The Influence Of Yushan Dialect On The Acquisition Of Bi-initial Consonant Clusters Ending With /r/ Phoneme

This thesis discusses about the influence of Yushan dialect on the acquisition of English initial consonant clusters which put the main focus on the initial bi-consonant clusters ending with /r/ phoneme. The thesis combines phonetic experiments and theories which are under the theoretical framework of Language Transfer proposed by Rod Ellis(1985),Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis that Lado(1957) proposed in his book Linguistics across Cultures, Markedness Differential Hypothesis put forward by Eckman in 1977 and Similarity Differential Rate Hypothesis proposed by Major and Kim(1996). The data obtained from the phonetic experiments concerning those research consonant clusters is analyzed and discussed from both quantity and qualitative perspectives and the pedagogical implications in English phonological teaching are also displayed.There are 12 participants taking part in this experiment, among who 10 are Yushan students(5males, 5females) and 2 are native Americans(male and female each). Words and sentences pronounced by participants containing initial bi-consonant clusters ending with /r/ phoneme are recorded through some instruments. Two listeners are asked to listen to the recording materials and write down the times of the research initial bi-consonant clusters that they have heard.Through the result of the experiment, it is concluded that: 1. Yushan EFL learners have some difficulties in acquiring English initial consonant clusters; 2. Of the seven main initial bi-consonant clusters ending with /r/ phoneme, /tr/ and /dr/ have relatively low percentage of correct acquisition, followed by / kr/ and /É¡r/,/pr/ and /br/, /fr/ on the contrary, has relatively high percentages of correct acquisition; 3. Each research consonant clusters has wrong pronunciation and replacement of pronunciation.The causes for this phenomenon lie in the fact that in the phonological system of Yushan dialect, there is no clear dividing line between voiced consonants and corresponding voiceless consonants; in the phonological system of Yushan dialect, there is no corresponding phoneme similar to English /r/ phoneme so that when Yushan EFL learners try to pronounce this phone, they tend to use /l/-like sound instead, which results in the mispronunciation from the perceptive point of view; the phonemes tightly behind the initial consonant clusters also prevent Yushan EFL learners from articulating these clusters correctly.