English Diphthongs Research Articles

Demystifying Diphthong Adaptation Patterns within English Loanwords in Iraqi Arabic: An Optimality-Theoretic Analysis

This paper aimed to provide an explanatory account of the phonological adaptation patterns of diphthongs within English loanwords in Iraqi Arabic (IA). The Optimality-Theoretic framework was employed to identify the phonological constraints imposed on 346 English loanwords in IA and then examine the interaction and ranking of those constraints. Results revealed that five phonological constraints were involved in adapting English diphthongs into IA: four faithfulness constraints and one markedness constraint. The undominated ranking of the markedness constraint NoDIPH explained the complete lack of diphthongs in IA output forms. The unique importance of the distance between a diphthong's two elements in determining its adaptation to IA and the high ranking of the faithfulness constraint UNIFORMITY in adapting wide diphthongs explain the atypical tendency of IA output forms to maintain the two-element feature of wide GB diphthongs /aɪ/, /aʊ/, and /ɔɪ/, adapting them into vowel-plus-glide sequence The preservation of the [mid] feature of the GB diphthongs /eɪ/, /ɪə/, /eə/, /əʊ/, and /ʊə/ and their reduction into monophthongs in their IA output forms were attributed to the undominated ranking of the faithfulness constraints IDENT V1 (mid) and IDENT V2 (mid) in narrow diphthong adaptation.

L2 English Learners Perception of English Diphthong /u/ and Chinese Pinyin (wo) /uo/ (nest) in Phonetic Contexts

Abstract: In English phonetics instruction, vowels often present challenges for second language learners. The articulation of vowel is complex and can be difficult for learners to be accurately grasped, making it hard for them to perceive the precise where English vowels are produced. Additionally, the vowel systems of English and Chinese differ significantly. Native Chinese speakers have internalized the Chinese vowel system, leading to pronunciation patterns that do not easily align with those of English. This paper examines the differences between the vowel systems of the two languages and the extent to which second language learners perceive specific vowels through a literature review. The findings suggest that the collected research on English and Chinese vowel system differences will serve as a valuable foundation for the upcoming experiment on the comparison and perception of the diphthongs /u/ and /uo/. Furthermore, the review finds that conducting experiments on the perception of diphthongs with native Chinese speakers can provide valuable insights for further development in bilingual classrooms of second language learning.

English Diphthongs Pronunciation Errors Found in North Bali Bilingual School’s 5th Grade Students

English Diphthongs Pronunciation Errors Found in North Bali Bilingual School’s 5th Grade Students

THE USE OF DUBBING VIDEO METHOD IN TEACHING PRONUNCIATION AT SMAN 3 MAJENE

This study aims to determine whether or not the dubbing video method can improve students' pronunciation, especially diphthongs in learning English in class XI SMAN 3 Majene. The research method used is quantitative with a pre-experimental design. The researcher gave a pre-test to the students, then the researcher conducted treatment through the dubbing video method, and at the end of the meeting, a post-test was given. The population used in this research were students of class XI at SMAN 3 Majene. The sample of this research was the students of the class XI IPA, which included 26 students using a purposive sampling technique.The results showed that the use of the dubbing video method was significant in improving students' pronunciation, especially diphthongs. This is evidenced by the mean pretest score before treatment of 43.08 and the mean value after being given treatment of 53.46, the percentage increase of 24.09%. After analyzing the results of the pre-test and post-test data, the researcher found that the pronunciation value of the p-value (0.000) is smaller than α (0.05). It was concluded that the null hypothesis (H0) was rejected and the alternative hypothesis (H1) was accepted. That means there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of the dubbing video method in the learning process provides an increase in pronunciation for students.

