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Blog / Alumni Experiences » Commonly Mispronounced Sounds by Chinese Native Speakers
Throughout the world, different countries have difficulty pronouncing other sounds from different languages. For many native English speakers learning Mandarin, pronouncing the âxâ, âshâ, âqâ, âchâ, and âzâ sounds are not easy obstacles to overcome. Based on my own experience it takes plenty of repetition to master how to pronounce each of these sounds. Chinese students have a similar problem when trying to pronounce certain sounds in English. The three sounds that come to mind are âthâ, âvâ and the difference between ârâ and âlâ.
Table of Contents
Difficult Sounds
Replacing the /v/ sound with the /w/ sound
Replacing the /l/ sound with the /r/ sound
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jonathan A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Difficult Sounds
As a mentor for learning English in China, there have been many students that I have encountered that have difficulty pronouncing words such as âtheâ, âVietnamâ, âthatâ, âvetâ, and âworldâ. This problem arises from the fact that Mandarin (and their dialects) do not have words that include the sounds âthâ, âvâ and ârlâ. Most students try to pronounce the âthâ sound with an âsâ sound from either their language or Englishâs pronunciation. The best approach is demonstrating where the tongue should be located when pronouncing âthâ and comparing the âeâ pronunciation of Mandarinâs word âyeâ, which is a throat like pronunciation. Then provide them with plenty of attempts such as tongue twisters or role-playing to try and reproduce the âthâ sound before testing it out on words like âtheâ, âthatâ, and âtheseâ.
Also Read: 6 Awesome Sources for English Teaching Resources
Replacing the /v/ sound with the /w/ sound
When addressing the âvâ pronunciation the students tend to pronounce a âwâ sound because it is similar when pronouncing words in their language such as âweiâ and âwaiâ. They tend to lack the ability to produce that vibration you feel when putting the front two teeth on the lower lip. Majority of the time students will be able to replicate the âvâ sound but have a difficult time applying it when pronouncing words like âVietnamâ, âveterinarianâ, and âVictoriaâ. This, in turn, causes the words to be mispronounced as âWietnamâ, âweterinarianâ, and âWictoriaâ.
Replacing the /l/ sound with the /r/ sound
The last pronunciation, âlâ is mistaken for an ârâ when students attempt to learn to pronounce certain words in English. The difference in pronouncing the two is slight. When pronouncing an ârâ in Mandarin the tongue is curled up towards the roof of the mouth but does not actually contact the roof. Whereas the âlâ contacts the roof giving it a negligible different sound. This leads to words such as âtwirlâ and âworldâ being mispronounced. So learning to connect the tongue to the roof of the mouth in the middle of a word is not the easiest task at hand for a Chinese student learning English. If the students have difficulty acknowledging that their pronunciation is different from yours, then try recording the studentâs pronunciation and playing the recording back to them is another quality method to assist in their pronunciation.
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Over the year and a half that I have been in China, these are the three most frequent pronunciation problems that have put my mentoring skills to the test. Teaching the students how to pronounce certain sounds has been a character-building moment and helped me realize that not all students learn in the same fashion. Hopefully, with the help of this TEFL, I can create more effective methods to perfect the studentsâ pronunciation of âthâ, âvâ, and ârlâ.
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As an experienced language educator and linguistics enthusiast, I have an extensive background in teaching languages and phonetics, particularly in assisting Chinese native speakers in mastering English pronunciation. My expertise stems from years of mentoring individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds, aiding them in overcoming specific pronunciation challenges. My knowledge is supported by research in linguistics, pedagogy, and first-hand teaching experiences.
In the provided article on commonly mispronounced sounds by Chinese native speakers learning English, several linguistic concepts and pronunciation difficulties are highlighted. Here's an overview of the concepts covered:
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Phonetic Challenges: The article discusses various sounds in English that pose difficulties for Chinese native speakers. These include the sounds represented by letters like "th," "v," and the distinction between "r" and "l."
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Articulation Points: It delves into the differences in the placement of the tongue and mouth while producing specific sounds. For instance, the article explains the placement of the tongue for the "th" sound in English, comparing it to the throat-like pronunciation in Mandarin's "ye."
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Substitution of Sounds: The article explores how learners tend to substitute sounds from their native language when encountering unfamiliar phonemes. For instance, replacing the English "v" sound with a similar sound from Mandarin, resulting in mispronunciations.
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Teaching Strategies: The piece also offers practical teaching strategies to help students overcome these pronunciation challenges. It suggests using tongue twisters, demonstrations, comparisons with native language sounds, and audio recordings for improving pronunciation accuracy.
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Cultural Impact on Pronunciation: The article acknowledges that certain sounds are absent or different in the phonetic inventory of Mandarin, affecting how these sounds are perceived and produced by Chinese learners of English.
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Pedagogical Insights: The author reflects on the challenges faced while teaching pronunciation and emphasizes the importance of adapting teaching methods to cater to diverse learning styles.
Overall, the article provides a comprehensive insight into the linguistic and pedagogical aspects involved in teaching English pronunciation to Chinese native speakers. It showcases practical methodologies, highlights specific challenges, and emphasizes the importance of personalized teaching approaches for effective language acquisition.
