Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

A Study of English /ɪ/ Production among Mandarin ESL Learners Across Different Proficiency Levels

Jiaying LiUniversiti Kebangsaan Malaysia*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

The English /iː/–/ɪ/ contrast poses persistent learning difficulties for Mandarin Chinese speakers. While perceptual challenges are well documented, systematic acoustic studies on /ɪ/ production across proficiency levels remain scarce. This study examined the acoustic features of English /ɪ/ produced by 16 Mandarin-speaking EFL learners (8 low proficiency, 8 high proficiency) from northern China. Participants read five /ɪ/-containing words (sit, bit, hit, ship, live). F1 and F2 values at vowel midpoint were extracted and compared with native English reference values. Results showed that the low proficiency group produced a numerically lower F1 (382.37 Hz) than the high proficiency group (397.87 Hz), suggesting a higher tongue position, though the difference was not significant (p= .372). F2 values were similar across groups (2124.32 Hz vs. 2144.66 Hz, p= .793). The non-significant results are attributed to the small sample size and lack of normalization, which led to large individual variation. Pedagogically, the F1 trend suggests that low proficiency learners would benefit from instruction targeting tongue height adjustment to produce a lower /ɪ/ closer to the native target.

Keywords: English /ɪ/ production; Mandarin EFL learners; proficiency level; vowel formants; acoustic analysis
Published: August 4, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.HT35879
Volume: CHR Vol.113
pp. 215-220
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