Pronunciation Difficulties Research Articles

Towards Effective Interpreter-Mediated Biblical Sermons in English and Kiswahili in the Tanzanian Charismatic and Pentecostal Churches: Any Challenge or Complexity Faced by the Church Interpreter?

Interpretation is considered to be one of the most challenging professions in the world. This is due to its involvement of several abilities beyond language competence. Church interpretation is done predominantly by the untrained volunteering interpreters who in return, face a number of challenges. This paper examined the stakeholders’ perceptions towards the interpretation challenges facing the church interpreters by drawing examples from Charismatic and Pentecostal churches in the Tanzanian context. The study was conducted in Dar es Salaam, one of the largest commercial cities located in the Eastern Coastal regions of Tanzania in Africa. Data were collected through observation, interviews, questionnaires, and focus group discussions. It was found out that church interpreters encountered numerous challenges due to a lack of linguistic competence, experience, and professional training. Some of these challenges include; lack of enough biblical knowledge, difficulties in pronunciation, the use of difficult vocabulary, and poor preparations. It is recommended that church sermon interpreters should be provided with professional training in Translation and Interpretation Studies.

STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN LEARNING PRONUNCIATION: A CASE STUDY OF SMP ISLAM TERPADU DHUAFA MERANGIN STUDENTS IN LEARNING ENGLISH

This study reveals about students’ difficulties in English pronunciation experienced by learners whose first language is Indonesia language. The subjects of this study were the seventh grade of students at SMP Islam Terpadu Dhuafa Merangin especially class B. They were males. The instruments of this study were task, interview and recording. In analyzing the data, the researcher used descriptively and statistically. The findings of this study showed that the students had problems in pronunciation because of their had low motivation, exposure and their attitude in learning English pronunciation. It could be seen from the result of the task when the researcher asked them to pronunce the English words and the result of interview.

THREE-STEP INTERVIEW IN TEACHING SPEAKING

Three-Step Interview is a cooperative learning strategy that offers an alternative to the competitive approach of whole class question-answer, in which the teacher will provide a certain topic and students may ask questions in pair. The purpose of this research is to investigate students’ difficulties on implementing Three-Step Interview in speaking. This research used descriptive qualitative method. The tenth grade of IPA 3 in one Senior High School in Cimahi which consisted of 32 students were selected as the respondents of this research. Questionnaire and interview were used in order to obtain the data. The result of this research shows that most of the students feel difficulties in linguistic aspects, included vocabulary (94%), pronunciation (56%), and grammar (88%) out of 32 students. Meanwhile, there is no significance difficulties in implementing the technique, only 44% students who find difficulties in the second step. Keywords : Three-Step Interview, Teaching Speaking, Difficulty

Phonological Analysis of Errors in the Consonant Cluster System Encountered by Saudi EFL Learners

This study investigates the pronunciation difficulty of selected English consonant clusters (CCs) encountered by Saudi EFL learners. The sample consisted of 134 female Saudi EFL students in their freshman year in the English Department at Najran University. Two instruments were used: a pronunciation test that assessed participants’ CC pronunciations in the onset and coda positions and a questionnaire that explored participants’ attitudes towards their CC pronunciations. This study provides detailed data on the participants’ pronunciation difficulties using Optimality Theory (OT). The results showed that the participants encountered CC pronunciation difficulties in both the onset and coda positions. However, most errors occurred in the coda position, especially for the four-consonant pattern (-CCCC). Participants used different strategies to simplify their CC pronunciations: epenthesis, deletion, substitution, or some combination thereof. Questionnaire data indicated that the participants attributed their pronunciation difficulties to inadequate knowledge of the pronunciation rules, insufficient language instruction, and native-language influence. The participants proffered some remedies to their difficulties, which included doing more pronunciation drills and offering a new course focused primarily on correct pronunciation. OT analysis revealed that onset clusters were mainly influenced by L1 ranking constraints whereas coda clusters were more influenced by universal Markedness constraints. OT indicated that the tendency to satisfy Markedness constraints over the Faithfulness constraints led the participants to use the above-mentioned simplification strategies.

