JUXTAPOSITION OF THE SOUND SYSTEMS OF THE ENGLISH AND MACEDONIAN AND THE POSSIBILITIES FOR INTERFERENCE

Abstract

A large number of studies confirm the influence that the native language has on the learning and use of English as a foreign language, especially regarding the correct pronunciation of sounds. Bearing in mind that the correct pronunciation of a foreign language sounds is one of the factors for successful oral and written communication among its foreign speakers and between them and the native speakers, in this paper, the sound systems of the Standard English (SEL) as a foreign language (EFL) and Standard Macedonian (SML) as a native language (MNL) are juxtaposed in order to detect the possibilities for interference, that is, the wrong perception and pronunciation of the sounds in the SEL, which consequently affects both the oral and written communication. The sample consists of the sound systems of both languages, which are juxtaposed by using contrastive analysis. The findings build on the results of worldwide research on this issue and show that the differences between the sound systems of these two languages do cause sound interference occurrences, i.e., the wrong perception and pronunciation of sounds in the EL, and consequently failed communication.