Phonetic Transcription Skills Promote L2 Listening Comprehension: Evidence From Longitudinal Cross-Lagged Models of L2 Chinese Learners at Different Proficiency Levels

In deep orthographic languages, a separate phonetic transcription system, such as the Pinyin system in Mandarin Chinese, plays a crucial auxiliary role in helping learners master the pronunciation of written words. While many studies have indicated that learning Pinyin enhances Chinese reading, its relationship with listening comprehension in L2 Chinese remains under-explored. The current study investigated whether Pinyin transcription skills predict short- and long-term listening comprehension performance of L2 Chinese learners at different proficiency levels. A total of 120 non-native Chinese speakers were tested twice (with an interval of one semester, 5 months) on sound-to-Pinyin transcription, character-to-Pinyin transcription, character production, and listening comprehension skills. The results suggest that Pinyin transcription skills had positive effects on listening comprehension. Specifically, sound-to-Pinyin transcription skills showed direct and immediate effects on listening comprehension for both elementary and intermediate learners. Character-to-Pinyin transcription skills directly predicted listening comprehension for elementary learners but with some delay. It also predicted listening comprehension mediated by the character production skill, which occurred without any lag for elementary learners but with a lag for intermediate learners. Our study demonstrated that the benefits of learning Pinyin for listening comprehension vary among L2 Chinese learners at different levels. Some of these effects may not be immediately observable but become apparent after a period of accumulation.