Differentiated Difficulties Instead of Hierarchical Gaps: A Rebuttal to the Bias About Dialect Speakers’ English Pronunciation Learning

Abstract

This paper aims to rebut a social cognitive prejudice that dialect-speaking learners face greater difficulties in acquiring English pronunciation than Mandarin-speaking learners. To correct such misconceptions, the paper introduces several theories, which collectively prove that pronunciation acquisition only generates differentiated difficulties rather than hierarchical gaps, including the Speech Learning Model (SL) and the Revised Speech Learning Model (SLM-r), positive and negative transfer, phonological sieve and contrastive analysis. This study chooses Cantonese-speaking learners and Wu Dialect-speaking learners as samples and adopts an interdisciplinary perspective combining sociolinguistics and second language acquisition to challenge that bias. To avoid misunderstanding, key concepts such as regional dialect speakers, standard Mandarin speakers and accurate English pronunciation, are redefined. After analyzing both positive and negative transfer of Mandarin, Cantonese and Wu Dialect speakers, the study confirms its core proposition, there are only differences in learning problems rather than hierarchical distinctions. The study contributes to distinguishing the relationship between Chinese dialects and L2 pronunciation acquisition, challenges the Mandarin-centered evaluative framework, strives to provide support for forming comprehensive English pronunciation instruction, and hopes to eradicate the social stereotype.