INTRODUCTION
Rationale
In recent years, English has gained prominence in Vietnam, becoming a compulsory subject in schools While there have been significant changes in teaching and learning methodologies, the actual effectiveness in secondary education remains limited The focus primarily lies on grammar and vocabulary to achieve high examination scores, often neglecting essential components of language acquisition such as rhythm, phonetics, and intonation during speaking lessons.
My interest in English intonation began during my first year at university when I misinterpreted a native speaker's question due to its intonation This misunderstanding highlighted a significant challenge for English learners, as my classmates and I failed to recognize the question and responded as if it were a statement The teacher emphasized the importance of intonation in communication, which led me to explore its role in miscommunication, particularly in different types of questions I now focus on teaching intonation, as its patterns can greatly impact students' lives outside the classroom, affecting their ability to make friends, meet their needs, and advance in their careers.
This research investigates the teaching and learning of intonation among 9th grade students at Pham Huy Quang School in Thai Binh province It focuses on identifying intonation errors in various types of English questions and offers targeted solutions to address these issues effectively.
Aims of the research
The specific aims of the study are:
- To investigate the most common mistakes committed when using intonation in different types of English questions by the 9 th grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School, Thai Binh
- To identify the causes of students’ problems when using intonation in different types of English questions
- To recommend possible solutions to their intonation mistakes.
Research questions
Based on the above purposes, this investigation was designed to answer the following questions:
- What are the intonation mistakes commonly committed by the 9 th grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School, Thai Binh?
- What are the causes of students’ problems when using intonation in different types of English questions?
- What are possible solutions to their intonation mistakes?
Scope of the research
The research focused on 9th grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School in Thai Binh, aiming to identify common mistakes made in intonation when forming various types of English questions However, the findings are not universally applicable to all Vietnamese learners, as they primarily serve the needs of educators and students at schools with similar English curricula or training programs.
This study focuses solely on the mistakes related to intonation in various types of English questions, acknowledging the constraints of time and experience Exploring intonation errors in other sentence types, such as statements, falls outside the scope of this research.
Significance of the research
This study explores the teaching and learning of intonation among 9th grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School in Thai Binh The findings aim to serve as valuable resources for English teachers, enhancing their approach to teaching intonation not only at Pham Huy Quang School but also in other educational institutions.
Structure of the research
The research consists of 5 chapters as follow:
Chapter 1 is the INRODUCTION, which provides an overview of the research with specific information about rationale, aim and objectives of the research, the research questions, the scope and structure of the research
Chapter 2 is the LITERATURE REVIEW, which presents a review of theoretical background about using intonation in different types of English question and a review of previous studies related to the research
Chapter 3 is the METHODOLOGY, which gives a detailed discussion of the method used in the study It presents the subject of the study, the instruments used to collect the data and the procedure of the data collection
Chapter 4 is the FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION, which is a detail description of data analysis and a discussion of the findings of the study
Chapter 5 is the CONCLUSION, which includes the recapitulation of the main points presented in the thesis and concluding remarks The limitations of the study and some recommendations for further research are also discussed in this chapter.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Review of theoretical background
2.1.1 General description of English intonation
Intonation, a key component of prosody, works alongside other features like duration and amplitude to enhance meaning (Haan, J 2002) While pitch, or fundamental frequency (F0), is often regarded as the primary aspect of intonation (Bolinger, 1986; Cruttenden, 1986; Beckman, 1995b), stress also plays a crucial role For the purpose of this thesis, intonation will be defined as the meaningful variation of pitch throughout an utterance (Haan, J 2002).
Tien Thang, in "Vietnamese Intonation," defines intonation as the phenomenon in language characterized by the acoustic features of specific allomorphs in sentences, which facilitates communication by giving sentences their expressive quality Brazil (1997) adds that traditional views of intonation focus on pitch variation in the voice, introducing a novel perspective through his Discourse Intonation theory, which emphasizes both the production and reception of speech.
