Investigating the Iranian EFL Teachers’ Pronunciation of Neutral and Non-Neutral Affixes in Derivative Words Based on their Gender and Teaching Experience

Abstract

Mastering pronunciation in EFL context, where direct access to native speaker is scarce, is a highly challenging objective for many language students in Iran. Derivative words more specifically, pose their own problems. There are different types of suffixes, two of which are neutral and non-neutral. This survey study examines teachers’ pronunciation of the neutral and non-neutral suffixes based on their gender and teaching experience. The sample included 40 Ilamian EFL teachers teaching English at different high schools and institutes. None of teachers studied in English speaking countries. To analyze data, two kinds of test were employed: the Man-Whitney U Test for gender and the Kruskal–Wallis for teaching experience. There is no treatment in this study. Findings revealed that there is no meaningful difference between female and male answers in the pronunciation of neutral and non-neutral suffixes. As for teaching experience, the results showed that there is no meaningful difference between three existed ranges of experience with the pronunciation of neutral and non-neutral suffixes.