A Phonetic-Acoustic Study of Sindhi-Accented English (original) (raw)
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A Phonetic-Acoustic Study of Sindhi-Accented English for Better
2012
The paper investigates the spoken English of Sindhi ESL learners through an acoustic and articulatory phonetics. The research examines the English consonants by articulatory techniques coupled with the spectrograms acoustically on Praat i speech processing computer-developed software. The key purpose of the study is to analyze the consonantal sounds which are relatively problem-posing with particular reference to production by SESL ii and to achieve an easy way out for ESL learners and ELT iii teachers for learn-ability and teach-ability respectively. The study tends to depend on articulatory-phonetic results as cited in data analysis; however, overall data include acoustic analysis, which have not been added to the body of the paper i.e. acoustic realizations. The current study illustrates eleven problem-posing English consonants based on the hypothesis as to why SESL articulate English sounds inaccurately. The study investigates that the phonetic variations occur because of the di...
A Phonetic-Acoustic Study of Sindhi-Accented English for Better English Pronunciation
2020
Background Teaching English Pronunciation The teaching of English pronunciation is an ideal aspect of language teaching. This is one of the essential pedagogical techniques in a language class, which needs to have adequate knowledge of sound systems of L1 and the target language before the language teacher begins teaching pronunciation to ESL/EFL iv learners. Many language teachers ignore very important aspect while teaching and some do not possess adequate knowledge of phonetics and phonology (of L1 & L2). The teaching English pronunciation is not only ignored at middle, secondary, higher secondary but also even at college and university level particularly in Upper Sindh. In addition, Sindhi ESL learners of English produce phonetic and phonological deviations and speak Sindhi-accented English rather than English-accented. The study was carried out under the frame CA (Contrastive Analysis) by
This paper aims to examine the articulation of English consonants, vowels and diphthongs by Pashto Speakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, and explores the problems they face in their English articulation due to the influence of mother tongue. A detailed experiment has been carried out to analyze the articulatory properties of /θ/ /ð/ /ɪ: /, /ɪ/ and /еɪ: / sounds spoken by Pashto speakers in Pakistan. The research reveals that Pashtun speakers of English language have a distinct pronunciation pattern of /θ/ and /ð/ sounds. This research provides a scientific justification to establish Pashto English as an independent deviant variety of RP Standard English Language. Based on the findings of the data collected from the recordings of 50 participants, it was concluded that thickness is low and frequencies of formants are considerably low as compared to RP sounds. In this regard, consonant phonemes of /θ/ and /ð/ sounds articulated by Pashto speakers are dissimilar to their Standard English (RP). They are produced as " Dental Plosives " instead of " Dental Fricatives ". The participants face great difficulty in pronouncing these English dental fricatives /ð/, /ɵ/ sounds, and they also face insurmountable problems in the regular plural forms. In relation to vowels and diphthongs in English language, major problems largely appeared in misunderstanding between /ɪ:/, /ɪ/ and /еɪ:/ sound production. The results of this study shall provide assistance to English language teachers and learners in teaching and learning English Language, especially in teaching and learning English pronunciation. It has been ascertained that special consideration should be given to these problematic consonants, vowels and diphthongs in order to avoid misunderstandings/confusion on the part of the listener.
Acoustic Analysis of English Vowel Sounds Produced by Sindhi Speakers
Safeer N. , 2022
The present study examines the English vowel production of Sindhi speakers acoustically. This study spotlights Sindhi speakers from two geographical locations in Pakistan: Hyderabad and Islamabad. Despite sharing vowel types, there is disparity between English and Sindhi vowel sound articulation. The PRAAT software (Boersma&Weenink, 2019)was used to analyze English vowels' durationand quality produced by the speakers. For this, a monosyllabic wordlist for tenvowel sounds with CVC structure in ‘hVd ‘context within a carrier sentence was recorded from twenty-six Sindhi speakers.The findings of this study reveal thatSindhi speakers, in terms of vowel quality, lack the realization of clear contrast between the English vowel pairs. Whereas, English front vowels; /e/, /æ/, and /ε/ are almost produced similarly. All vowels were classified as shortor longin terms of lengthbut not enough contrast was found in all pairs of vowels except /iː/-/ɪ/. The findings of this study would help English language teachers to follow the acoustic-phonetic aspects of language while teaching pronunciation to second language learners and to develop artificial speech systems and speech recognizers based on Sindhi speakers’ English use.Keywords:Acoustic analysis, Formant frequency, PRAAT, Spectrogram, Vowel duration, Vowel quality
Acoustic Analysis of Consonants of Pakistani English
Elementary Education Online, 2020
The current study aims at investigating the acoustic properties of consonants of Pakistani English to determine whether they are realised like native-Englishes or differently, and whether they are same in number or different from their native counterparts. The study was limited to the investigation of plosives. The participants were selected from among the students of MA English and MPhil English enrolled in The University of Lahore. Certain parameters were predetermined regarding the selection of the participants including age, ethnicity, ability to communicate in English in different situations, and exposure to English, etc. Word-list recordings were made using hitech equipment in a noise free atmosphere. For acoustic analysis and formant measurement, Praat was used. To determine whether the differences in formants were significant, statistical analysis was also performed. The results show that there was significant difference in the realisation of the consonants. It was also determined that they were different in number too, as compared to other native varieties of English. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that Pakistani English is a different variety of English with its idiosyncratic features regarding its consonant phonemes.