Intonation plays a crucial role in all languages by conveying semantic and emotional nuances in speech It involves variations in pitch, which indicate whether an idea is complete or ongoing, as well as distinguishing between questions and statements Prosodic features, such as tone and pitch, help highlight key concepts while reflecting the speaker's personality and attitude The pragmatic function of intonation is significant in expressing the speaker's intentions during speech acts, which can be defined as communicative actions where the speaker conveys a message with a specific purpose.
According to Ladd (1980), there are five primary intonations, while Levis (1999) categorizes intonation into three types Nevertheless, most scholars agree that English intonation can be primarily classified into two main types: raising intonation and falling intonation.
+ The raising intonation is symbolized as
+The falling intonation is symbolized as
In everyday communication, speakers utilize various sub-intonations to convey their distinct viewpoints, including low fall, high wide fall, high narrow fall, low rise, high wide rise, high narrow rise, rise-fall, fall-rise, and rise-fall-rise Notably, the English speakers in Australia employ as many as 13 different sub-intonations in their conversations.
In the English questions, two types of intonation of raising and falling intonation are used widely Looking at the following examples:
In summary, it is essential to note that "Wh-questions" should end with falling intonation, while "Yes-No questions" require a rising intonation at the end of the sentence.
The phrase “It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it!” emphasizes the significance of intonation in communication The "how" encompasses aspects like pitch level, accent, length, and intonation contour, collectively known as suprasegmentals, which convey meanings beyond individual sounds While segmentals refer to distinct phonetic units, suprasegmentals provide essential context that can express intent, emotion, and curiosity These features are crucial for effective language competence and proficiency, highlighting their role in conveying pragmatic meaning beyond mere words.
Intonation groups possess distinct pitch contours that shift in predictable manners, particularly when emphasis is introduced In English and other languages, intonation conveys attitudinal meaning (Cruttenden, 1986, p.14) For instance, two varying intonation contours of the same words, as shown in Figure 1, express different attitudes Native American English speakers can discern these intonation patterns, recognizing subtle or significant variations in meaning.
Figure 1: One question pronounced with different intonation patterns (Ladefoged, 2006,p 120)
English speakers can express the same question with varying intonation patterns, which can significantly affect its meaning A falling intonation contour, often viewed as neutral, contrasts with a more argumentative rising contour that features two upward phrases, the second of which exhibits a notable pitch increase (Ladefoged, 2006, p 120).
Intonation contours play a vital role in cross-cultural communication by conveying attitude and pragmatic force According to Clennell (1997), not fully utilizing English prosodic features can significantly impact interactions between native and non-native speakers Therefore, achieving a more native-like intonation is essential for non-native speakers to ensure their intentions are accurately understood in conversations.
2.1.2 Intonation in different types of English questions
2.1.2.1 Intonation in Yes- No questions
The unmarked English contour for yes-no questions has a final rise as is the case for many intonational languages (Cruttenden, 1986, p.163) Pierrehumbert
According to Pierrehumbert (1980), yes-no questions in English exhibit a distinct rise-plateau-rise pitch pattern This contour begins with a low pitch accent, followed by a rise, a plateau, and concludes with another rise to a high tone Citing Sag and Liberman (1975) and Rando (1980), she notes that this configuration is evident when there is sufficient distance from the pitch accent to the end of the utterance While this rise-plateau-rise pattern is observable in longer contours, the critical feature for determining a target-like utterance is the final rise at the boundary tone, which differentiates native-like speech Figure 2 presents the unmarked contour for yes-no questions as outlined by Pierrehumbert and Hirschberg (1990).
Figure 2: Illustration of an unmarked yes-no question (Pierrehumbert &
The intonation pattern illustrated in Figure 2 features a low pitch accent on the initial syllable of "vitamins," followed by a rise leading to a high tone at the end In contrast, Figure 3 presents an example of a yes-no question characterized by a rise-plateau-rise intonation contour.
Figure 3: Illustration of rise-plateau-rise in the contour (Pierrehumbert &
Figure 3 illustrates a boundary tone that is sufficiently distanced from the final pitch accent, facilitating a rise-plateau-rise contour This contour features a low pitch accent on the word "good," followed by the rise-plateau-rise pattern (Pierrehumbert, 1980).
