Level Tones in the narration of serial pictures by Malay ESL Learners

This study investigates the functions of level tones in Malay ESL learners’ speech. Recorded speech samples of 30 male and 30 female Malay ESL learners narrating structured short stories were examined both auditorily and acoustically for level tone occurrences. Tone functions were identified using Brazil’s (1985, 1997) Discourse Intonation approach. By and large, the learners used level tones for hesitations, linguistic accuracy considerations and listing, showing similarities with native speakers of English. The learners also used the tones to convey new and shared information. In addition, there was a significant gender-based difference in the usage of level tones to express new information and to dedicate time for linguistic accuracy considerations. Findings add to current understanding of tone use in second language speech and may contribute further details to the description of Malaysian English phonology.