Pronunciation Challenges Faced by Undergraduate Students of Middle East (original) (raw)
Related papers
Pronunciation is an area of L2 learning that has long been relegated to the status of secondary skill. However, it is a mistaken belief or wrong notion that correct pronunciation plays little role in communication. It is observed that in many cases, mispronunciation leads to unintelligibility of speech and/or misinterpretation of the message/information: a barrier to communication. This premise prompted the researchers to study the difficulty in pronunciation experienced by Saudi students. This paper is also an attempt at exploring the pronunciation problems faced by the Saudi students of English and aims to propound possible remedial measures. The researchers have included students enrolled in the English departments and their teachers at two universities in Saudi Arabia. Primary data was collected from the students and their teachers using surveys, interviews, and classroom observation of students' presentations. The study made some suggestions regarding materials that can help rectify the pronunciation of English among Saudi learners of English.
Omani ESL learners perception of their pronunciation needs
Beyond Philology An International Journal of Linguistics Literary Studies and English Language Teaching, 2020
The aim of this study is to analyze Omani ESL learners perception of their pronunciation needs, problems related to Omani students' pronunciation and strategies which students use to learn pronunciation. The paper also investigates if Omani students are conscious of their pronunciation obstacles. In this study, the observation and perception of Omani university students from Ad Dakhiliyah Region were examined in order to determine their pronunciation needs. As far as English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are concerned, language skills are frequently taught separately and teachers focus more on some skills i.e. grammar, reading, writing and vocabulary than on pronunciation. Seidlhofer (2000) states that some researchers have noted that teachers treat pronunciation skills as the "Cinderella" of ESL teaching and pronunciation is regarded as an extra add-on. It is essential to investigate for a teacher what aspects and strategies of teaching pronunciation are the best for ESL students. The method of data collection was a questionnaire using the sample questions presented by Derwing and Rossiter (2002). The questionnaire was distributed among Omani university learners in Ad Dakhiliyah Region. Students were asked to fill in the questionnaire and return it the next day. The major research problem is focused on the possibility of improvement of pronunciation teaching strategies. The research was
English Language and Literature Studies, 2014
This study investigates the problems in English pronunciation experienced by learners whose first language is Sudanese Spoken Arabic. In other words to find the problematic sounds and the factors that cause these problems. Then find some techniques that help the Sudanese Students of English improve their pronunciation. The subjects for the study were fifty students from University of Sudan of Science and Technology (SUST), and thirty university teachers of English language from the same university. The instruments used for collecting the data were observation, recordings and a structured questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed both statistically and descriptively. The findings of the study revealed that Sudanese Students of English whose language background is Sudanese Spoken Arabic, had problems with the pronunciation of English vowels that have more than one way of pronunciation in addition to the consonant sound contrasts e.
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 2021
The English language pronunciation is a sub-skill of speaking modules during the learning process of a second language. Accurate pronunciation is not followed enough by Bangladesh students in speaking English It was found that the participants face barriers while pronouncing English. However, it is ignored and even provided the least attention by them. In order to explore the pronunciation barriers of vowels and consonants of Bangladesh expatriate learners and to identify remedial measures, this study stresses about four aspects of pronunciation: vowel confusion and insertion, missing stress sounds, sounds' errors cause of written form, and absence of fricatives. The study emphasizes on the value and status of pronunciation and overcame the approach of it among Bangladesh expatriate students. A pronunciation test was conducted with 8 Bangladesh expatriate learners with an age range of 20-25 years and the participants were asked to pronounce 7-8 words in every aspect, recorded th...
2011
This study attempts to investigate the difficulties Saudi students encounter when pronouncing certain English consonant sounds. All participants in the study are adults who graduated from secondary schools and joined the Preparatory Year Program at Najran University. The participants have never been to any of the English speaking countries, so they do not have any kind of exposure to a native English environment. The results show that the Arabic speakers in this study had difficulties in pronouncing certain English consonant sounds, such as: /p/, /d/, /v/, /tʃ/, /ʒ/, and /ŋ/. This study also provides an insight and assists ESL/EFL teachers with some helpful suggestions and teaching strategies that will reduce future problems regarding English consonant pronunciation among Arab learners.
