De-foreignizing a Sound: Computer-assisted Pronunciation Practice in Learning a Foreign Language
Herbert Mushangwe · Theory and Practice in Language Studies · 2014
This paper examines the use of computer-assisted pronunciation practice in teaching Chinese as a foreign language.The paper is based on the concept of de-foreignizing sounds for a foreign language.Ten participants in 2012 and 40 participants in 2013 from the University of Zimbabwe participated in this study.Participants were recorded producing some Chinese sounds under strict guidance of the teacher, and then edited audios were given back to the participants for their own listening practice.The results showed that after the computer-assisted pronunciation practice, over 75% of the students had better perception of the Chinese second and third tones which they were not able to differentiate before the computer-assisted pronunciation practice.This paper concludes that; though this computer-assisted pronunciation practice might be time consuming, it can be also an effective method to stimulate students' interest in Chinese.