An Experimental Study On Chinese Advanced EFL Learners’ Acquisition Of The Intonation Of English General Questions

Intonation plays an important role in communication.English intonation is mainly realized by the rise and fall of the pitch.Based on the Language Transfer Theory and Intonation Pattern Theory,this study aims to explore the intonation characteristics of Chinese advanced English learners.In this study,the intonation characteristics of English general questions acquired by EFL learners are explored by extracting pitch,length,and intensity data and comparing the results with the intonation data of native speakers,thus this research provides an important reference for the study of language types and language acquisition.This paper focuses on the following three problems:1.From the perspective of pitch,what are the differences between the range and fluctuation characteristics of Chinese EFL learners and native English speakers?2.From the perspective of length,what are the differences between the delay rate distribution of Chinese EFL learners and native English speakers?3.From the perspective of intensity,what are the differences between the volume ratio characteristics of Chinese EFL learners and native English speakers?The results show that the intonation characteristics of English general questions acquired by Chinese advanced English learners are different from those of native speakers as follows:In terms of pitch,Chinese EFL learners generally have a wider intonation range than native English speakers,the range of the first foot is larger than that of native speakers,and the range of the middle and last feet is smaller than that of native speakers.As for the fluctuation characteristics,the top line,middle line,and bottom line of Chinese learners are higher than that of native speakers.The fluctuation characteristics show a downward trend in the upper line,middle line,and lower line of the third and fourth foot,however,the downward range of Chinese learners is less than that of native speakers.From the perspective of length,the length of the third and fourth foot is prolonged in both Chinese learners and native speakers.The delay rate of the third and fourth foot of Chinese English learners is lower than that of native speakers.For intensity: the intensity is strengthened in both the third and four foot.The highest value of Chinese learners is at the fourth foot,while that of native speakers is at the third foot.Two main causes lead to Chinese learners’ intonation errors in the acquisition of English general questions.One reason is the influence of the native language,and the other is the fixed teaching thoughts and methods.Moreover,Chinese EFL learners have no clear distinction between stressed and weak sounds in pronouncing.On the other hand,English teachers are used to asking students to read the text in unison in English classes.Thus,students have to prolong their intonation to keep in line with other students,which results in the problem of excessive intonation extension.