A study of the effect of first language on the second language acquisition: Mandarin Chinese speakers’ English pronunciation

This research is conducted to study the effect of First language (LI) to the Second Language Acquisition (SLA) which the first language is Mandarin and the target language is English. The chosen respective respondents are three Chinese Form 4 students from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tinggi Klang, Klang (SMKTK). The study seeks to see the differences in Mandarin and English phonological system and the effect of Mandarin as mother tongue on the production of English sounds of Chinese students in SMKTK. In order to get the data, the respondents were asked to read a text that were recorded in a controlled environment to get a reliable and clear result which then were analyzed in comparison with a standard BBC English phonological system. Based on the findings, the study revealed that there are differences of the Chinese students’ English Pronunciation compared to the Standard English Pronunciation. The findings also showed that the learners' process of learning a Second Language (L2) is affected by their First Language or mother tongue in many ways- in this context of study, the phonological part of the language system. Looking at how the L2 are affected by LI which can disturb the SLA process, teacher should be more alert and define the differences so that proper invention of teaching methodology could be improved suitable to the students needs to facilitate the learning process.