Izvorni znanstveni članak

https://doi.org/10.22210/govor.2020.37.01

Determination of corrective optimals for Chinese university learners of English

Fengwei Wen orcid.org/0000-0001-7954-1579 ; School of Foreign Languages, Institute of Social Technology Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand
Andrew‐Peter Lian orcid.org/0000-0002-5812-3017 ; School of Foreign Languages, Institute of Social Technology Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand
Punyathon Sangarun ; School of Foreign Languages, Institute of Social Technology Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand

Sažetak

In the expectation of investigating the nature of corrective optimals of the sounds of English for Chinese EFL learners, a small selection of problematic English vowel sounds (i.e. /ɪ/, /i:/, /e/, /æ/, /ʊ/ and /u:/) was explored. The present study investigated the corrective optimals for these sounds. To this end, an experiment was conducted. Thirty-seven first-year non-English major university EFL learners participated. Each student went through two diagnostic steps. First, each student’s preferred center frequency (fcenter) was determined for a particular vowel sound, beginning with exposure to the fcenter of the traditional native-speaker optimal. Second, a combination of frequency bands that together form corrective optimals for each of the six vowels was determined for each individual student. Rather than consisting of single continuous 1-octave bands, corrective optimals for Chinese university EFL learners were found to be discontinuous multiple frequency bands that are both narrower and finer. The corrective optimals for Chinese university EFL learners were identified as discontinuous multiple band structures containing a bandpass filter narrower than one octave and, in addition, a significant low frequency component. In the light of this finding, it seems valuable to reorient the concept of corrective optimal away from a single octave frequency band and toward discontinuous multiband structures containing a significant low frequency component. Further research over a great number of vowels and consonants for various languages is desirable to confirm and extend this finding.

Ključne riječi

optimals, corrective optimals, verbotonal theory, language learning, Chinese learners of English

Hrčak ID:

249342

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/249342

Datum izdavanja:

15.12.2020.

Posjeta: 1.309 *