Typical errors in pronouncing medical English terminology made by first and second year students of medicine at the Medical school of Novi Sad university

Abstract

This paper deals with typical errors on the phonological level made by first and second year medical students at Novi Sad University. It presents the results of a continuous survey conducted over a three-year period of teaching medical English. The aim of this study was to determine the most common pronunciation errors in medical English vocabulary, classify them into distinct types, and propose the teaching methods for overcoming them. The authors first made a list of the most frequent medical words used at this level of study. They introduced them by means of audiovisual methods and conducted continual oral practice throughout the whole course. The recorded common pronunciation errors were classified into five types on account of the phonological and other factors which cause them. The number of words selected in this paper totals to 67. Most of the recorded pronunciation errors are due to the differences between the two phonological systems. The previously acquired knowledge plays an important part as well as the competence level in general English. Other language skills and knowledge of phonological and orthographic rules are important factors as well. A teacher of medical English should adjust his/her teaching methods to the needs of English for Specific Purposes. Medical students should practice pronunciation in class and learn the most important rules of English phonetics; they should also be instructed on how to use computer to improve their pronunciation.