar stops occur initially and finally. Also, it uses some verbs that end with the suffix/-ed/, but this/-ed/suffix is pronounced [t] or [d] when preceded by /p/ or /b/ respectively. Notice that [t] and [d] are allophones of the English past tense morpheme/-ed/（for example, Fromkin, Rodman, ＆ Hyams, 2007）. The pronunciation of the suffix as It] and [d] works as a clue for the subjects to know the preceding bilabial sound.

The Behavior and Representation of Geminate Consonants in Moroccan Arabic

The present paper explores the special behavior of geminate consonants in Moroccan Arabic vis-á-vis short consonants and consonant clusters.By way of comparison,it is shown that geminates exhibit properties that are reminiscent of both unit structures and cluster structures.In particular,we reveal that geminates in MA demonstrate an inconsistent behavior in relation to the process of schwa epenthesis.In this context,we ask whether geminates get split up in MA,and when and how that happens.In order to characterize the patterning of geminates in MA,different phonological representations of geminates are examined against the variable behavior of geminates.On this basis,it is eventually suggested that geminates should be depicted as two root nodes that are underlyingly associated with a mora at the prosodic level.