Application Of Optimality Theory To Accounting For The Pronunciation Errors Of English Consonants By The Learners Of Miao Nationality

With the popularization of English teaching in the mountainous areas and the regions inhabited by Miao people,the learners of Miao nationality have more opportunities to study English.However,the differences in the phonology,grammar,and lexis between English and the Miao language contribute to the difficulties in their studies.Of the difficulties,the differences in pronunciation.especially consonantal pronunciation,are the greatest obstacle. Some researches have been carried out in this field,and the pronunciation errors of the English consonants made by the learners of Miao nationality have been displayed.So far however,never has a linguistic theory been applied to such further research as why and how the pronunciation errors occur.With the methodology of linguistic theory descriptive,comparative and explanatory research methods,the present thesis concerns itself with the application of optimality theory to accounting for pronunciation errors of English consonants made by the English learners of Miao nationality.The discussion on the error patterns involved in the pronunciation errors, the constraints governing these error patterns and the rank of the constraint hierarchy form the major concern of the present study.Based on the research on this paper,it is found that the differences in the consonants of English and the Miao language primarily lie in place of articulation,rather in manner of articulation,and it is the differences in the consonantal system between English and the Miao language that lead to the substituting the consonants of the Miao language for English consonants,which results in the pronunciation errors.To account for the pronunciation errors, optimality theory is applied.The theory is different from the majority of linguistic framework in that it does not appeal to rules or processes to explain such patterns in grammar;instead,it appeals to constraints,which assumed to be universal across speakers of all languages.The way that grammars differ from one another is in their relative ranking of these constraints.In light of optimality theory,the absence of palatal-alveolar,lamino-dental,approximant,and dark lateral in the grammar of the English learners of Miao nationality makes the violation of markedness constraints more serious than faithfulness constraints,which requires that the markedness constraints dominates faithfulness constraints to eliminate the ill forms.Based on these findings,it can be concluded that the pronunciation errors are attributed to the conflict of markedness constraints and faithfulness constraints,and the constraints hierarchy to account for the error patterns is concluded as:~*Palatal-alveolar,~*Lamino-dental, IDENT-IO(manner),~*Approximant,~*[-back],~*-continuant,~*Dark lateral[(?)],~* [-round],~*[-mid-high]＞＞IDENT-[consonantal].The present research is a touchstone to apply optimality theory to the research on the Miao language,which will stimulate dedications to the application of such a theory to the research on other minority languages such as the Shui language and the Dong language etc. Furthermore,the constraints hierarchy to accounting for the error patterns has been worked out.By putting English consonants into the hierarchy to be evaluated,the pronunciation errors that the learners of the Miao nationality are inclinedto make can be predicted,which will give guidance in teaching English consonants in the regions inhabited by Miao people.The paper is spread out in six chapters.It starts with a brief introduction to the motives,significance,methodology,and the arrangement of the research.Following this,a review of the previous research on the Miao language is carried out and the framework of optimality theory is displayed.Then the differences of the consonantal system between English and the Miao language are discovered and the discussion of the error patterns is also defined.More ink is put on the application of optimality theory to accounting for these error patterns and the rank of the constraint hierarchy.At last,the limitations of this thesis which need further research are pointed out.