Regarding the L3 phonological development for multilinguals in the Chinese context, the following two theoretically and practically important questions should be considered: 1) What is the cross-linguistic transfer pattern of phonological features from L1 to L2 and L3? 2) To what extent does L2 have on the transfer of phonological features to L3 depending on level of language proficiency? This project aims to answer these two fundamental questions by: a) identifying major pronunciation errors that Cantonese learners have in English and Mandarin; b) investigating the influence of L1 Cantonese of learners on the acquisition of English and Mandarin as either an L2 or L3 acoustically; and c) determining how multilingual learners acquire L2 and L3 pronunciation features, focusing specifically on how L1 or L2 of learners interacts with their L3 in the language learning process using meta-phonological awareness protocols.

This project is innovative in two aspects: (a) well-rounded evaluation tasks of English and Mandarin pronunciation will be created to diagnose the pronunciation difficulties of learners, and; (b) well-designed recall protocols will be conducted to ascertain the learners’ self-reflection on L2 and L3 pronunciation learning process and experiences. This project will make substantial contributions in theory and practice in multilingual acquisition and multilingual education by clarifying the factors that weigh most heavily on acquisition of L2 and L3 pronunciation of learners and thus add to the significant literature in the field of L3 phonology. The project will help establish diagnostic profiles of L2 and L3 pronunciation of learners. The research findings can also help develop pronunciation teacher training resources in facilitating teaching L2 and L3 pronunciation and linking English and Mandarin language teachers together to explore and solve pronunciation problems of L1 Cantonese learners.