An Investigation On Hakka Dialect Students Acquiring English Segmental Phonemes

In the process of learning English pronunciation, Chinese students are easily affected by the pronunciation of their native languages which are local Chinese dialects rather than Mandarin Chinese. As the majority of Chinese students have acquired their local dialects first until they enter schools to learn to speak Mandarin Chinese. When they learn the pronunciation of Mandarin Chinese or anther language, they will be affected by their local dialects’pronunciation more or less. Therefore, it is of great significance and a much-discussed topic in the field to explore how their English pronunciation is influenced by their local Chinese dialects.Based on phonology and the transfer theory in second language acquisition, this study collects data by tape recording, questionnaire survey and classroom observation. Moreover, this study employs the approach of Contrastive Analysis and Error Analysis to investigate transfer of Hakka dialect in the process of acquiring English phonemes. Firstly, this thesis paper describes the phonetic systems of Hakka Dialect and English. Besides, taking Hakka dialect of Guangxi Bobai County as an example, the paper analyzes the differences between Hakka dialect and English. Furthermore, the paper investigates50junior students in Bobai Middle School, whose mother tongue is the local Hakka dialect, aiming to find out problems and errors caused by native language transfer of Hakka dialect in the process of acquiring English phonemes.The results of the investigation show that Hakka dialectal junior students are influenced by Hakka dialect in the process of acquiring English phonemes. In terms of vowels, the right pronunciation of English monophthong/e/is easy for Hakka dialectal students, however, English vowel/ae/and diphthong/ei/are mispronounced as Hakka dialect [e] easily; English vowel/A/is mispronounced as Hakka dialect [e] or [a] easily; English vowel/i:/and/i/are mispronounced as Hakka dialect [i] easily. In terms of consonants, Hakka dialectal students have little difficulty in pronouncing English consonants/p, t, k, g, f, v, m, n, η, s/. However, English consonant/θ/and/(?)/are easy to be mispronounced as Hakka dialect [s] and [ts] respectively; English consonant/r/and/l/are mispronounced as Hakka dialect [1] easily; English consonant/∫/and/(?)/are easy to be mispronounced as Hakka dialect [ts’] and [ts] respectively; English consonant/w/is mispronounced as Hakka dialect [v] easily. Therefore, with regard to learning and teaching English pronunciation in Hakka dialectal area, more attention should be paid to the different phonologies of English and Hakka dialect as so to reduce the negative transfer of Hakka dialect in the process of acquiring English pronunciation.