English language learners can effectively communicate yes-no questions using intonation rather than strict grammatical structures, such as the auxiliary verb "do" followed by subject-verb inversion For instance, a learner might say, "You work full time," with a rising pitch at the end to indicate a question, as seen in example (2) This approach, characterized by a high rise in the boundary tone, is common among beginning language learners (Pienemann, 1998) In this study, I examined both fully formed syntactic yes-no questions and those conveyed solely through intonation, highlighting the flexibility in question formation.
In contrast to yes-no questions, wh-questions in English, also known as information questions, have the same unmarked falling contour as declaratives Pike
In 1956, it was noted that question contours typically exhibit a falling intonation, which is referred to as the "chief contour" (pp 168-169) Additionally, Wh-questions in English are characterized by a distinct final falling tone, as highlighted by Couper-Kuhlen.
1996 citing Armstrong/Ward, 1931) Pierrehumbert & Hirshberg also described wh- questions this way stating that “the H* L-L% tune used with simple declaratives is also frequently used with wh-questions” (1990, p 284)
Review of previous studies
So far, there have been a quite number of studies about Vietnamese‟s mistakes in using intonation They are the valuable references for further researches, especially, for this thesis
Tran Thi Thanh Dieu (2015) conducted a study titled “A Case Study of Solutions to Some Intonation Mistakes Made by Vietnamese Students – A Phonetic Experimental Research,” highlighting the significance of integrating phonological knowledge with rhythm, melody, and syntax in teaching English intonation to Vietnamese learners The research posits that understanding English rhythmic patterns and melodic aspects can aid students in recognizing their intonation errors, fostering a positive attitude towards practicing intonation influenced by stress The ultimate goal is to enhance the pronunciation skills of Vietnamese students and improve their comprehension of conversations for effective communication in English The study involved 90 students from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and Ho Chi Minh City Open University, identifying seven prevalent intonation mistakes, including errors in rhythmic patterns, tonic syllable identification, and various combinations of rhythm and intonation patterns.
In the study "Contrastive Analysis of English and Persian Intonation Patterns: An Error Analysis Study on Iranian Undergraduate EFL Students" by Mojtaba Eghlidi (2016), the author emphasizes the crucial role of intonation patterns in effective communication in a second language The research reveals that many language learners tend to apply their native intonation patterns when speaking English, leading to pronunciation errors The study involved a contrastive analysis of English and Persian intonation patterns, followed by an error analysis of Iranian undergraduate EFL students Data was collected by recording the voices of thirty students reading an authentic English text aloud, allowing for the identification of their intonation errors The findings indicated that participants frequently misused the rise-fall intonation pattern in sentences with two clauses, while they demonstrated proficiency in using rise intonation.
Claudia Pesce (2014) in her article “Do Your ESL Students Make These Stress and Intonation Mistakes?” identifies two common intonation errors: lack of rising pitch and incorrect pitch usage She offers key recommendations for proper intonation: Yes/No questions should end with a rising pitch, while wh-questions typically have a falling intonation Statements also utilize falling intonation, and question tags can vary based on the speaker's intent—falling for comments or observations and rising for checks or expressions of uncertainty Additionally, rising intonation can indicate surprise, whereas falling intonation may convey sarcasm or disbelief.
Koichi Kumaki's 2003 study on English intonation in Japanese high school textbooks revealed that intonation is often overlooked in English language teaching at this level The research aimed to identify the intonation features commonly taught and their treatment within the context of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in Japan Findings indicated that the primary approaches to intonation focus on grammatical aspects, with authorized English textbooks emphasizing this approach over attitudinal or discourse-based methods Additionally, teachers' perspectives on intonation align closely with the textbooks, despite the infrequent inclusion of intonation instruction in their lessons.
Teaching and learning intonation in secondary and high school presents numerous challenges This thesis aims to explore these issues and provide valuable insights for improvement.
