Characteristics of Vietnamese Tonal Pronunciation in Children Aged 5-6 (A Case Study in Hanoi)

Abstract

This study investigates the characteristics of Vietnamese tonal pronunciation in children aged 5-6 in Hanoi, aiming to clarify the role of tone in the development of language and communication skills during early childhood. Addressing a gap in previous research - which has paid less attention to tone compared to other syllabic components - the paper focuses on analyzing the acoustic features and tonal articulation of children speaking Northern Vietnamese dialects. The results reveal significant differences in F0 values across tones, reflecting distinct pitch ranges and degrees of tonal variation. Gender and age also influence vocal pitch, with girls and 6-year-olds generally exhibiting higher F0 values. Common pronunciation errors, such as substituting the creaky rising tone (ngã) with the high rising tone (sắc), or the falling-rising tone (hỏi) with the low falling tone (nặng), suggest that children still struggle with controlling pitch and glottal interruptions. These findings provide a crucial foundation for designing effective pronunciation correction strategies, supporting more accurate and holistic language development in early childhood education.