A STUDY ON THE DIFFICULTIES IN PRONUNCIATION OF ESL LEARNERS

In many ESL classes across the globe, English pronunciation is still not given enough attention. One of the primary reasons why it is overlooked is because there arent many pronunciation techniques accessible to instructors in the context of the school setting. The purpose of this research is to identify the problems in English pronunciation that learners experience as a result of the presence of Mother Tongue (MT) interference in their speech. In this article, the survey technique was used to gather information from a variety of sources, including interviews, personal conversations over the phone, and meetings. The report also included suggestions and recommendations for reducing the pronunciation difficulties that ESL learners encounter. There were a total of 102 samples gathered through Google forms in India. The findings of the study are discussed in detail in the interpretation.

AN INVESTIGATION INTO DIFFICULTIES IN ENGLISH LISTENING OF FRESHMEN MAJORING IN ENGLISH AT A UNIVERSITY IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM

English is a very popular language in the world. However, learning a foreign language is not an easy process for learners, especially the English listening process. In fact, most learners believe that it is hard for them to master this skill. Therefore, the research “An Investigation into Difficulties in English Listening of Freshmen Majoring in English at a University in the Mekong Delta” was conducted with the purpose of helping these students to recognize clearly their own problems in English listening. Statistical data were collected from eighty-five English-majored freshmen. The main instrument of the study was a questionnaire. The findings of the research would point out the students’ difficulties in linguistics, including vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, intonation and accent; background knowledge; and difficulties from their own minds. One more notable purpose of this research is that thanks to the results, students can now solve their own problems, so that they can study better.
 
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Arabic as a Foreign Language: Phonological Analysis of Speech Sounds Produced by Students

The aim of this paper is to expose the potential difficulties encountered by students learning Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) with a focus on sounds production. The research design was descriptive-analytic. The data was obtained using direct recording and interviews. The sample included 27 AFL students at the Arabic Institutes at IMSIU and KSU. The work on this research is twofold: first, the paper reports on teachers' and learners' views on the general difficulties encountered by students learning Arabic, focusing on those in post-secondary school getting ready for tertiary education. Secondly, the paper analyzes their speech for pronunciation errors found in sounds production. The results show that learners generally had no problem expressing themselves, but they had some pronunciation issues with some specific Arabic sounds. The results also show that the students attempt different methods to overcome pronunciation difficulties. Teachers were aware of these difficulties, and they had their own methods to help improve students' pronunciation of unfamiliar sounds. The findings show that traditional ways of teaching Arabic sounds are not enough, and difficulties could still exist, as shown by the phonological analysis of sounds environments. The study suggests that implementing an eclectic approach, leveraging the use of technology, could help AFLs to improve their pronunciation. 
  

AN INVESTIGATION OF ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS PERFORMANCE OF INTROVERT STUDENTS IN SPEAKING CLASS

<span lang="EN-GB">This research aims to know the personality (introvert) affects the students on their speaking English performance and influences the students in their communication,</span><span lang="EN-GB">and to know the effort of the introvert students to handle the personality problem in</span><span lang="EN-GB">speaking English performance. In order to collect the data, observation,</span><span lang="EN-GB">questionnaire and interview was three research instrument used.</span><span lang="EN-GB">The participant of this research was a 26 students in the second semester of English</span><span lang="EN-GB">Education Department, Ibn Khaldun University Bogor. Finally for the result of this</span><span lang="EN-GB">research revealed that for the score was 2.23 in average of students speaking</span><span lang="EN-GB">performance, it means fair slightly good. This statement was strengthened with the</span><span lang="EN-GB">data analysis that the most affecting factors from psychological aspects towards</span><span lang="EN-GB">introvert students in speaking skill were depressed (92%). From the linguistics</span><span lang="EN-GB">factors, eight of thirteen students said vocabulary and grammar was the common</span><span lang="EN-GB">problem. And six of thirteen students experienced difficulties in pronunciation.</span><span lang="EN-GB">Introvert students used a various strategies to overcome their public speaking</span><span lang="EN-GB">problems, several students try to improving their speak ability by read a book and</span><span lang="EN-GB">record it, sing an English song, have a conversation every day, by join the</span><span lang="EN-GB">community outside of the university, help their brother/sister do their homework,</span><span lang="EN-GB">talk with the foreigner, watch YouTube.</span>

French Pronunciation Difficulty for Javanese Speakers: A Two Language Interference

French Pronunciation Difficulty for Javanese Speakers: A Two Language Interference

Model of Logopedic Work on the Formation of the Syllable Structure of Words of Preschool Children With Severe Speech Disorders

