Term
2010
Capstone
Restricted Access Thesis
Degree Name
MAESL
Abstract
Many ESL professionals have anecdotally noted that Hmong ESL learners delete syllable-final consonants in English. Syllable simplification such as this can cause a speaker to be unintelligible. The purpose of this study was to examine which consonants Hmong ESL learners delete or replace syllable-finally in English. Fifteen adult Hmong ESL learners completed three tasks designed to elicit a variety of syllable-final consonants: A spontaneous speech sample, a list of sentences and a list of words read aloud. The results were then analyzed for frequency and type of syllable-final consonant simplification and for error rates of specific consonants. The results of this study show the participants deleting /d, g, v/ most frequently overall, and replacing /ŏ, ž, θ/ most frequently overall. There was variation, however, across task. Participants deleted stops most frequently, and affricates were most frequently replaced. Voicing did not seem to have an overall influence on deletion or replacement.
Recommended Citation
McCurdy, Suzanne, "Hmong learners' deletion and replacement of syllable-final consonants in English" (2010). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations. 404.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all/404
Type
text
Publisher
Hamline University
Format
application/pdf
Source
School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations at Hamline University