Impact of Rhythm on Vietnamese Adult EFL Learners Intelligibility in Term of Mid-level Tone

Tien DANG

Abstract


This study investigates the impact of L1 (Vietnamese) on L2 (English) with a specific reference to rhythm. The transfer of L1 rhythm to the L2 rhythm is considered as a potential factor in reducing EFL learner’s intelligibility.  The findings of this quantitative research show that Vietnamese adult EFL learners’ oral output is significantly unintelligible due to the application the mid-level tone of their first language, part of Vietnamese rhythm to produce English rhythm in a pronunciation test, making their utterance monotonous. This paper aims at presenting findings gained from an examination into how the Vietnamese rhythm, the mid-level tone, affects 50 Vietnamese adult EFL learners’ intelligibility in a pronunciation test assessed by ten judges.

 


Keywords


Rhythm, mid-level tone, Vietnamese adult EFL learners, and intelligibility

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.2n.4p.98

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