The article presents a model of speech therapy work on the formation of the syllable structure of words in preschool children with severe speech disorders. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the problem of the syllable structure of words in preschool children with severe speech disorders (mo- tor alalia and general speech underdevelopment), this is very important, as for correctional work it is important not only to determine those syllabic classes that are formed in the child, but also to identify those that need to be formed. It also emphasizes the importance for a speech therapist to correctly de- termine the type of violation of the syllabic structure of a word. As a rule, the range of these violations varies widely: from minor difficulties in pronunciation of words of complex syllable structure to gross violations. On the basis of large statistical material and the authors’ own practical experience, speech therapy work, it is shown that the correction of the syllable structure of a word is one of the priority and most difficult tasks in working with preschoolers with systemic speech disorders. The authors describe the correctional work carried out by the authors on the basis of the regional psychological, medical and pedagogical consultation and the educational and methodological center under the Association of Social Workers and Volunteers (The East Kazakhstan region). A step-by-step structure of work on the formation of the syllable structure of words in children of this category is given. The authors’ attention is focused mainly on the practical work of a speech therapist on this issue. The authors consistently prove that the correction and development of children with severe speech impairments depend on a well-built model of correctional and developmental work. Key words: special educational needs, severe speech disorders, preschool age, syllable structure of words, speech therapy model, examination, formation, result.

Implementation Of Contrastive Analysis To Overcome The Difficulties of Learning English Pronunciation Sub-Skill

This research was conducted to investigate and understand pronunciation problems, which is the sub-skill of speaking in the first semester students of the UPR FKIP English Education Study Program through contrastive analysis. The purpose of this study was to analyze pronunciation errors in English words and the causes of the errors made by students who were the research subjects. The design used in this study to present the data is descriptive qualitative. The results of data analysis were classified into consonant errors (consonants), vowels (vowels), and vowels (diphthongs) and the causes why these errors occured.
 Based on the results of data analysis, the English segmental sounds that were difficult to pronounce by students of the English Education Study Program semester I in the academic year 2020/2021 were (1) long vowels or tense vowels (i:, u:, ?:, ?:, ?:]; (2) short vowels soundor lax vowels low vowel sound [æ], and neutral vowel (schwa) [?]; (3) the sound of diphthongs (double vowels), namely rising diphthongs [??] and falling diphthongs [??], [e?], and [??]; and (4) fricative consonant sounds [f, v, z, ?, ð, ?, ?].
 The causes of difficulty in learning pronunciation of English segmental sounds are (1) differences in Indonesian and English sound systems and (2) lack of knowledge of the English sound system.

Angiome géant de la face

We here report the case of a 78 year old woman with no previous history, whose medical history only included facial angioma since birth. The patient had never consulted a doctor before. Twelve months before, hypertrophy of the left jugo-naso-labial soft tissues causing lip incontinence with feeding and pronunciation difficulty as well as asymmetry with lack of facial expression occurred. Clinical examination showed red-violet jugo-naso-labial swelling, not exceeding the frontal, nasal and upper labial median line, extending to the tragus, with nodosities at the level of the upper half of the left side wall of the nose and the upper part of the cheek deviating the nose to the right side. It also showed voluminous hypertrophy of the entire lower lip that descended downwards, masking the chin and the upper part of the neck and causing incomplete closure of the mouth (A). The patient underwent reduction surgery under general anesthesia for aesthetic and, above all, functional purposes. Then she underwent two surgical tweaks under local anesthesia (B). The patient was very satisfied with functional and aesthetic results. The patient had a 3-year follow-up with no recurrences.

STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN SPEAKING ENGLISH AT THE SECOND GRADE OF MTs NEGERI 1 BUNGO

This research sought to identify students' difficulties in speaking English and the root causes of those difficulties. This research was carried out in MTsN 1 Bungo. The research design utilizes qualitative descriptive methodology. This investigation focuses on the second-grade MTsN 1 Bungo students. The data for this research were gathered through observation and interviews. The researcher determined, based on the findings and discussion, that speaking English presents and is accompanied by a number of difficulties and causes of difficulty. The linguistic difficulties the student encountered when speaking English were a lack of pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. When speaking English, students struggle with a lack of confidence, shyness, and apprehensiveness. pronunciation difficulties predominate among difficulties. The majority of students stated that they are afraid of pronouncing English words incorrectly. Student difficulties are caused by a fear of making a blunder.