Non-Native Pronunciation of English: Problems and Solutions
This paper aims at analyzing some occurring problems concerning pronunciation of English learners in Jordan. Factors leading to these problems are interference of Jordanian, learners' age, attitude, and their insufficient knowledge of phonology and phonetics systems of the English language. Oral interview is a method for data collection most especially as it involves sound which are the best understood when pronounced. The sample of the study contained of 30 Jordanian students majoring in English language and literature in two private universities. The results show that the sounds, which was existed in Arabic language, were easier to read, while the absent sounds in Arabic and exist in English caused some confusion for the students, what made them tended to pronounce the nearest sound from the Arabic phonemes to the English phonemes. In conclusion the differences between Arabic and English in Phonetics is about describing the sounds of speech and the patterns they make. Among its various practical applications the one that will be uppermost in the minds of most readers is that of teaching and learning the pronunciation of a foreign language. This research is addressed particularly to those concerned with teaching English pronunciation to Jordanian learners. It is worth mentioning that many Jordanians get worried about pronouncing English correctly, especially when some English language students themselves cannot distinguish completely between consonants and vowels of English sounds and Arabic sounds. This means that the more differences in sounds between the two languages the more errors of interference will occur. "When we encounter a foreign language, our natural tendency is to hear it in terms of the sounds of our own language. We actually perceive it rather differently from the way native speakers do. Equally, when we speak a foreign language we tend to attempt to do so using the familiar sounds and sound patterns of our mother tongue. We make it sound, objectively, rather differently from how it sounds when spoken by native speakers. This is the well-documented phenomenon of phonological interference" (Crystal 1987:p. 372). Our L1 (mother tongue) interferes with our attempts to function in the L2 (target language). 1.1) Statement of the Problem Producing English sounds is not an easy task for the Jordanian students, especially when they are not exposed to the British native speakers in their environment. Moreover some Jordanian teachers are not competent themselves in the proper articulation of English sounds, their students" in this case will form ill pronounced habits, and persist on committing mistakes which might distorts there massages while speaking English. 1.2) Objectives of the Study: The study aims at: 1) Finding the obstacles, that Jordanian student face in pronunciation, as a result of linguistics interference. 2) Investigating the factors that cause the phonological interference between Arabic and English, and try to find fundamental solutions for this problem. 3) Trying to find fundamental solutions for these obstacles.
Pronunciation and Conversation Challenges among Saudi EFL Students
JEES (Journal of English Educators Society)
This study aims to identify the difficulties of pronunciation and conversation faced by EFL learners who undertook a Preparatory Year Program (PYP) in Saudi Arabia, It highlights the main issues in pronunciation and conversations (e.g., textbooks, teaching methods, and students' attitude and motivation) and techniques to address these problems. The instruments used in the study were classroom observations and teachers' discussions. The results revealed that firstly, students did not have a sound knowledge of grammar. Secondly, students' outside environment was influenced by their mother tongue. Thirdly, the teaching methods did not suit their proficiency levels. Finally, they were demotivated and thought that they have an impossible mission to improve their English pronunciation and conversation.
Journal Article, 2020
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.
Arab World English Journal, 2021
The English language pronunciation is a sub-skill of speaking modules during the learning process of a second language. Accurate pronunciation is not followed enough by Bangladesh students in speaking English It was found that the participants face barriers while pronouncing English. However, it is ignored and even provided the least attention by them. In order to explore the pronunciation barriers of vowels and consonants of Bangladesh expatriate learners and to identify remedial measures, this study stresses about four aspects of pronunciation: vowel confusion and insertion, missing stress sounds, sounds’ errors cause of written form, and absence of fricatives. The study emphasizes on the value and status of pronunciation and overcame the approach of it among Bangladesh expatriate students. A pronunciation test was conducted with 8 Bangladesh expatriate learners with an age range of 20-25 years and the participants were asked to pronounce 7-8 words in every aspect, recorded their ...