Commercialized Language Training and Phonological Fossilization
A Case Study of Non-Standard Romanization in Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Mandarin Curricula
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61132/ijmeal.v3i3.481Keywords:
Curriculum Policy, Indonesian Migrant Workers, Mandarin Affricates, Phonological Fossilization, RomanizationAbstract
Pre-departure Mandarin training for Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) in Taiwan is predominantly delivered through private job training institutions (LPKS) operating under commercial pressure and abbreviated timelines. This study examines how a non-standard, L1-based romanization system used in one such institution shapes the acoustic production of Mandarin affricates in five female PMI currently employed in Taiwan. An exploratory mixed-methods case study design was employed, triangulating acoustic phonetic analysis of /z/, /c/, /j/, /q/, /zh/, and /ch/ through Voice Onset Time (VOT), Frication Duration (FD), and Center of Gravity (CoG) measurements with thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews and systematic document analysis of the training module. Findings reveal pervasive over-aspiration of non-aspirated affricates, collapse of aspiration contrasts in the alveolar and palatal series, and systematic dentalization of retroflex affricates attributable to CoG values substantially exceeding native ranges. Triangulation across data sources demonstrates that these deviations are traceable to specific grapheme-phoneme mappings in the training module that activate Indonesian L1 phonological categories in place of Mandarin targets. Fossilization is reinforced by a workplace ecology that provides no corrective feedback. The study argues that these outcomes constitute a systemic curriculum failure and calls for regulatory intervention by Kemnaker and BP2MI to standardize phonological content in LPKS language teaching materials.
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