A Contrastive Analysis of English and Arabic Phonetics and Phonology and its Relation to Teaching
Since long time ago, there has been a great demand for learning English as a foreign language because of countless reasons and the most important of all is technology. Amongst the millions of English learners from all over the world, Arabs and specially Egyptians immensely needed to learn English for job requirements. Teaching the pronunciation of a foreign language is unquestionably a complicated task; as it necessitates a great ability of explanation in addition to an excellent awareness of this foreign language along with the learners’ mother tongue’s phonological system. This awareness enables the teacher to understand and handle the learners’ challenges in the best way. In this article, I will discuss the challenges facing teaching the pronunciation of a foreign language process, especially in English with some recommended solutions based on personal teaching experience. Before all of that, I will introduce the distinctive features of both English and Arabic phonetic system with a contrastive analysis to pave the way for the reason why there are such challenges.
Migration Letters, 2024
This perceptual study explores the challenges faced by Pashto ESL learners in articulating nine English consonants. The study focuses on identifying the most problematic sounds and providing a learnable solution. Previous studies examined around six troublesome consonantal sounds, however, this perceptual and productive study focuses on the targeted consonantal sounds. The primary goal of the study is to determine why Khilji, Khatak, and Afridi dialects of Pashto speakers struggle with these sounds. The study examines the phonetic and phonological differences between the two languages and how these disparities affect the articulation of Pashto native speakers. The study is designed based on the Contrastive Analysis Theory formulated by Lado (1957). For this, nine consonants were selected for recording, which include the voiceless labio-dental fricative /f/, the voiced labio-dental fricative /v/, the voiceless dental fricative /θ/, the voiced dental fricative /ð/, the voiced post-alveolar fricative /ʒ/, the voiceless velar stop /k/, the voiceless alveolar ridge stop /t/, the voiced labio-velar approximant /w/ and the voiced alveolar stop /d/. By utilizing the purposive sampling technique, six participants were selected from colleges and universities in Karachi speaking three different dialects of Pashto. Pashto speakers recorded the speech stimuli as per protocols of the study. The results reveal that Pashto ESL learners find the voiceless labio-dental fricative /f/, voiceless velar stop /k/, voiceless alveolar ridge stop /t/, and voiced alveolar stop /d/ less challenging to articulate. On the other hand, the most problematic sounds were voiced and voiceless inter-dental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/, voiced labio-dental fricative /v/, voiced Alveopalatal fricative /ʒ/ and voiced labio-velar approximant /w/. The finding reveals that the difference in sound systems between the two languages and the absence of sounds in their native language cause Pashto native speakers to have difficulty in pronouncing these sounds. The finding is not in line with the previous studies in terms of articulation variations on account of dialectal features.
Perception and Production of Consonants of English by Pakistani Speakers
International Journal of English Linguistics, 2017
This paper depicts a comprehensive picture of consonants of Pakistani English (PakE). The study shows that PakE speakers neutralize aspiration contrast in English stops. In the PakE, /t/ in /st/ cluster on onset of a word (e.g., steal) is produced with more aspiration than that on syllable-initial position without preceding /s/ (e.g., in “teach”). Besides, /t d/ are produced with strong retroflexion but /t/ in tautosyllabic /st/ clusters on word-initial position is produced without retroflexion. Voiced stops are produced with pre-voicing. Dental fricatives /θ ð/ produced by native speakers of English are perceived as [f z] or [s v] by PakE speakers but they produce these fricatives as stop. PakE speakers can realize a difference between clear and dark lateral of English in perception although they do not maintain the same difference in production as they produce English lateral as a clear lateral on onset and coda of syllables. Coronal fricative /ʒ/ is perceived and produced as appr...
Pronunciation Teaching: The Missing Link in English Teaching in Pakistani Schools
English in Pakistan is taught in the ESL and EFL contexts. Traditionally English language teaching methodologies adopted in Pakistan focus more on reading and writing and less on listening and speaking. Students get limited opportunities to practice speaking which results in inadequate speaking skills on their part. The present study was exploratory in nature and was conducted with 80 teachers in 29 secondary schools of District Swabi, in the North of Pakistan. Questionnaires were used to explore teachers' perceptions regarding the teaching of pronunciation and their knowledge and training about teaching English. The study examined the teaching methodology used in teaching pronunciation and explored the measures taken by the English language teachers in learning correct pronunciation. Simultaneously, through classroom observations the researchers examined pronunciation teaching practices adopted by the teachers. The study identified a number of problems faced by teachers in teaching pronunciation. It was found that lack of relevant knowledge; training and teaching methodologies were the main factors which resulted in imparting incorrect English pronunciation to students. The study suggests a number of strategies for improvement of pronunciation teaching at the secondary school level in Pakistan.