American English diphthong transitions and the acoustic vowel space: A pilot comparison of two tasks

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the potential relationship(s) between diphthong transitions and the acoustic vowel space parameters in two speaking tasks. Diphthongs are associated with acoustic changes that reflect changes in vocal tract configurations, affording unique opportunities for investigating the articulatory-acoustic link. The acoustic vowel space, a representation of monophthong vowels in a two-dimensional plane defined by the first and second formant frequencies (F1 and F2), has been widely used to interpret articulatory-acoustic consequences and to index articulatory integrity. Nevertheless, limited is known as to how diphthongs and monophthong vowels account for the acoustic working space together [Lee et al., JASA 136(4), 1880–1894 (2014)]. To add to this inquiry, transitions of American English diphthongs /ei/, /ɑɪ/, /ɑʊ/, /oʊ/, and /ɔi/, defined by the primary F2 transition, are examined with respect to the quadrilateral vowel space anchored by /i/, /æ/, /ɑ/, and /u/. The speech sounds were obtained from four male speakers in two tasks, sentence reading and connected speech, that have been shown to elicit vowel space changes. It is hypothesized that greater diphthong transitions are associated with parameters corresponding to a larger vowel space. Findings will be discussed within the framework of the acoustic theory.

ENGLISH DIPHTHONGS & STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION: AN ANALYSIS FROM PHONOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW

Certain English sounds are absent from Indonesian, making pronating English diphthongs challenging for certain students. It is challenging for students to pronounce English diphthongs correctly due to various internal and external factors, including their ignorance of when to pronounce them based on their type and position. The researchers attempt to examine how difficult it is for the students and how they perceive English diphthongs based on the issue they are facing. This study's objectives are the most challenging diphthongs pronounced by students, the most difficult diphthong position, and the degree to which students struggle with pronouncing English diphthong sounds. The design of this study is quantitative and descriptive. Forty-two students comprise the study's sample, and their answers to an oral exam and questionnaire are used to gather data. The researchers found 97 errors in the closing type and 191 in the centring type of diphthongs uttered by the students. The most challenging position of diphthongs in their pronunciation is the centering position (eə, ɪə, ʊə). In addition, five factors are becoming the reason for students' difficulty in pronouncing English diphthong sounds. They are (1) the students have less confidence while pronouncing words, (2) each student has different and limited skills, (3) the lack of motivation from the students causes difficulties in the teaching and learning process, (4) the family environment is very influential in the language development of the students, and (5) the social environment is also one of the influences in the language development of the students. The implication of this study can be in the field of linguistics and education, for example, phonological theories and pedagogical strategies.

Exploring the effects of modality and variability on EFL learners’ pronunciation of English diphthongs: a student perspective on HVPT implementation

Recognizing the importance of effective pronunciation training for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners is paramount for improving their comprehensive language proficiency and communication skills. This study investigated the influence of High Variability Pronunciation Training (HVPT) with and without captions, on the accuracy of English diphthong pronunciations among Saudi EFL learners. A total of 56 undergraduate EFL learners participated in the study, undergoing multiple sessions of high-variability (HV) and low-variability (LV) pronunciation training. Various assessments were conducted to measure the learners’ performance, including pretests, posttests, generalized tests, and delayed tests. Additionally, a survey was conducted to gain insights into the participants’ perceptions of using YouGlish, a multimodal tool, as part of the training process. Data analysis used statistical techniques such as t-tests, ANOVA tests, and descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicate that both HV and LV improved the learners’ performance in English pronunciation, regardless of captioning. LV without captions consistently yielded the highest scores. The students also had positive perceptions of YouGlish as a multimodal tool. These results offer valuable insights into the efficacy of HV and LV in facilitating EFL learners’ speech production and offer implications for educators and practitioners involved in designing effective instructional strategies for enhancing EFL learners’ pronunciation skills.

“[eɪ], [oʊ], [aɪ]”: A Quantitative Study on High School Students’ Errors in Pronouncing English Diphthong

The objective of this study was to find out the errors made by students in pronouncing diphthong “eɪ, oʊ, aɪ”. This study used a quantitative approach. To obtain valid data, the researchers administered a test that was carried out to 30 students as the sample taken from IX IPA 1 of SMA Negeri 4 Langsa. Based on the research, the data showed that one student made errors 6 times and got score 50, three students made errors 5 times and got score 58. Seven students made errors 4 times and got score 67, four students made errors 3 times and got score 75. Eight students made errors 2 times and got score 83. Six students made errors 1 time and got score 92. There was only one student who made no errors and got score 100. The cause of errors in pronouncing English diphthongs was revealed to be affected by interference of the mother tongue which is popular as the basic principle of contrastive analysis. The coming pre-service teachers were able to devise appropriate lesson plan in diphthong pronunciation teaching. In addition, it is also hoped that they can construct the suitable material for various levels and needs of learners.

