The Current Situation of English Intonation Acquisition among Chinese EFL Learners

Abstract

With the shift in the focus of college English curriculum content in China, the traditional teaching model centered on imparting grammar and vocabulary knowledge is gradually evolving into a new model that caters to the needs of cross-cultural communication and emphasizes the cultivation of oral English skills. Against this backdrop, English learners are paying increasing attention to English intonation. However, they encounter numerous problems during the actual acquisition process. To address the issue of poor intonation accuracy among English learners, represented by college students, this study takes 113 students from the 2020 - 2024 grades at Guangzhou City University of Technology as the research subjects. Data is collected through the Quwenjuan system, covering three aspects: basic cognition of English intonation, listening tests, and speaking tests. Excel is used for data analysis. The study reveals that learners have achieved certain results in mastering basic intonation rules, but they lack the ability to apply complex intonation. There is also a gap between their cognitive and practical abilities. The consistency among listening, speaking, and cognitive abilities is poor, with problems such as the mechanical application of intonation patterns and an inability to express meaning flexibly. Based on these findings, this study puts forward targeted suggestions: learners should strengthen practical training and make diverse use of learning resources; teachers need to systematically teach English intonation knowledge and implement a diversified teaching model. This research aims to provide references for English intonation learning and teaching in China, improve the quality of language communication, reduce intonation-related misunderstandings in cross-cultural communication, and promote cross-cultural communication.