International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
Discussion and Interpretation
The above results concerning the differences between stressed and unstressed English donor word syllables
and their corresponding loanword counterparts in F0, duration and intensity suggest that both highly proficient
and less proficient speakers tend to rely on f0 and duration rather than intensity when producing English word
stress. Besides, highly proficient speakers are more capable than less proficient speakers in using all the three
phonetic cues to stress, especially duration. More training can be given to both groups on the use of intensity to
denote stress, while special attention to duration is needed for the less proficient speakers.
CONCLUSION
In short, Hong Kong Cantonese ESL learners produced English lexical stress with (i) a relative higher F0 in
stressed syllables than in unstressed syllables; and (ii) relatively little difference between stressed and unstressed
syllables in intensity and duration, as in their Cantonese loanword counterparts. Such findings confirm that pitch
serves as the most dominant acoustic cue for stressed syllables, even in English produced by Cantonese ESL
speakers. In addition, highly proficient speakers showed more differences between stressed syllables and their
unstressed counterparts than less proficient learners in duration and intensity. It suggests that less dominant
acoustic features, intensity and duration, should be emphasised in ESL teaching, especially to the less proficient
ESL speakers.
To undo the nativisation of English words into Cantonese phonological structure, Hong Kong Cantonese ESL
learners should be taught explicitly the phonetic cues to English word stress: F0, intensity and duration. This
may inspire teachers or educators with more effective regimens such as the use of waveforms and spectrograms
as visual aids in teaching English pronunciation to Hong Kong Cantonese learners of English. This may also
serve as a basis for further studies on the acquisition, production and teaching of English connected speech and
intonation.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The work described in this paper was substantially supported by a grant from the College of Professional and
Continuing Education, an affiliate of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, jointly undertaken with Division
of Speech and Hearing Sciences, The University of Hong Kong.
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