Chinese voices in portuguese: call needs for the oral skills learning

This study aims at identifying which CALL (Computer-assisted Language Learning) materials should be made available to the Chinese learners of Portuguese as a Foreign Language (PFL) for them to improve their oral skills in a more autonomous way. Adopting an approach of needs analysis and clients’ views inquiry, it is based on an online questionnaire completed by 418 Chinese volunteer participants who were learners of PFL. The participants’ perceptions about (a) their own difficulties in pronunciation and oral understanding and (b) the CALL materials needed to address these oral skills were analysed in three ways: as a whole; according to the participants’ proficiency level in PFL; according to their geographical region. The results allowed to reflect on the relevance of using these inquiries and to propose a prioritisation list for the creation of new CALL materials, list that gives special importance to the tasks perceived as the most difficult by the participants (distinction of voicing, liquids and vowel height, understanding of text and word) and to the CALL types of materials considered the most needed (word recognition system, recorded rhymes, poems, tongue twisters, songs or texts with written transcription).

An Investigation of Factors Causing English Mispronunciation of Students in English for International Communication

English has been recognized as a lingua franca in different aspects of communication such as international business, academic context, science and technology. Despite the constant efforts of developing English education in Thailand, studies have shown that the achievement of Thai students was still unsatisfactory. Additionally, previous studies revealed Thai EFL learners faced a number of difficulties in pronunciation and speaking. The purposes of this study were to investigate the levels of the factors and the most and least factors causing in English mispronunciation of 2nd and 3rd year students in EIC at RMUTL Tak campus. Fifty-one students were purposively selected from EIC of 2nd and 3rd year in 2019. The research instrument included questionnaire and adopted Likert scale for data analysis. The results found that 2nd and 3rd year students in English for International Communication (EIC) Program evaluated the factor causing in English mispronunciation found that 1) the first language interference factor have the highest mean value 2) phonetic ability factor 3) experience in studying English factor and 4) motivation factor have the lowest mean value.

Pronunciation Errors Committed by EFL Learners in the English Department in Faculty of Education - Sana'a University

Abstract This study aimed to, first, investigate the common pronunciation errors committed by EFL fourth level learners in the Department of English, Faculty of Education-Sana'a, Sana’a University, in the academic year 2019-2020; second to find out the reasons of producing mispronounced segments among University students when speaking; third to offer possible solutions that may help Yemeni students overcome pronunciation difficulties. The sample was 30 students selected randomly. Also, ten teachers were part of the sample in which they were given a close-ended questionnaire. A descriptive method was used to carry out the study. For gathering data, a close-ended questionnaire and a test were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science). The study concluded that EFL learners mispronounce certain phonemes that are in a mismatch with word orthography and consonant cluster. Moreover, vowels were mispronounced by students. The strongest factors that contribute to this problem, according to this study, were due to learners' mother tongue interference, and other causative factors such as limited language exposure. The study recommends that teaching should focus more on pronunciation along with preparing suitable material. Keywords: pronunciation errors, learners, EFL

Pronunciation and Aeronautical English: Brazilians’ difficulties and possible routes to intelligibility

Communications between pilot and air traffic controller (ATCO) are carried out via radiotelephony, without visual contact between the interlocutors. ICAO, a specialized agency of the United Nations, is responsible for the security of international civil aviation. ICAO’s official documents (ICAO, 2004, 2009, 2010) mention the importance of English pronunciation in the intelligibility of pilot-ATCO communication. In 2017, Brazilian researchers analyzed the extent to which two international Aeronautical English (AE) textbooks, used in an ATCO training course in Brazil, address the pronunciation difficulties considered typical among Brazilians (CRISTÓFARO-SILVA, 2012). The analysis, based on the concepts of intelligibility, English as a Lingua Franca and the ‘Lingua Franca Core’ (JENKINS, 2000, 2002, 2005), showed that the analyzed books do not portray several of these difficulties. In this article, we first point out international air accidents and incidents in which pronunciation was one of the contributing factors, then, based on the Lingua Franca Core, we discuss the causes of some Brazilian pronunciation difficulties, aiming to increase teachers’ and students’ awareness and to contribute to pronunciation teaching in the field of AE. In addition, we problematize the non-critical use of textbooks by teachers and the inadequate training in English Language Phonology.