This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical foundations of the research, focusing on English intonation, particularly in various types of English questions, alongside relevant studies It is anticipated that the 9th grade students involved in this study may face challenges with intonation in these different question forms The subsequent chapter will outline the research methodology employed in the study.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research questions
The study was carried out to address the following three questions:
- What are the intonation mistakes commonly committed by the 9 th grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School, Thai Binh?
- What are the causes of students’ problems when using intonation in different types of English questions?
- What are possible solutions to their intonation mistakes?
The participants of the study
A study involving 100 students aged around 14 years (64 males and 36 females) was conducted in two randomly selected classes, 9G and 9H, at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School, from a total of 362 students across seven classes These mixed-ability classes included learners with varying levels of English proficiency, and the students exhibited low intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for learning the language Additionally, the research included an in-depth review with two teachers, the head of the English group and the 9th-grade English teacher, who were assured that the collected data would remain confidential and not be used for assessment purposes.
Research method
To identify the common intonation mistakes made by 9th grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School in Thai Binh, I employed both qualitative and quantitative research methods for data collection This involved gathering information from secondary sources as well as primary data through questionnaires and in-depth interviews The analysis of this data revealed the prevalent intonation errors among the students.
Ninth-grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School in Thai Binh will be evaluated on their use of intonation in various types of English questions This assessment aims to identify and analyze their limitations in this area Based on the findings, solutions and recommendations will be proposed to help these students overcome common mistakes in intonation when forming English questions.
Data-related issues
To develop my thesis, I gathered secondary data from a variety of sources, including internet databases, previous research studies, and relevant websites This information helped me create my own questionnaires and establish a theoretical foundation I collected insights on common mistakes students make with intonation, as well as perspectives from students and media reports regarding intonation usage.
In this study, questionnaires were distributed to 100 ninth-grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School in Thai Binh to investigate their attitudes towards intonation mistakes in various types of English questions The survey aimed to gather insights into the causes of these mistakes, assess the current classroom realities and available teaching materials, and explore students' expectations of their teachers in intonation classes.
The questionnaires designed consisted of the following parts:
Part 1 : Introduction of the survey purpose and commitment terms
Part 2 : General information (name, class, habits,…)
Part 3: Main body of the survey consisting of the specific multiple – choice questions in accordance with using intonation Accordingly the author will collect and give conclusion and solutions to enhance mistakes in using intonation of the 9 th grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School, Thai Binh
Part 4 : Open questions are designed to collect students‟ detailed feedbacks about intonation
Part 5: Direct interviews with 9 th grade students by let them practicing some dialogues including types of English questions
The study conducted in-depth interviews with the English group leader and a 9th-grade English teacher at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School in Thai Binh The purpose was to gather insights on the use of intonation in English questions, identify challenges faced by students, and understand the intonation habits of 9th graders Additionally, the interviews aimed to explore students' aspirations and the school's developmental direction, as well as to gather ideas for creating an effective survey questionnaire.
The collected data was pre-processed using Microsoft Excel on Windows XP, allowing for the creation of various effective charts, diagrams, and pie charts that enhance my analysis and discussion.
The data was analyzed to find out mistakes commonly committed by the the
Ninth-grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School in Thai Binh often struggle with using intonation correctly in various types of English questions This article analyzes common mistakes made by these students and offers suggested solutions to improve their intonation skills in questioning.
9 th grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School, Thai Binh in using intonation in different types of English questions and some suggested solutions.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Objectives of teaching and learning intonation
Intonation plays a crucial role in speaking lessons, yet it is often not explicitly addressed in Secondary and High School curricula Effective teaching of intonation aims to enhance students' communication skills, enabling them to convey meaning and emotion more clearly in their speech.
- Understanding principles of intonation in different types of English questions such as tag questions, WH-question or Yes-No question
- Practicing accurately and correctly intonation in different types of English questions
- Using intonation in general and intonation in different types of English questions in particular
- Building good intonation for students as a good foundation in the higher education.
