EFL LEARNER’S PRONUNCIATION PROBLEMS: A PHONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33884/basisupb.v7i1.1788Keywords:
Chinese student, problematic features, segmental, suprasegmentalAbstract
Many research concerning pronunciation problems of Chinese learners majorly take place within the country, yet very few of them conducted in the context where English is the native language of the country. This study aims to explore the problematic features of pronunciation of Chinese student who studied in Australian university. This study employs qualitative approach with a single case study. The data were collected through an interview and two models of speaking; monologue and reading a text. The problematic features, then, were prioritized based on its context and concept of English as International Language (EIL) context proposed by Jennifer Jenkins (2006). The result showed that the participant was aware about her pronunciation issues. Several problematic segmental and suprasegmental features in which emerged during data analysis also supported this finding. The problematic features are consonant cluster, long and short vowels, /r/ and /l/ sounds, schwa addition in monosyllabic words, /æ/, /ɛ/ and /ʌ/, and issues in word stress, prominence, and intonation. Among all these features, the proposed prioritization of teaching is to focus on word stress, consonant cluster, intonation and prominence, /r/ and/l/, and long and short vowels. The findings also showed slightly difference in which in this study, the participant did not encountered difficulties in pronouncing double /l/ sounds.This study concludes with recommendation for teaching and learning these problematic features.
References
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Steiberg, D., D., & Sciarini, N., V. (2006). An Introduction to Psycholinguistics:2nd edition. UK: Pearson Education Limited.
Underhill, Adrian. (2005). Sounds Foundations: Learning and Teaching Pronunciation. UK:Macmillan Education.
Ustunbas, Umran. (2018). Does Pronunciation Instruction Make Any Sense? EFL Learners and Teachers’ Beliefs. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction. 10(1), p. 71-84. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1207244.pdf
Yagiz, O. (2018). EFL Language Teachers’ Cognitions and Observed Classroom Practices about L2 Pronunciation: The Context of Turkey. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language). 12(2), p. 187-204. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1195280.pdf
Yates, L., & Zielinski, B. W. (2009). Give it a go: Teaching pronunciation to adults. Sydney: AMEP Research Centre. Available from
http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/157664/interactive_sm.pdf
Zhang, Aihui, et.al (2015). The perception of English vowel contrasts by Chinese EFL learners and native English speakers. Retrieved from: http://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/icphs-proceedings/ICPhS2015/Papers/ICPHS0651.pdf
Ambalegin., & Fasaaro, H. (2019). EFL Learners’ Phonological Interference of English Articulation. Journal BASIS. 6(2), p. 145-154. Retrieved from http://ejournal.upbatam.ac.id/index.php/basis/article/view/1415/858
Avery, P. et al. (1987). Problems of selected language groups. TESL talk: The teaching of pronunciation: An introduction for teachers of English as a second language. USA: TESL Talk
Bai, B., & Yuan, R. (2018). EFL Teachers’ Belief and Practices about Pronunciation Teaching. ELT Journal. 73(2), p. 134-143. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/eltj/article-abstract/73/2/134/5150649?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Bian, Fuying. (2013). The Influence of Chinese Stress on English Pronunciation Teaching and Learning. English Language Teaching. 6(11) p. 199-211. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1078438.pdf
Burri, M. (2015). Students Teachers’ Cognition about L2 Pronunciation Instruction: A Case Study. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(10). Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1078747.pdf
Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., Goodwin, J. M., & Griner, B. (2010). Teaching pronunciation: A reference for teachers of English to speakers of other languages (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chang, J. (2001). Chinese Speakers, in Swan, M. & Smith, B. (eds.), Learner English: A Teacher’s Guide to Interference and Other Problems, Cambridge University Press, New York: 224-237.
Derwing, T., M., Diepenbroek, L., G., & Foote, J., A. (2012). How Well do General-Skills ESL Textbooks Adress Pronunciation?. TESL Canada Journal/Revue TESL du Canada. 30(1), p. 22-44. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1001889.pdf
Gergiou, P., G. (2019). EFL Teachers’ Cognition about Pronunciation in Cyprus. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural. 40(6), p.538-550. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01434632.2018.1539090
Gilbert, J. (2008). Teaching pronunciation: Using the prosody pyramid. Available at: http://www.tesol.org/connect/tesol-resource-center/search-details/teaching-tips/2013/11/06/teaching-pronunciation-using-the-prosody-pyramid
Han, Feifei. (2013). Pronunciation of Chinese Learners of English. ORTESOL Journal. 30. p. 26-30. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1152473.pdf
Huang, Hui-ling., & Radant, James. (2009). Chinese Phonotactic Patterns and Pronunciation Difficulties of Mandarin-Speaking EFL Learners. Asian EFL Journal, Quarterly December, p. 115-279. Retrieved from https://www.asian-efl-journal.com/main-journals/chinese-phonotactic-patterns-and-the-pronunciation-difficulties-of-mandarin-speaking-efl-learners/
Jenkins, J. (2002). A sociolinguistically based, empirically researched pronunciation syllabus for English as an international language. Applied Linguistics, 23(1), 83-103. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ641289
Kenworthy, Joanne. Teaching English Pronunciation: Longman Handbooks for Language Teachers. UK: Longman Group.
Li, Y., & Zhang, G. (2016). Native or Non-native-speaking Teaching for L2 Pronunciation Teaching? An Investigation on Their Teaching Effect and Students’ Preferences. English Language Teaching. 9(12), p. 89-97. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1120687.pdf
Liang, Danxin. 2015. Chinese Learners’ Pronunciation Problems and Listening Difficulties in English Connected Speech. Asian Social Science, 11(16), p. 98-106. Retrieved from http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ass/article/view/49977
Moedjito. (2016). The Teaching of English Pronunciation: Perceptions of Indonesian School Teachers and University Students. English Language Teaching. 9(6), p. 30-41. Retrieved from http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/elt/article/view/59572
Pan, Qi. (2012). The Comparative Study on English and Chinese Intonation. Theory and Practice in Language Studies. 2(1), p. 161-164. Retrieved from http://www.academypublication.com/issues/past/tpls/vol02/01/24.pdf
Stefansson, E., G. (2013). Second language acquisition: The effect of age and motivation. Retrieved from: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Second+Language+Acquisition+The+Effect+of+Age+and+Motivation&btnG
Steiberg, D., D., & Sciarini, N., V. (2006). An Introduction to Psycholinguistics:2nd edition. UK: Pearson Education Limited.
Underhill, Adrian. (2005). Sounds Foundations: Learning and Teaching Pronunciation. UK:Macmillan Education.
Ustunbas, Umran. (2018). Does Pronunciation Instruction Make Any Sense? EFL Learners and Teachers’ Beliefs. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction. 10(1), p. 71-84. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1207244.pdf
Yagiz, O. (2018). EFL Language Teachers’ Cognitions and Observed Classroom Practices about L2 Pronunciation: The Context of Turkey. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language). 12(2), p. 187-204. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1195280.pdf
Yates, L., & Zielinski, B. W. (2009). Give it a go: Teaching pronunciation to adults. Sydney: AMEP Research Centre. Available from
http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/157664/interactive_sm.pdf
Zhang, Aihui, et.al (2015). The perception of English vowel contrasts by Chinese EFL learners and native English speakers. Retrieved from: http://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/icphs-proceedings/ICPhS2015/Papers/ICPHS0651.pdf
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Published
2020-04-07
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BASIS VOLUME 7 NO 1 APRIL 2020
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