A Study of Pronunciation Problems of Words with the 'ér' Sound (儿化韵) in Mandarin Chinese among students majoring in Business Chinese at the Faculty of Arts, Dhurakij Pundit University
Keywords:
Business Chinese Students, Mandarin, Words with The "ér" Sound (儿化韵)Abstract
This research aims to 1) investigate pronunciation problems related to words containing the “ér” (儿化韵) sound in Mandarin Chinese among students in the Business Chinese Program, Faculty of Arts, Dhurakij Pundit University; specifically, it focused on (1.1) the characteristics of pronunciation across learner groups, (1.2) the types of pronunciation errors, and (1.3) the levels of pronunciation errors among different proficiency levels; and 2) propose approaches for correcting these pronunciation errors. The sample consisted of 60 first- to fourth-year students, selected through multi-stage sampling. Research instruments included a vocabulary reading test and an evaluation form assessing pronunciation characteristics and error levels. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation.
The findings revealed that pronunciation errors involving the “ér” sound were present across all proficiency levels, occurring in 100% of beginner learners, 75.08% of intermediate learners, and 56.83% of advanced learners. Six types of pronunciation errors were identified across the groups, with each type accounting for no more than 25% of total errors. The highest levels of errors were found among beginner and intermediate learners, with mean scores of 5.00 and 4.67, respectively. Proposed solutions for addressing these pronunciation errors focus on improvements related to learners, instructors, and instructional materials.
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