2006-09-08 17:31:54 · 7 answers · asked by chuckey j 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
because the sound or pronunciation of the letter does not exist in their language.
2006-09-08 17:35:22 · answer #1 · answered by Tina N 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because the sound made by the letter 'L' doesn't exist in their language and an 'R' is the closest approximation to it when they are learning the language. However, many Chinese who have learned English pronounce the L just as we do. Unfortunately, the L-R thing has become part of the stereotyping and people believe ALL Chinese do it, which is not true.
English speaking people have similar confusion with sounds in other languages that are not familiar phonemes.
2006-09-09 00:39:49 · answer #2 · answered by old lady 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The 'R' sound does not exist in Cantonese (the dialect of most Chinese overseas and in Chinatowns). In the same way, English does not have some sounds which exist in the Chinese language such as 'zh' and 'ch'. The latter sound is not the thick sound of 'ch' that we find in 'chair'. It is a pronunciation that many non-Chinese find difficulty in saying.
But with all that said, in conclusion, different languages have particular sounds and at the same time, lack some.
2006-09-09 23:46:42 · answer #3 · answered by zlumos 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the biggest part, English wasn't The first language, its not the original language of the world being that English isn't the dominate language of the world and the fact that American language is a piece of others. they could say the same thing. Germans say the W as a V sound. but again the German language came before English as well. here is a Britannica example
http://www.answers.com/topic/english-language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language
to ask a question about language you must understand the history of how languages were formed. most of this i learned in a military brat school, while living in Germany. we had to learn The path of languages formed in my 10th grade English class. this teaching opened my eyes to the fun you can do with language. but i lost my notes in a flood(not Katrina) but remember the past that these sites reinforced.
2006-09-09 00:56:07 · answer #4 · answered by angelchele 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have never heard an Asian person pronounce L like R. I think it is only a stereotypical idea rather than a factual one.
2006-09-09 00:39:09 · answer #5 · answered by daikentana 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
They have no like sound in their language so the tongue doesn't quite know how to get the right sound out of the mouth.
2006-09-09 00:35:45 · answer #6 · answered by eugene65ca 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
really?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
i'm chinese!
and i DO NOT pronounce l like r
2006-09-09 00:37:38 · answer #7 · answered by ☆LiAn☆ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