Perception of English vowels as a foreign language of Hong Kong Cantonese secondary school speakers

Abstract

This dissertation reports on the results of a research study that investigated the perception of English vowels by native Cantonese speakers who are learning English as a foreign language (EFL) as well as the applicability of the predictions of the Perception Assimilation Model (PAM) to foreign language perception by Hong Kong Cantonese EFL learners. Thirty-one local secondary school students participated in a perception test to discriminate and identify English minimal pairs. The results affirm the hypothesis of the PAM on the perceptual identification of different types of minimal pairs. The results also call for the usage of explicit English phonological training in Hong Kong Education to facilitate English acquisition.