Enhancing EFL Learners Diphthong Pronunciation Ability’s using PRAAT

<div class="WordSection1"><p>Pronunciation is one of the most important aspects for learners in studying English. Today, pronunciation tends to be neglected by instructors in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classes, especially for vowel sounds. Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is one of the alternative methods in enhancing students’ ability in pronunciation. PRAAT is software used to measure the quality of students’ pronunciation. They were able to enhance their pronunciation practice by using the visual spectrogram. The purpose of this research was to determine the efficacy of employing CALL in pronunciation classes. The numbers of students in this research were 30 Acehnese EFL students. The methodology was quantitative through experimental research. A Word list was used as an instrument to obtain data from the learners. Based on the results, there was a significant improvement after the learning process. The learners had difficulty with five significant mistake sounds: [e], [ei], [i], [e], [e]. They recognized these sounds as monophthongs. This inaccuracy was caused by unfamiliarity with English diphthongs, because these sounds did not found in L1 and L2. After a few repetitions, the students began to use more diphthongal and higher F1 and F2 sounds. Hence, it can be concluded that the CALL had a positive impact in enhancing the student’s ability in pronunciation.</p></div>

An Error Analysis Of Pronouncing English Diphthongs

An Error Analysis Of Pronouncing English Diphthongs

"THE PRONUNCIATION OF DIPHTHONGS BY IRAQI LEARNERS OF ENGLISH "

This study examines the phonetic problems that Iraqi speakers encounter when learning and speaking English. The analysis of the data collected reveal s that Iraqi learners face difficulty in the production of most English diphthongs. The comparative analysis between Iraqi English (IE) and Standard British English (BE) helps in determining which similarities and differences either facilitate or hinder communication. The study offers a phonetic description and analysis of IE as spoken by five Iraqis. First, the study explores the problems that these speakers face in the pronunciation of English. Second, it compares their spoken English with Standard British English (BE). Third, it reveals the pedagogical implications that result from the comparison.

Utilizing Various Online Dictionaries to Improve the English Diphthong Pronunciation Ability of the PGRI Payangan Vocational Students

English as an international language plays an important role in the lives of Balinese people since Bali is a world tourism destination. In general Balinese people use English when they communicate with tourists because most of the Balinese work at tourism. Therefore, it is inevitable that English is one of the most popular languages ??for the younger Balinese generation to learn. However, the difference in the pronunciation system between English and Balinese, which is the mother tongue of the Balinese people, is often a problem. One of the most common types of pronunciation difficulties is the pronunciation of diphthongs in English. Pronunciation errors will certainly have an impact on misunderstandings in English communication.
 Based on this phenomenon, this community service is carried out with the aim of providing one solution to improve the ability to pronounce diphthongs in English, namely by utilizing various online dictionaries that are equipped with audio features. This solution is believed to be one of the options that can be done considering that currently, Balinese people are very close to technology, but some still are not able to fully utilize the dictionary in the network. The target of this community service activity was the students of SMK PGRI Payangan Gianyar. The selection of Payangan Gianyar area is due to it has the potency to become a new tourist destination in Gianyar District.
 Keywords: diphthong, online dictionary, community service
 

