The Perception of Pitch Accent by Chinese Learners

This study investigates how syntactic structures (active vs. passive) and focus location (match vs. mismatch) influence Chinese EFL learners' perception of English pitch accent. The experiments analyzed responses from 21 Chinese learners in tasks requiring identification of accented words and prosodic correctness in dialogues. Results revealed that: (1) Learners exhibited significantly lower accuracy in perceiving pitch accents at sentence-final positions in passive structures, with prolonged reaction times indicating higher cognitive load. (2)When matching pitch accent to focus, learners demonstrated sensitivity to noun positions in both structures, yet passive sentences showed stronger interference. These findings suggest that the syntactic complexity of passive sentences impedes effective integration of pitch accent and focus, likely due to increased working memory demands. The study supports the L2 Intonation Learning Theory and highlights pedagogical implications for intonation training.