Suprasegmentals in South-East Asian Englishes Seminar

Intonation is one of the earliest acquired aspects of human speech, and is now thought to be acquired pre-birth in a child's first language (L1).  L1-specific patterns of speech rhythm emerge shortly before a child is school-age. This presentation looks at some suprasegmental aspects of speakers who have English as a second (L2) or additional language, focusing on research on the emergent variety, Hong Kong English (HKE), and L2 English learners from Malaysia, China and Vietnam. We will consider patterns in the different speaker varieties, and also issues of teaching and learning.