Intonation training integrated with language learning strategies (LLS) to Vietnamese learners of English

Abstract

Speaking English with inappropriate intonation, which can impede communication and cause misunderstandings, is a characteristic of the speech of many university English majors in Vietnam. A study was carried out using participant action research, with the aim of improving Vietnamese learners’ intonation. The participants were fourteen second-year English major volunteers from a university in Vietnam. The study was implemented in two cycles of 12 two-part sessions, including one-hour group discussions and 90-minute sessions devoted to intonation learning strategies. The data include journals written by participants after each session; 30-minute interviews done at the beginning of the study; and recordings for pre- and post-tests. The Praat program was used for analysing intonation contours. Two native speaking judges rated learners’ ability to recognize and produce three tones (rising, falling, falling-rising), tonic syllables and intonation patterns to express their intended ideas. The results of the tests showed that the students’ intonation improved by approximately 30 percent. Qualitative data from the learners’ journals and the discussion sessions indicated that participants had learned to employ learning strategies. The two most popular strategies were to practise naturalistically (particularly, shadow talking) and to represent tones in memory. The study demonstrated that certain learning strategies can be developed to enhance the learning of intonation.