{"id":4168,"date":"2026-06-23T12:47:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T10:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.afrikaeducation.com\/africeduc\/?page_id=4168"},"modified":"2026-06-23T12:47:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T10:47:22","slug":"riseafrica-v2i1-10","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.afrikaeducation.com\/africeduc\/riseafrica-v2i1-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Cameroonian Local Languages as an Asset for Mastering Chinese Tone"},"content":{"rendered":"

MVUH ZOULIATOU<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong>
ENS-Universit\u00e9 de Maroua<\/em><\/em>
Rise Africa, Vol. 2, No. 1 (2026), pp. 225-248
ISSN : 3105-5311<\/p>

T\u00e9l\u00e9charger le PDF<\/a><\/div><\/div>

R\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/strong>
Cette \u00e9tude examine l\u2019acquisition des tons lexicaux du mandarin chez des apprenants de chinois d\u00e9butants au Cameroun, en accordant une attention particuli\u00e8re \u00e0 l\u2019influence de la langue maternelle sur la perception et la production tonales. \u00c0 l\u2019aide d\u2019analyses acoustiques r\u00e9alis\u00e9es avec Praat et d\u2019une interpr\u00e9tation statistique effectu\u00e9e via SPSS, la recherche analyse les erreurs tonales de deux groupes d\u2019apprenants\u00a0: le groupe A (locuteurs de langues \u00e0 tons telles que le bamoun des Grassfields, l\u2019ewondo, le duala et le bassa) et le groupe B (locuteurs de langues non tonales dont les langues de communication quotidienne sont le fran\u00e7ais, l\u2019anglais, l\u2019arabe ou le fulfulde). Elle explore \u00e9galement la mani\u00e8re dont les facteurs linguistiques, environnementaux, p\u00e9dagogiques et individuels fa\u00e7onnent l\u2019acquisition des tons.<\/em>
Les r\u00e9sultats montrent que, bien que l\u2019acquisition des tons repr\u00e9sente un d\u00e9fi majeur pour tous les apprenants, les types d\u2019erreurs et les sch\u00e9mas d\u2019acquisition varient selon le fond linguistique. Les apprenants du groupe A font preuve d\u2019une sensibilit\u00e9 tonale relativement plus \u00e9lev\u00e9e, mais commettent fr\u00e9quemment des erreurs de substitution et des applications erron\u00e9es des r\u00e8gles de sandhi en raison du transfert de leurs syst\u00e8mes tonals natifs complexes. \u00c0 l\u2019inverse, les apprenants du groupe B rencontrent davantage de difficult\u00e9s avec la neutralisation des tons, la simplification des contours tonals et la confusion de cat\u00e9gories, ce qui refl\u00e8te l\u2019absence de cat\u00e9gories tonales lexicales dans leurs langues maternelles et la pr\u00e9dominance de syst\u00e8mes prosodiques bas\u00e9s sur l\u2019accent de mot.<\/em>
S\u2019appuyant sur ces constats, l\u2019\u00e9tude propose une approche p\u00e9dagogique double :\u00a0 pour les locuteurs de langues \u00e0 tons, int\u00e9grer une prise de conscience des langues locales dans l\u2019enseignement des tons afin de favoriser le transfert positif des connaissances phonologiques existantes vers le mandarin\u2009; pour les locuteurs de langues non tonales, mettre en \u0153uvre des strat\u00e9gies cibl\u00e9es (entra\u00eenement intensif \u00e0 la perception, explications fonctionnelles du r\u00f4le des tons, enseignement gestuel, progression \u00e9tal\u00e9e allant d\u2019exercices contr\u00f4l\u00e9s \u00e0 une utilisation communicative) afin de lever les obstacles cognitifs et perceptifs sp\u00e9cifiques.<\/em>
En reliant la th\u00e9orie linguistique \u00e0 la pratique en classe, cette recherche contribue au domaine de la phonologie de l\u2019acquisition d\u2019une langue seconde et propose des solutions concr\u00e8tes pour am\u00e9liorer l\u2019acquisition des tons en mandarin dans des contextes africains multilingues, tout en soulignant l\u2019importance de strat\u00e9gies d\u2019enseignement culturellement et linguistiquement adapt\u00e9es.<\/em><\/p>

Abstract<\/strong>
This study investigates the acquisition of Mandarin lexical tones among beginner-level learners of Chinese in Cameroon, with particular emphasis on the influence of first language background on tonal perception and production. Using acoustic analyses based on Praat and statistical interpretation via SPSS, the research examines tonal errors in two groups of learners \u2014 notably Group A (speakers of tonal languages such as Bamun from Grassfield, Ewondo, Duala, and Bassa) and Group B (speakers of non-tonal languages__ whose daily communication languages are French\/English\/Arabic\/Fulfulde) \u2014 and explores how linguistic, environmental, pedagogical, and individual factors shape tone acquisition.
Results show that while tonal acquisition poses significant challenges for all learners, error types and acquisition patterns vary according to linguistic background. Group A learners demonstrate relatively higher tonal sensitivity but often display substitution errors and sandhi misapplications due to transfer from complex native tonal systems. Group B learners, by contrast, struggle with tonal neutralization, contour simplification, and category confusion, reflecting the absence of lexical tone categories in their first languages and the predominance of stress-based prosodic systems.
Building on these findings, the study proposes a dual pedagogical approach. First, integrating local language awareness into tone instruction helps tonal-language speakers transfer existing phonological knowledge to Mandarin. Second, targeted strategies for non-tonal learners \u2014 including intensive perception training, functional explanations of tone, gesture-based teaching, and staged progression from controlled practice to communicative use \u2014 address specific cognitive and perceptual barriers.
By linking linguistic theory to classroom practice, this research contributes to the field of second language phonology and offers practical solutions for improving Mandarin tone acquisition in multilingual African contexts, highlighting the value of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching strategies.\u00a0<\/p>

Mots cl\u00e9s<\/strong>
Cameroun\u2009; langues locales\u2009; chinois (mandarin)\u2009; tons\u2009; prononciation\u2009; transfert\u00a0L1\u2009; phonologie<\/em><\/p>

Keywords<\/strong>
Cameroon; local languages; Chinese (Mandarin); tones; pronunciation\u2009; L1 transfer; phonology<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>

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Comment citer cet article ? <\/strong>
MVUH ZOULIATOU<\/em><\/strong>, (2026). Cameroonian Local Languages as an Asset for Mastering Chinese Tone. In Nama, D.D., (\u00c9d.), L\u2019enseignement du chinois au Cameroun : enjeux sociopolitiques, innovations didactiques et perspectives africaines.<\/em> Rise Africa, 2(1), 225-248.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MVUH ZOULIATOUENS-Universit\u00e9 de MarouaRise Africa, Vol. 2, No. 1 (2026), pp. 225-248ISSN : 3105-5311 R\u00e9sum\u00e9Cette \u00e9tude examine l\u2019acquisition des tons lexicaux du mandarin chez des apprenants de chinois d\u00e9butants au Cameroun, en accordant une attention particuli\u00e8re \u00e0 l\u2019influence de la […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4168","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afrikaeducation.com\/africeduc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afrikaeducation.com\/africeduc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afrikaeducation.com\/africeduc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afrikaeducation.com\/africeduc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afrikaeducation.com\/africeduc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4168"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.afrikaeducation.com\/africeduc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4171,"href":"https:\/\/www.afrikaeducation.com\/africeduc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4168\/revisions\/4171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afrikaeducation.com\/africeduc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}