【正文】  Abstract:English differs from Chinese in that English is the intonation language and Chinese is the tone language, so they have their respective characteristics. English intonation is an important part of speech sounds and English intonation teaching is also a core element in English phonetic teaching. But it has not gained enough attention in English teaching of our country. Thus Chinese students，even English major graduates are unable to express their emotions correctly by using English intonation due to the influence of Chinese tone and our traditional intonation teaching patterns.   
  This paper compares Chinese tone with English intonation from various aspects. The finding is that the two language families have a great difference in intonation. This paper also covers Chinese tone’s negative transfer to English intonation learning and give effective methods for English intonation teaching.
  Key words: Chinese tone；English intonation；negative transfer
  Chapter 1  Introduction
 With our increasing communication with the outside world，the aim of learning English is more clear and the requirement of communicative ability is also improved for English learners. During the communication, correct intonation can promote comprehension, enhance cooperation, and strengthen friendship but incorrect intonation will lead to negative effect or even produce misunderstanding and offend others under unconscious condition. And Jan Svartvik (1974) even said effective communication in speech depends to a great extent on intonation. We can see that English intonation is the most significant factor for communication.
  However, English differs from Chinese in that English is the intonation language while Chinese is the tone language, so they have different characteristics. Zhao Yuanren (1992) once exactly points out tone and intonation are just like the little wave and the huge wave: the huge wave is rising and falling, with the little wave on the top of each huge one. This indicates exactly the relationship between tone and intonation.
　　 But in our English teaching, intonation is always ignored. On one hand, majority of teachers only emphasize on learning the segmental features like the pronunciation of vowels and consonants but neglect the supersegmental features like intonation. On the other hand, many textbook associate certain tones with specific grammatical structures in order for students to learn intonation.  Thus, most English learners, even English major students can not grasp English intonation features and are unable to correctly grasp English intonation to express their different emotions due to the influence of Chinese tone and our intonation teaching patterns. 
  Chapter 2  Comparative Study of Chinese and English
  Contrastive Analysis was used extensively in the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) in the 1960s and early 1970s, as a method of explaining why some features of a Target Language were more difficult to acquire than others. According to the behaviorist theories prevailing at the time, language learning was a question of habit formation, and this could be reinforced or impeded by existing habits. Therefore, the difficulty in mastering certain structures in a second language (L2) depends on the difference between the learners' mother language (L1) and the language they were trying to learn. (Rod Ellis, 1999:23)
　　Almost every language makes use of various pitches, but in different ways (Kingdon: 1958). Chinese and English are different in intonation.  In the following this thesis will compare certain differences between English and Chinese, which will give students a clear understanding of differences between them.
  2.1  Comparison of pitch
  1) The unit of sound pitch is different. The pitch contour of Chinese is on the word, which means every word has its own fixed pitch. That is called tone. For example, a mandarin word “ma” means mother when said with a high level pitch, means hemp when said with a high rising pitch, means horse when said with a fall-rise pitch and means scold when said with a high falling pitch. However, the pitch contour of English is on the phrase and sentence, which is called intonation. For example:
  


