Teaching English Rhythm to Mandarin Speakers: Effects on Comprehensibility for Native and Non-Native Listeners

Instruction in English suprasegmental features has been shown to generate rapid gains in second-language comprehensibility. Addressing the need for minimal, classroom-feasible pronunciation interventions, this study investigates the effects of a short course in English rhythm on listener-rated comprehensibility and examines which phonetic features most strongly constrain ease of understanding. Six adult L1 Mandarin learners of English completed a four-week rhythm-focused training programme and recorded short academic presentations before and after instruction. Comprehensibility was rated by 33 native and proficient non-native listeners, who also identified pronunciation features influencing their judgements. Results showed modest but reliable post-training improvements in comprehensibility across rater groups. Raters identified segmental inaccuracies as the primary obstacle to comprehensibility, indicating limits on the benefits of rhythm-only instruction. Fluent pausing between...Show moreInstruction in English suprasegmental features has been shown to generate rapid gains in second-language comprehensibility. Addressing the need for minimal, classroom-feasible pronunciation interventions, this study investigates the effects of a short course in English rhythm on listener-rated comprehensibility and examines which phonetic features most strongly constrain ease of understanding. Six adult L1 Mandarin learners of English completed a four-week rhythm-focused training programme and recorded short academic presentations before and after instruction. Comprehensibility was rated by 33 native and proficient non-native listeners, who also identified pronunciation features influencing their judgements. Results showed modest but reliable post-training improvements in comprehensibility across rater groups. Raters identified segmental inaccuracies as the primary obstacle to comprehensibility, indicating limits on the benefits of rhythm-only instruction. Fluent pausing between thought groups emerged as both the most robust and teachable predictor of improved comprehensibility, while the effects of lexical and contrastive stress were more constrained, and rhythm-altering final consonants had minimal impact. Native and non-native listeners did not differ reliably in overall ratings or in the magnitude of pre- to post-training change. These findings support the pedagogical value of targeted rhythm instruction while suggesting that some features are more impactful than others. Optimal English pronunciation teaching for improving the comprehensibility of Mandarin learners may combine a small set of high-impact rhythmic targets with high-functional-load segmental features, while a focus on overall fluency is also advocated.Show less

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Teaching English Rhythm to Mandarin Speakers: Effects on Comprehensibility for Native and Non-Native Listeners