Abstract: Affected by the native language, many students including English majors have a strong Chinese accent in their English pronunciation. According to Mother Tongue Transfer Theories, the mother tongue has an impact on English phonetic acquisition, such as the pronunciation of vowels and consonants, the stress of different words, the liaison, pause, rhythm of sentences. There are similarities and dissimilarities between English and Chinese. Consonants correspond to shengmu in pinyin while vowels correspond to yunmu. Some sounds are alike such as b,p,g. Some sounds are non-exist in pinyin such as /ʒ/ /θ/ /tr/. The reasons for the influence of native language on English pronunciation acquisition lies in the different living environment and regional culture. Students in the English enlightenment stage tend to get no standard pronunciation training and moreover, they lack of contrastive consciousness of English-Chinese language. On the basis of mastering the correct pronunciation rules, learners must be able to break through the barriers by constantly imitating and better grasp the correct pronunciation.

Key words: mother tongue; influence; English pronunciation; countermeasures

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction.1

2. Literature Review and Theoretical Framework.2

2.1 Mother Tongue Transfer Theories

2.2 English Phonetics and Its Features

3. Phenomenon Analysis of the Influence of the Mother Tongue on English Phonetic Acquisition3

3.1 Positive Influence

3.2 Negative Influence

 3.2.1 English Phonemes

 3.2.2 Rhythm & Intonation

4. Reasons behind the Mother Tongue Transfer6

4.1 Different Living Environment

4.2 Different Cognitive Style

4.3 Different Psychological Emotion

5. Countermeasures.8

6. Conclusion.9

Bibliography10

Acknowledgments.11