  2) Chinese tones are the indispensable part to compose a word and they also alter the meaning of words. The changing tone has the same kind of effect on the meaning of a word as changing a vowel or consonant would in English. Chinese has four such lexical tones: high level(书book), rising(熟ripe), falling-rising(鼠mouse), and high falling(树tree). The syllable sequence Shu will convey different meanings on the pitch which it is said (Zhang Guanzhi, 2008:19). While English words have no fixed pitch themselves, they depends on their position in the sentence and English intonation is not used to keep words distinct from one another but only to modify the emotional, logical character or expression of whole utterances. We can say the word ‘yes’ on a number of different pitch patterns (e.g. pronounced on a high tone, a low tone, a rising tone, or a falling tone), but it continues to mean ‘yes’. English sentences have definite patterns of intonation which vary with the feeling behind the words or the attitude expressed in them. 
  3) The changes of the pitch in Chinese sentence are sudden and bouncing. The number of fluctuation is big and the range of fluctuation is large. However, English is quite opposite to Chinese syllables. The changes of pitch in English sentence are slipping and sudden change of the pitch is rare to occur.
  4) Chinese intonation is stable. The rise and fall of the sentence only show at the end of the sentence, which has no influence on the changes of the relevant pitch of every syllable in the sentence. While English intonation of the whole sentence is fluctuate, the change of the syllable should obey the change of the sentence.
  5) The end of intonation in Chinese sentence is on the last word, but in English sentence the end of the intonation is on the last stressed syllable, maybe it is still followed by several unstressed syllables. 
  2.2  Comparison of stress
 Chinese is a kind of syllable-timed language. Each Chinese character is one syllable which takes almost equal time. This sounds as though all the syllables are of equal length, and the dominant role of stressed syllables in making up the rhythm is much less noticeable. For example:
   我要好好学习争取考个好成绩
我好好学习
　　There are 13 characters in the first sentence, and that is to say, there are 13 syllables; while there are 5 syllables in the second sentence. So the time for speaking out the sentences is also different. The second sentence obviously takes less time than that of the first sentence. 
　　English is a kind of stress-timed language, which is a rule that established by usages. It takes stress as the backbone, unstressed syllable as foil, and stressed and unstressed syllable appear alternately. Each stressed syllable appears with “equal-time”, so this pattern is called stress-time. If you were asked to clap your hands in time with the sentence: This is the 'first 'time I’ve 'ever 'eaten a 'chocolate 'caterpillar. You would be most likely to clap at the points marked with the stress mark “'”. It is often claimed that English speakers try to keep an equal time between the stressed syllables, so the time between claps of your hands would be quite regular. Rhythm of this type is the example of the stress-time, and it is claimed that the unstressed syllables between the stressed syllables are squeezed into the time available, with the result that they may become very short.
  This 'boy is 'interested in en'larging his vo'cabulary.
  'Great 'progress is 'made ‘daily (Zhang Fengtong, 1996:298).
　　Now A is used to stand for the stressed syllable, a stands for the unstressed syllable, then the above examples can be expressed as follows:
  a A a A a a a a A a a a A a a a
A A a a A A a (Zhang Fengtong, 1996).
　　There are 16 syllables in the first sentence while 7 syllables in the second sentence. However, the time for speaking out the two sentences is almost equal, for there are four syllables in both of the sentences. From the above examples we can know that English is stress-timed language. English is perceived in the durational interplay of stressed syllables and unstressed syllables. It has traditionally been considered to have an isochronous pattern of rhythm, that is, a pattern in which stressed syllables seem to occur at roughly equal intervals, regardless of the number of unstressed syllables occurring between the stressed ones (Clark& Yallop, 2000: 323). The more syllables in a foot, the faster the foot is uttered. While either in English or in Chinese, the speed of utterance is determined by the number of feet. The speed of utterance indicates the attitude and emotion of the speaker. Generally speaking, a high speed implies anger, hatred, anxiety, joy, doubt, etc; a medium speed implies declaration, confirmation, request, etc; a low speed implies coldness, pondering, regret, grief, sincerity, etc.
　　From the above comparison and analysis, we can get the obvious conclusion that English is stress-timed, while Chinese is syllable-timed, and they belong to two totally different patterns. Another thing, what seems clear is that rhythm is useful for us in communication: it helps us to find our way through the confusing stream of continuous speech, enable us to divide speech into words or other units, to signal changes between topic and speaker, and to spot which items in the message are the most important.
　　The above points are the general comparative analysis between Chinese and English. Next this thesis would analyze the interference of Chinese tone on English intonation.
  Chapter 3  Interference of Chinese tone on English Intonation
  3.1  Negative transfer of Chinese tone
　　As we all known English and Chinese are different in intonation features, Chinese tone will surely influence the learning of English intonation. Next this thesis will give examples and analyze the reasons why Chinese-native students are not able to correctly grasp English intonation. 
  1）Chinese students are not able to make full use of their sound register to correctly show pitch fluctuation of the sentence when they are reading or speaking. Instead they are usually inclined to use a narrow sound register. For example: I read English every day.  The correct sound register is:
 