Prosodic modulations on the formant excursions of diphthongs

The excursions of the first two formants of diphthongs in Chinese, English, and Japanese were investigated to see how diphthongs are affected by the hierarchical prosodic structure. The production of /ai, au, ou/ was examined in Chinese and English, and /ai, au, ae/ in Japanese. Three prosodic contexts were examined: word-final, list-final, and IP (intonational phrase)-final positions. The results of GAM analysis of F1 and F2 show that (1) F2 was more affected than F1; (2) diphthong offset was more affected than the onset; (3) only the diphthong onset in Japanese was affected by the prosody. The by-language analysis further shows that the offset of diphthongs at word-final positions in Chinese was less resistant to the coarticulatory effect: F2 raises earlier and higher toward the end of the diphthong due to the influence of the following coronal consonant. Meanwhile, in English and Japanese /ai, ae/ with lower F2 and higher F1 and /au, ou/ with higher F1 and F2 at word-final positions were found, indicating hypoarticulation at lower prosodic boundaries. Some of the diphthong onsets in Japanese were influenced as well. The result suggests hyperarticulation as a prosodic strengthening effect in English and Japanese.

The perception-production link in two types of cross-language mismatches

Previous data on the perception-production link have allowed for a variety of analyses, from the traditional straight-forward correlation between the two competencies (Flege 1995) to more nuanced interpretations of the data (Shultz et al. 2012). Where the traditional approach suggests that better perception is linked to better production, recent work challenges this conclusion and reveals a complex relationship. Here, we compare native French speakers' perception and production of English diphthongs (/a⌢ʊ/, /e⌢ɪ/ and /a⌢ɪ/) and interdental fricatives (/θ/ and /ð/). These specific segments were chosen as they are absent from the French phonological system, they show identifiable realizations, and they behave differently from one another. The competence in perception and production of 21 native hexagonal French speakers were collected through a repetition task and an AXB matching task. Consistent with Flege (1995), we show that for any given segment, greater perception accuracy predicts greater production accuracy. However, at the speaker level, the relationship between the two competences is a complex one, as the link between perception and production is not apparent in our data. These results would confirm the traditional approach at the segment level, but individual variation might prevents us from seeing it at the speaker level.

ENGLISH DIPTHONGS [eɪ], [aɪ], [aʊ] PRONUNCIATION PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY SEVENTH SEMESTER STUDENTS OF ENGLISH LITERATURE STUDY PROGRAM IN STIKUBANK UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC YEAR OF 2018

This final project concerns about the problem of pronouncing English diphthongs conducted by students majoring in English Literature at Stikubank University, which aims to analyze English diphthongs and what are the causes of the problem. This research uses descriptive quantitative research method. The subjects of this study were taken as many as 7 students from the English Literature department at the Stikubank University Semarang academic year of 2018. The data collected through student pronunciation tests from WhatsApp, and also recorded via voice notes from WhatsApp, then the recorded data was transcribed. The results of this research show that the most difficult English diphthong to pronounce correctly is diphthong [aʊ] which has a presentation of 39.93%, then for diphthong [eɪ] as much as 34.48%, and the lowest diphthong [aɪ] is 27.59%. From these results it can be concluded that students still have to practice a lot so that they can be easily understood and avoid misunderstandings.
 
 Keywords: English Diphthong, Pronunciation Error, Monophthongization

English Dipthong Found in Song Titled Blue Jeans by Gangga Kusuma

Diphthongs study the sound of language from process to change. This research covers "Blue Jeans" by famous singer-songwriter Gangga Kusuma, who started her career in 2018 with an emphasis on diphthong formation. Researchers choose English diphthongs for this research because it is important to listen to find the correct pronunciation in the learning process. Researchers use Roach's theory to divide diphthongs into two types. First, replace middle diphthongs such as /eɪ/, /aɪ/, /ɔɪ/, /әʊ/, /aʊ/ and second, /ɪə/, /eә/, /ʊә/. This study used a qualitative method and data were collected through a literature search. Analysis of the data revealed that Gangga Kusuma generated 26 examples of English diphthongs divided into 8 types. The diphthong /eɪ/ is used 9 times, the diphthong /aɪ/ is 8 times, the diphthong /ɔɪ/ is used only once, the diphthong /aʊ/ is used 2 times, and the diphthong /әʊ/ is used 5 times, diphthong ɪә/ is used only once, and some data samples are missing the diphthong /eә/ and /ʊә/. In other words, this study shows that Gangga Kusuma can make diphthong sounds that are consistent with those produced in normal diphthong production and the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Furthurmore, it excels at producing a variety of diphthong sounds.

