Due to the difficulties of speech signal processing, there is still a considerable gap between the ability of machines to correctly process and that of human beings. In order to overcome the defects of isolated learning and noise sensitivity of SOM, this paper proposes a new time self-organization model (TSOM) from the perspective of deep…

With the development of internet technology, big data has been used to evaluate the singing and pronunciation quality of vocal students. However, current methods have several problems such as poor information fusion efficiency, low algorithm robustness, and low recognition accuracy under low signal-to-noise ratio. To address these issues, this…

Since the 1990s, the emphasis on intelligibility as a goal in pronunciation teaching rather than near-native or nativelike competence has been reinforced by the increasing use of English as a lingua franca. The insight of the intelligibility principle has greatly impressed researchers in China's English education, but has "very limited and…

This mixed-methods study investigated Chinese tertiary-level students' perceptions of different English accents existing in mainland China. Also examined were their perception changes and factors that contributed to their perception changes. An electronic questionnaire survey was employed to investigate the general trend and the possible…

Most speakers' first language (L1) in Hong Kong and Guangdong China is Cantonese. Even though the L1 of both Guangdong Cantonese speakers and Hong Kong Cantonese speakers is the same, their second languages (L2) belong to different language families. Previous studies have pointed out that L2 status in third language (L3) acquisition is a salient…

This paper examines university students' perceptions towards different English accent varieties and their non-unitary and conflicting identity (re)construction responding the changing configuration of English in China. Findings from interviews and diaries indicate that the participants' perceptions appear to be under the substantial influence of…

With the rise of different English varieties, scholars argued for reconceptualizing teaching pedagogies to acknowledge and incorporate diverse Global English (GE) varieties into the classroom (Rose & Galloway, 2019). However, very few studies explored the effectiveness of such innovative pedagogy on language skills. This study investigated the…

The teaching of L2 phonics, defined here as explicit instruction in the symbol-sound correspondences of a second or foreign language, has been enjoying growing popularity in recent years. This is associated with the reemphasis of phonological decoding in different aspects of L2 learning, and learners' difficulty in developing L2 decoding…

This paper examines whether a web-based training on English discourse intonation leads to better spontaneous speech quality for Mandarin Chinese speakers who reside in the U.S. and in China. The four-week fully online training consisted of meta-instruction videos as well as listening and speaking activities, including instant visual pitch contour…

Automatic Speech Scoring (ASS) has increasingly become a useful tool in oral proficiency testing for Second Language (L2) learners. However, limited studies investigate the alignment of ASS indices with the Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency (CAF)--the three dimensions in evaluating L2 speakers' oral proficiency, and the subsequent impact indices…

As there is no vowel length contrast in Chinese, Chinese learners of Thai (CLTs) often have difficulty distinguishing between short and long vowels, especially when the same vowel grapheme in Thai orthography can be pronounced as both a short and a long vowel. This study examined the importance of metalinguistic knowledge (MLK) used by CLTs before…

Rote memory (RM) has become the primary method of learning vocabulary for decades in China. However, RM is tedious, leading to reduced motivation and concentration. In contrast, Educational Video Games (EVGs) are attractive and fun, which could be an alternative to RM. Although most studies have investigated EVGs' effectiveness, empirical research…

As the most commonly established and attested language contact phenomenon, loanwords, also known as lexical borrowings, may undergo transformations when borrowed from the source language (SL) to the borrowing language (BL). Previous studies have separately illustrated the role of perception and phonology in the borrowing process. However, the…

In recent years, along with the development of Chinese economy, the Chinese government pays more attention to English education in ethnic minority areas. Chinese ethnic minority EFL learners' passion has reached an unprecedented level. Nevertheless, a series of complicated factors affect Chinese ethnic minority EFL learners' English pronunciation…

The purpose of this study was to reveal features of instructors' explanations in online EMI lectures in China. Through a mixed methods case study, the researcher examined the distribution and linguistic realizations of different types of explanations in the lectures of two online EMI courses and how the instructors and students perceived the…