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Effects of diverse training paradigms on enhancing comprehensibility of Cantonese speech in immigrants = 比較不同訓練方式對提高香港新移民粵語可理解性的效果
Principal Investigator
Grant Awarding Body
Research Grants Council
Grant Type
Faculty Development Scheme
Project Code
UGC/FDS15/H09/24
Amount Awarded
HK$649,868
Funding Year
2024-2025
Duration of the Project
18 months
Status
Ongoing
Abstract
Although there is an increasing number of people learning a second language (L2), it is widely accepted that attainment of native pronunciation is unlikely for post-puberty L2 learners. From a more practical point of view, L2 learners and teachers should focus more on the comprehensibility of L2 speech, rather than the accent. One feature of L2 learning is the lack of sufficient exposure to the L2, even in the immigration setting. Thus, the proposed study will examine the effects of various short-term training paradigms on the enhancement of comprehensibility in immigrants’ L2 Cantonese, in the hope of providing effective training methods for immigrants to compensate for a lack of sufficient exposure.
This proposed study has three aims: (1) test the effects of different training methods on L2 comprehensibility enhancement; (2) systematically examine the effects of different training methods on lexical tone production and perception; and (3) combine both acoustic and perceptual measurements for analysis of L2 Cantonese speech. This study will recruit immigrants with no prior knowledge of Cantonese before arriving in Hong Kong and will prepare different training methods to enhance the comprehensibility of their L2 Cantonese. To investigate the training effects, the participants’ performance of various tasks will be tested before and after training sessions.
As the first attempt to systematically investigate the effects of different training methods on Cantonese tone production and perception, this study will provide insight into training effectiveness and advance our theoretical knowledge of L2 speech learning. Furthermore, the results of this research will also inform language teachers of the optimal training method for Cantonese tones, allowing teachers to revise their syllabi and pedagogies when teaching L2 learners of Cantonese.
This proposed study has three aims: (1) test the effects of different training methods on L2 comprehensibility enhancement; (2) systematically examine the effects of different training methods on lexical tone production and perception; and (3) combine both acoustic and perceptual measurements for analysis of L2 Cantonese speech. This study will recruit immigrants with no prior knowledge of Cantonese before arriving in Hong Kong and will prepare different training methods to enhance the comprehensibility of their L2 Cantonese. To investigate the training effects, the participants’ performance of various tasks will be tested before and after training sessions.
As the first attempt to systematically investigate the effects of different training methods on Cantonese tone production and perception, this study will provide insight into training effectiveness and advance our theoretical knowledge of L2 speech learning. Furthermore, the results of this research will also inform language teachers of the optimal training method for Cantonese tones, allowing teachers to revise their syllabi and pedagogies when teaching L2 learners of Cantonese.