An Analysis of Students’ Difficulties in Pronouncing English Dipthong at The Twelve Grade of SMA Negeri 8 Jambi City

This research was aimed to find out the students difficulties and factor causes students difficult to pronounce English diphthongs at the Twelve Grade of SMA Negeri 8 Kota Jambi. The research methodology of this study was quantitative descriptive research which involved population and sample. The total population of this research was the XII IPS 5 students of SMAN 8 Kota Jambi, which consisted of 42 students. In collecting the data, this research gave test and interview at the class. The result of the research showed that the twelve grade students of SMA Negeri 8 Kota Jambi got difficulties in pronouncing English diphthongs sounds. The students’ difficulties in pronouncing diphthongs are producing sound (/ʌʊ/, /eə/, and /ɪə/). The highest percentage of the students score was 95,23% and the lowest was 15,23%. Where the mean score of the students test was 10 with a poor categories and percentage of students score test were /ʌʊ/ 15,23%, /eə/ 16,19%, and /ɪə/ 17,14%. The factors of students’ difficulties in pronouncing English fricative consonant are; the influence of students mother language, the lack of students knowledge about English sound system and the unsuccessful in using borrowed English words.

English Diphthong Pronunciation Problems Encountered by the Fourth Semester Students of English Language Education Program at Qomaruddin University

Pronunciation is the production of speech sounds for communication. Many Indonesian students found difficulties in pronouncing English words correctly. This study aims at investigating the students’ pronunciation of English diphthong of the fourth semester students of English Language Education Program at Qomaruddin University. A descriptive qualitative design is applied in this study. 31 respondents are the main source in collecting the data. To collect the data, two instruments used. They are test and interview. The respondents are asked to read a certain text and read some vocabulary while the writer is examining them once. As the result, the writer found 512 errors in reading text. The most source of errors was in pronouncing English diphthong /əʊ/ 207 errors or 40,43%. There were 221 errors in reading vocabularies. The most source of errors was in pronouncing English diphthong /eɪ/90 errors or 40,72%. This study also found the substitution, insertion and omission as the error types of pronunciation. In reading text was found 329 errors or 64,76% of substitution, and 160 errors or 31.50% of omission. Meanwhile, in reading vocabularies there were 111 errors or 51,39% of substitution and 104 errors or 48,15% of omission. However, the result of the interview had found difficulties in pronouncing English diphthong such as difficulties to memorize diphthong sounds and influenced of their mother tongue. Meanwhile, as the students, the most important thing is to know about knowledge and practice. It means that they have to know the phonetic transcription and practice more and more to have good pronunciation.

Unstressed vowels in English: Distributions and consequences

Abstract Following Trager & Bloch (1941), I argue that diphthongs in English are short vowels followed by a glide, that is, a consonant (Szigetvári 2016). In the present paper, I bring further evidence for this claim, based on the distribution of unstressed vowels in British English.

Text-based approach to teach English diphthongs

Spoken communication demands the students' intelligible pronunciation of English speech sounds since unintelligible pronunciation hampers successful communication. However, the pronunciation of English speech sounds is problematic for many EFL learners even after years of learning English. The pronunciation problem is more complex when the speech sounds occur in a text. This is because, in an English class, the focus of pronunciation practice is usually on isolated words, phrases and sentences. Thus, they find difficulties when they apply the words, phrases, and sentences in a text. This study focused on teaching English diphthongs using the text-based approach. It investigated how text-based teaching can enhance the EFL students� mastery to pronounce English diphthongs in a text. This study is an experimental design, comparing two groups of students� pronunciation competence taught with genre/text-based approach and conventional approach. The research results revealed the effectiveness of text-based teaching since there was a significant difference in the students' competence taught with text-based teaching compared to those taught with the conventional method. Drilling techniques which were also applied played a vital role in the pronunciation practice. Based on the conclusion above, it is recommended that English teachers apply the text-based approach and drilling techniques as an alternative strategy to teach English diphthongs.