A Study on the Acquisition Difficulties of English Dental Fricatives /ð/ and /θ/ for Learners with a Dalian Dialect Background 

Shu Di

Xi’an International Studies University, Chang’an District, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, 710100；

Abstract：This study explores English dental fricatives /ð/, /θ/ acquisition difficulties among Dalian dialect learners and targeted teaching strategies. Thirty vocational students participated via recording, articulatory observation and interviews. Results show 92% substitution errors due to the absence of such sounds in Dalian dialect, with higher error rates in word-final and connected speech. The “positioning-contrast-hierarchical practice” reduced errors by 47%. It enriches northern dialect-related phonetics research while limitations include a small sample and no long-term follow-up.

Keywords: Dalian dialect; English dental fricatives; /ð/ and /θ/

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