The Relation of Phonological Awareness between Cantonese (L1) and English (L2) 
 among Hong Kong Kindergarten Children

While language facilitates learning, children in Hong Kong are faced with the challenge of having to master at least two languages, and phonological awareness (PA) determines their ability to perceive and manipulate... [ view full abstract ]

While language facilitates learning, children in Hong Kong are faced with the challenge of having to master at least two languages, and phonological awareness (PA) determines their ability to perceive and manipulate languages (McBride-Chang, Bialystok, Chong & Li, 2004). However, research on PA in logographic languages has received relatively little attention. In order to better understand development in language learning, the present study thus explores the nature of PA between a logographic (Cantonese) and an alphabetic (English) language in a sample of one hundred and one 4 to 6 years old ESL learners. The study investigates the relations between PA of L1 and L2 and examines the underlying factors that influence children’s PA by administering phonological tests on participating children, and questionnaires surveys with their parents. Results show that (1) Cantonese PA has a moderate positive correlation with English PA at the syllable level; (2) rime awareness in Cantonese is a relatively good predictor of the performance of English PA at the syllable level; (3) significant association is found between syllable and phoneme onset awareness. The findings suggest that children who have developed the sensitivity towards syllables in Cantonese would have higher sensitivity towards syllables in English. It also underscores that PA on the two languages depend on a common language knowledge base and a cross-linguistic transfer is possible between logographic and alphabetic languages. Meanwhile, results of the questionnaires also suggest that age, parents’ educational level, instructional language at school and mother’s language are factors which affect children's PA performances. The result denotes the importance of children's PA in L1 as it can help develop phonological coding skills and facilitate the development of L2, and also signifies a need for further exploration on more levels of PA, especially tone awareness level.