Studies on phonological rule errors made by Chinese intermediate‑ and advanced‑level learners of Korean are still relatively scarce. In particular, most existing studies have focused mainly on the elementary and intermediate levels. As part of pro...
Studies on phonological rule errors made by Chinese intermediate‑ and advanced‑level learners of Korean are still relatively scarce. In particular, most existing studies have focused mainly on the elementary and intermediate levels. As part of pronunciation instruction, phonological rules in fact occupy a very important position. Mastery of phonological rules not only enables a smoother flow of speech in the process of language production, but also enhances the accuracy of linguistic expression. Especially at the advanced level, as vocabulary size and grammatical knowledge increase, learners’ language production becomes more integrated. This study focuses on read-aloud speech and observes and analyzes phonological rule errors made by advanced Chinese learners of Korean.
This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 is the introduction, which mainly discusses the purpose and necessity of research on phonological rules and describes the current academic achievements and types of studies on phonological rules in Chinese learners of Korean.
The content and methods of the study are mainly explained in Chapter 2. First, the reasons for selecting the test text are discussed. A fairy-tale text was chosen as the test material for the experiment. Next, the participants’ background, such as their length of Korean study and their period of residence in Korea, is described. Finally, the methods for analyzing and transcribing the test text are explained.
Chapter 3 presents a detailed classification and organization of all existing Korean phonological rules. It explains which phonological rules are mainly dealt with at the current “teaching–learning stage.” This study focuses on “obligatory rules” and, in conjunction with the participants’ test results, identifies phonological rule errors made by advanced learners. Among these “obligatory rules,” the analysis primarily targets errors related to nasalization, lateralization, tensification, and aspiration.
Chapter 4 deals with error analysis. By analyzing and organizing the participants’ data, the main error types were examined. Focusing on the “obligatory rules” discussed in Chapter 3, it was found that learners at the advanced level still show considerable errors in their use of phonological rules. In particular, the error rate in applying phonological rules is very high for low-frequency words. These errors arise not only from insufficient mastery of phonological rules themselves, but also from pronunciation-related issues, such as confusion among basic lenis, aspirated, and tense consonants.
Finally, Chapter 5 presents the conclusion. Based mainly on the error analysis in Chapter 4, it argues that there is a need to expand the treatment of phonological rules in textbooks for advanced learners. In other words, textbooks aimed at learners who have reached the advanced level should not merely increase the amount of vocabulary and grammar, but should also continue to teach phonological rules on the basis of a practical, usage-based approach. In addition, at the pronunciation practice stage, practice materials for advanced learners should be provided in a comprehensive and diverse manner, going beyond simple exercises such as word-level fill‑in‑the‑blank tasks. By strengthening practice in complex and varied syllable environments, it is considered necessary to enhance learners’ proficiency in and sensitivity to phonological rules.
Based on the analysis of phonological rule errors made by advanced Chinese learners in this study, it was confirmed that issues related to phonological rules are not tasks to be resolved only at the beginner or intermediate levels, but are equally important for learners at the advanced level. The data presented in this research serve as basic material illustrating how advanced learners use phonological rules, and it is hoped that this will draw greater attention to the difficulties that advanced learners face in the process of learning Korean.