The Influence of the First Language on the Pronunciation of the Second Language: Taking Consonant r in English as an Example

Abstract

In recent years, the importance of learning English has risen to an incredible stage, especially in China. As educators always emphasize, speaking is much more important when it comes to all aspects of a language. So it is necessary to do research on the pronunciation of the second language (L2), or to be more specific, a foreign language. This paper will mainly discuss the influence of Chinese on the pronunciation of the consonant rin English, to correct and make people pay attention to their pronunciation, so as to avoid misunderstandings due to pronunciation. The author will invite students in university to complete a questionnaire relating to oral English and learning. The results show that the possible reasons for the wrong r consonant include dialect factors and educational factors.