Intonation patterns of yes-no questions for Chinese EFL learners

Abstract

The present study investigates Chinese EFL (English as a foreign language) learners' intonation pattern of yes-no questions on the basis of AM theory. According to our study, American speakers adopt a low-level (L*) or low rising tone (L*H) on nuclear accents no matter the nuclear accent is on the medial or final part of a sentence. By contrast, Chinese EFL learners apply a high-level (H*) or falling (H*L) tone when a nuclear accent falls on the medial part of a sentence but a falling (H*L) or low rising tone (L*H) when it is on the final part. The final boundary tone of Chinese EFL learners can be either high (H%) or low (L%) while American speakers mainly apply the H% boundary tone. Besides, Chinese EFL learners' pitch movements of nuclear accents in yes-no questions are similar to those of statements.