Interpreting verbal irony in Mandarin Chinese: The role of prosody and proficiency among L2 learners of Chinese

This study examines the intersection of second language pragmatics and prosody, focusing on L2 Chinese learners' ability to interpret ironic intentions through prosody. Irony, as a form of non-literal language, relies on cues such as prosody for interpretation. For L2 learners, recognizing these prosodic cues is crucial to disambiguating meaning and avoiding communicative breakdowns. The study employs a cross-sectional design, including intermediate (n = 29) and advanced (n = 23) L1 American English speakers learning Mandarin as a second language, as well as native Chinese speakers (n = 60). Participants completed an experimental interpretation task designed to assess the impact of proficiency and prosody on interpreting speakers' intentions. Stimuli included utterances delivered in three prosodic tones: ironic, enthusiastic, and neutral. Results showed that proficiency enhanced learners' ability to interpret irony through prosody, with advanced learners outperforming intermediate learners. Advanced learners showed greater sensitivity to ironic tones, while intermediate learners relied more on literal meanings and overlooked prosodic cues. These findings highlight the developmental trajectory of L2 learners’ pragma-prosodic competence, and shed light on future pedagogical practice. • Chinese learners' interpretation of irony via prosody improves with proficiency. • A developmental pattern in L2 learners' pragma-prosodic competence was observed. • Interpretation task used ironic, enthusiastic, and neutral tones as stimuli. • Ironic tone was defined by prosodic contrasts and native speakers' judgments.