Phonetic Realization Of English Past Tense Marker –ed By Mandarin Efl Learners: A Survey Study

English past tense has been one of the most notorious aspects for Mandarin EFL learners to acquire.The present study adopted an acoustic experimental design to explore 60 Mandarin EFL learners’ perception and production of English past tense marker –ed embedded in 70 words and 70 sentences.Primarily,it intends to address the following research questions:1.To what extent can Mandarin EFL learners perceive English past tense marker –ed correctly?2.To what extent can Mandarin EFL learners produce English past tense marker –ed correctly?3.How does Mandarin EFL learners’ perception of English past tense marker –ed correlate with their production?4.How does Mandarin EFL learners’ phonetic acquisition of English past tense marker –ed correlate with their English proficiency?5.To what extent does Mandarin EFL learners’ phonetic acquisition of English past tense marker –ed correlate with learner factors and social factors?The major findings generated from the data analyses are as follows:As for the perception of English past tense marker(PTM)–ed,in citation form,the overall correct perception rate(CPerR)of English PTM –ed is 84.78%.The best perceived English PTM is in the contexts of diphthongs(92.79%),the least perceived English PTM is in the contexts of fricatives(68.75%).The categorical CPerR of English PTM /d/ /t/ and /(40)d/ is 88.84%,59.74%,and 87.92%,of which the best perceived English PTM is /d/(88.84%),and the least perceived English PTM is /t/(59.74%).In connected speech,the best perceived English PTM is in the contexts of nasals(91.39%);and the least perceived English PTM is in the contexts of fricatives(72.22%).And the overall CPerR of English PTM is 82.06%.The categorical CPerR of English PTM /d/ /t/ and /(40)d/ is 93.80%,60.12%,and 84.19%,of which the best perceived English PTM is /d/(93.80%),and the least perceived English PTM is /t/(60.12%).As for the production of English PTM –ed,in citation form,the overall correct production rate(CProR)of English PTM is 68.18%.The best produced English PTM is in the contexts of approximants(77.50%)and the least produced English PTM is in the contexts of fricatives(53.06%).The categorical CProR of English PTM /d/ /t/ and /(40)d/ is 68.21%,54.64% and 75.42% respectively,of which the best produced English PTM is /(40)d/(75.42%),and the least produced English PTM is /t/(54.64%).In connected speech,the overall CProR of English PTM –ed is 66.76%,which is lower than the one in citation form.And the best produced English PTM is in the contexts of approximants(86.67%);and the least produced English PTM is in the contexts of affricates(38.84%).The categorical CProR of English PTM of /d/ /t/ and /(40)d/ is 76.24%,22.74% and 71.67% respectively,of which the best produced English PTM is /d/(76.24%),and the least produced English PTM is /t/(22.74%).Concerning the correlation between Mandarin EFL learners’ perception and production of English PTM-ed,the Pearson correlation analyses demonstrate that in citation form,there is no significant correlation between the perception and production of English PTM –ed(r =.014,Sig.=.913 > 0.05);however,in connected speech,there is a significant correlation between the perception and production of English PTM –ed(r =.513**,Sig.=.000 < 0.05).Significant correlations between Mandarin EFL learners’ phonetic acquisition of English PTM –ed and English proficiency were found in two aspects.In terms of perception,in citation form,there is a significant correlation between the perception of English PTM and CET4(r =.463**)and between the perception of English PTM and CET6(r =.543**).In connected speech,there is a significant correlation between the perception of English PTM and CET4(r =.458**)and between the perception of English PTM and CET6(r =.640**).In terms of production,in citation form,there is a significant correlation between the production of English PTM and CET4(r =.270*),and between the production of English PTM and CET6(r =.285*),In connected speech,there is also a significant correlation between the production of English PTM and CET4(r =.514**),and between the production of English PTM and CET6(r =.740**).Besides,there is a significant correlation between their self-report English proficiency and perception of English PTM in citation form,and between their self-report English proficiency and production of English PTM in connected speech.Social factors include 7 factors: family attitude,primary school,middle school,high school,English teacher in primary school,English teacher in middle school,and English teacher in high school.As for the correlation between phonetic acquisition of English PTM-ed and social factors,there is no correlation between the perception and production of English PTM and social factors except the significant correlation between the production of English PTM and English teacher in primary school.As for the correlation between phonetic acquisition of English PTM and learner factors,there is a significant correlation between Mandarin EFL learners’ perception of English PTM-ed and personal interest in phonetics,between their perception of English PTM and English learning time per week,between their production of English PTM and personal attitudes towards English learning,personal interest in English learning,and English learning time per week both in citation form and in connected speech.This paper is an experimental study on the perception and production of English PTM-ed by Mandarin EFL learners.By systematic and detailed analysis,the results of the present study have not only revealed the overall CPerR and CProR of English PTM,but also shed light on some problems in the process of perceiving and producing English PTM.The present study demonstrates Mandarin EFL learners perceive English PTM –ed better than they produce in general.The findings show the production of English PTM should be strengthed.The correlation analysis between phonetic acquisition of English PTM and English proficiency stimulates learners to improve their English proficiency.The correlation analysis between phonetic acquisition of English PTM and learner factors is beneficial to a full understanding of the impact of the phonetic contexts and the subjects’ internal factors.The findings of the study provide insightful implications and facilitate the teaching and learning of English PTM for English teachers and Mandarin EFL learners.