Examining the impact of abdominal enhancement techniques to assist Chinese-speaking English learners’ phoneme pronunciation

Instruction in second language (L2) English phoneme pronunciation almost invariably includes a focus on improving the learners’ use of their articulatory organs to pronounce the relevant sounds. However, the pronunciation of many English sounds also relies on effort from the abdominal region, and under-utilization of this region can often contribute to pronunciation difficulties. For Chinese-speaking learners of English, such relevant sounds include the long vowel and diphthong sounds, particularly the phonemes /iː/, /uː/ and /eɪ/, and also the voiced fricative consonants, /z/, /ð/, /v/ and /ʒ/. Consequently, this study examined the impact of teaching adult Chinese-speaking English learners to enhance the use of their abdomen when pronouncing these sounds. The main focus of the research was a quasi-experimental component, where both an experimental and control group were taught the same way in all aspects, with the only point of difference being that the experimental group was taught the abdominal techniques. Longitudinal multiple-case studies of learners from the experimental group were also employed to examine for any post-course maintenance of the phonemes as well as possible reasons for this. Results from the quasi-experimental component showed that it was advantageous to teach learners the abdominal techniques. Also, there were some discernible trends in the learners’ post-course maintenance of the sounds. This article then discusses pedagogical implications of the study, and provides suggestions for future research of the abdominal techniques.

Musykilatu Ta'allumi Al-Lughati Al-'arabiyyah Li thalibat Assanath Al-ula Min Qismi Tarqiyati Al-lughah limunadhzmati Althalibaat

Modern Islamic Boarding School Darussalam Gontor for girls 2, seeks to succeed in teaching and learning of languages by preparing special movers in language teaching for student known as the OPPM Language enhancement section. It is this section that seeks to improve language in the process of teaching and learning by establishing discipline and conducting various language activities, the new students of this lodge experience difficulties in learning the language and the acquisition because of differences in background of learning goals, lack of language knowledge and lack of confidence in the use of language which is due to fear of being wrong and lacking in fluency, in this case the OPPM language seeks to resolve this problem.
 This study is classified as descriptive qualitative research using case study design at Modern Islamic boarding school Darussalam Gontor for girls 2, Technique of data collection in this research include observation, interview and documentation. The data should be examined by using triangulation.
 Based on the results of the analysis of the researchers seen various kinds of problems experienced by the first class and can be drawn two conclusions as follows: 1. Problematic learning arabic language for first grade students: 1) Difficulties in using Arabic because it comes from areas with different dialect 2) Problems in pronunciation are triggered by fear of mistakes and ridicule and lack of language knowledge. 3) Difficulties in Arabic pronunciation due to the lack of vocabulary treasury.
 From what experienced first grade student a problem of language learning, then the OPPM language section trying to solve. 2. Efforts undertaken by the language part in solving this problematic as follows: 1) Holding an official language motivation program to enrich the knowledge of the language of first class students 2) Conduct inter-group dialogue to train in using language with friends without fear. 3) Through Muhadatsah morning program and instructing student to memorize in order to establish vocabulary in the mind of student. 4) Holding interesting language activities to avoid boredom and language learning and instill a sense of language. 5) Listening to a language song to train good hearing and understanding of the language being heard.
 The result of this study explained on the problematics of learning Arabic language for first grade students, researchers noticed that this study still has many shortcomings and expect that the OPPM language enchancement section can perform the obligations as well as possible by varying the activities of language with which facilitate student in language learning, as well as advising each other about the activities of the language that runs in the Tent and keep the language intensive. And to the next researcher who will discuss the same discussion of this discussion, to research as well as possible and to complete the shortcomings and can write more fully and for the results of writing can be better.

THE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF USING U-DICTIONARY IN LEARNING PRONUNCIATION AT STBA PONTIANAK

This study aims at identifying the perception of students in using U-Dictionary in learning pronunciation. Speaking is one of the most challenging abilities to develop foreign language learners such as Indonesian and one of the components of speaking is pronunciation. People often find a problem with pronunciation when they speak, read, or listen to English words. In the digital era, people can learn anything from the internet platform, such as using online learning through apps at smartphones. This study is qualitative research and the writer describe the students’ perception in using U dictionary in learning pronunciation. The writers did an observation to English study program students from the fourth semester who are eligible for this research. There were 30 students participated as respondents and all of them were interviewed in order to have true information. The result shows that most of the students think that as English study program students, learning pronunciation is important, and they perceived that the “perfect English pronunciation feature” in U-Dictionary is practical to overcome difficulties in learning pronunciation in a fun way