  But Chinese students often read it incorrectly in two ways. Girls prefer to read it with high sound register and boys are inclined to read it with low sound register. The reason for the two situations is that Chinese is tone language, which can determine meaning of the word. As mentioned above，English tone has no influence on the meaning of the word. So this difference makes Chinese students mistakenly believe that English has no pitch fluctuation or it makes no difference to ignore it. Thus, students can not make full use of their sound register to read correct English intonation.
 2）Chinese students are accustomed to using falling tone on every word especially on polysyllable words when they are reading or speaking. In this way, the word is like jumping out one by one, so it is hard for them to express their emotions and it will impede communication. The reason for this is that Chinese students prefer to show pitch fluctuation on every word but feel unaccustomed to showing pitch fluctuation on phrase or sentence in English. For example: 
  

   

  3）Chinese students are not able to show the end of sentence intonation especially they are unaccustomed to the rising tone in the end of the sentence. The reason for this is that at the end of sentence intonation Chinese show it by changing the last word, and the range of rising or falling is small. But English show the end of the sentence intonation on the last stressed syllable in the sentence and the following unstressed syllables will continue to fall or rise. Due to the influence of Chinese, English learners can not grasp these characteristics and apply Chinese method of showing the end of intonation in English intonation learning. Thus, their English intonation sounds unnatural. For example:
  Did you see him leave the hospital?
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
　　　　

  4）Chinese students are used to stressing every word in the sentence. They believe that they will be understood if they pronounce every word well. But in fact, it will make others think you are angry and influence communication. The reason for this is that Chinese is syllable-timed language Each Chinese character is one syllable which takes almost equal time. This sounds as though all the syllables are of equal length, and the dominant role of stressed syllables in making up the rhythm is much less noticeable. English is stress-timed language. Each stressed syllable appears with “equal-time” English speakers try to keep an equal time between the stressed syllables, so the time between claps of your hands would be quite regular. Thus, Chinese students can not grasp English intonation patterns. During the communication with foreigners, the overuse of stress will lead to the misunderstanding and even hurt the other side.
  5）Chinese students prefer to use the falling tone to read sentence and it sounds unnatural when they use the rising tone. Moreover, Chinese students are taught to use the falling tone in declarative sentences, special interrogative sentences and use the rising tone in yes-no questions. But in fact the falling tone is not only used in declarative sentences, special interrogative sentences, exclamation and commands, but also in general interrogative sentences expressing command or impatience. For example:
  Will you do as you are told?
  Are you ready?
  The falling tone here is preferred by many speakers, especially those who wish to show a firm and decided character. 
  In addition to the common use of rising tone in yes-no questions, ZhangGuanzhi(2008) discussed the use of rising tone in statements and commands making them as questionable or hesitating. For example:
  1. Soften a contradiction
   --Your friend is late.
   --He is not late＇，it is only three o'clock＇.
  2.  Soften a command
    --Don’t forget to post that letter＇.
  3.  Soften a refusal
　--Will you have another cup of tea?
　--No＇, thank you＇.
  4.  Give a general character of cheerfulness to what is said
  --Well＇,　good bye＇．
　 --Hope to see you again soon＇
  Chapter 4 Teaching Implication
  English intonation teaching is a core element of English phonetic teaching and learning. Good mastery of English intonation will lay a sound basis for the learning of vocabulary, grammar, speaking and listening. Otherwise, all these aspects will be impeded. Therefore, higher requirements have been pointed out for teachers and pedagogical norms in the teaching of English intonation are required.
  4.1  Requirements for teachers
  A teacher of pronunciation can’t do efficient work if he is ignorant of speech melody of language he is teaching. As the saying goes that a teacher of speech untrained in phonetics is as useless as a doctor untrained in anatomy. It has vividly showed the importance of phonetic knowledge for language teachers especially foreign language teachers. As a teacher, the following requirements should be followed.
　　1）Make your own intonation similar to Standard English which will set an example for your students because they will learn from you.
  2）Combine practice with theoretical description. The combination will make students develop from sensible understanding to the level of rational learning and lay solid theoretical basis for intonation learning.
　　3）Encourage positive imitation. Chen Ying (1987) points out if a student can insist on imitating 10 standard records; both his pronunciation and intonation will make substantial progress in the end. 
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