Interaction in bilingual Cantonese-Putonghua phonological acquisition

Abstract

This study investigated the existence and mechanism of interaction in bilingual phonological acquisition of two tonal languages (Cantonese and Putonghua). A total of 60 children aged 3;00 to 4;00 were recruited from Hong Kong and Shenzhen, including 20 Cantonese-Putonghua successive bilinguals, 20 Cantonese and 20 Putonghua monolinguals. Cantonese Segmental Phonology Test (So, 1992) and Putonghua Segmental Phonology Test (So & Zhou, 2000) were administered. Occurrences of phonological transfer, phonetic inventories, percentage accuracy of syllable component and accuracy by manner class were measured. The accuracies of shared and unshared sounds were compared in each group to examine if sound categorisation (Flege, 1981) is a systematic pattern of interaction. Results indicated interaction exists between the two phonological systems. In addition, sound categorisation was evident in bilingual phonological acquisition. A clearer picture of bilingual Cantonese-Putonghua phonological acquisition was provided, allowing speech pathologists to make appropriate diagnosis and plan intervention.