Most Common English Pronunciation Mistakes for Russian Secondary School Students

Abstract

Successful communication in a foreign language, for example English, requires the development of numerous skills, including phonetic ones. Clear and correct pronunciation is a prerequisite for understanding the speaker in oral communication, especially in the increasingly popular distant format. However, current school programs in English pay little attention to the development of correct pronunciation skills, even in elementary school where these skills should be primarily developed and supported. It is argued that such a gap in the programs will inevitably lead to persistent pronunciation defects among school students. This idea was tested in a survey of two groups of fifth grade secondary school students. The survey consisted of two stages. First, the students read aloud a text, which allowed the authors to identify three types of defects in their reading skills. At the second stage, it was demonstrated that five English sounds — [θ], [ð], [w], [ɜː] и [r] — were the most difficult ones for the survey participants. Since all state schools work according to the same educational standards, and grading dominantly depends on the results of written tests, this situation can be considered widespread. The authors argue that various pronunciation games should be most effective for correcting the pronunciation mistakes for the students of this age group.