Report on the results collected in survey questionnaires
4.2.1 Summary of respondents participating in the research
A survey conducted with 100 ninth-grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School yielded positive participation, with all respondents fully supporting the initiative, resulting in a complete and successful response rate.
The questionnaire is designed to assess three independent variables and three dependent variables, featuring a total of ten questions The independent variables include "Methods of Teaching Intonation (TI)," which comprises four items (TI1 to TI4), "Methods of Assessing Intonation (AI)" with three items (AI1 to AI3), and "Materials and Means of Support (MS)" that consists of three items (MS1 to MS3).
The study focuses on three dependent variables: "Methods of Teaching Intonation," "Methods of Assessing Intonation," and "Materials and Means of Support." Participants rated these variables on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 indicates complete disagreement and 5 indicates complete agreement.
For the question in Part 1: General information, 100% of respondents are at grade 9 at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School When being asked “Do you like
English subject?” there are 75 respondents or 75% with “Yes” answer and the rest of 25 9 th grade students said that they don‟t love English subject Obviously most of
9 th grade students in this school have good awareness of importance of English subject and they are fond of this subject
4.3.2 Students’ perception on intonation teaching by teachers at English lessons
Table 4.1: Students’ perception on intonation teaching by teachers at English lessons
Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree
1 The teachers regularly find out intonation mistakes, especially in different types of English questions
2 The teachers pay more attention to correct mistakes in using intonation in different types of English questions
3 The teachers teach you principles of intonation in different types of English questions
4 The teachers give interesting intonation lessons about different types of English questions lesson to students
Figure 5: Students’ perception on intonation teaching by teachers at English lessons
The survey results from 100 respondents highlight the common mistakes made by 9th-grade students in using intonation across various types of English questions.
Looking at the results gained from the survey, we can have the following analysis
In overall, the methods of teaching intonation of English teachers at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School are at average due to its good - average mean score of 2.92
The attribute with the highest mean score of 4.22 indicates that 9th grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School are effectively taught the principles of intonation in various types of English questions This score reflects the students' understanding of the three main question types: WH-questions, Yes-No questions, and tag-questions, as well as the two primary intonation patterns: rising and falling According to student feedback, their teachers emphasize the use of rising intonation for Yes-No questions, highlighting the importance of intonation in mastering English communication.
In English, speakers use no questions and tag questions to express doubt, while falling intonation in WH-questions and tag questions indicates the affirmation of a fact By focusing on these principles, students can improve their understanding and application of English language nuances.
Table 4.2: Results of Methods of teaching intonation at Pham Huy Quang
The next attribute scored at 3.14 is that “The teachers pay more attention to correct mistakes in using intonation in different types of English questions”
Teachers and peers can easily identify students' intonation mistakes in English questions, yet daily communication and speaking lessons often overlook this aspect Students typically prioritize vocabulary pronunciation and stress, frequently resorting to a monotonous voice during reading and speaking practice With class sizes nearing 50 and lessons limited to 45 minutes, teachers struggle to address each student's intonation errors, focusing instead on correcting pronunciation and vocabulary stress This reflects a common teaching approach in rural schools, where intonation is not given adequate attention.
A mean score of 2.76 was given to the attribute number one, which describes
“The teachers regularly find out intonation mistakes, especially in different types of
Many students tend to receive average scores in English speaking due to limited lesson time and the high number of students, which prevents teachers from adequately addressing individual intonation mistakes In speaking lessons, teachers often do not prioritize correcting these errors, leading to inconsistent identification and correction of intonation issues Although intonation lessons may allocate more time for teaching and correcting these mistakes, the application of these corrections is not consistently reinforced in subsequent lessons.
The last attribute of “The teachers give interesting intonation lessons about different types of English questions lesson to students” was given a mean score of
2.56 In English unit, there is one lesson or 45 minutes for speaking skills, so intonation lessons are only spent a small duration, about ten to fifteen minutes In this duration, the teachers just give some intonation principles for students and call some of them to practice and correct immediately As the result, when being asked about interesting intonation lessons, most of 9 th students suppose their teachers don‟t give many interesting intonation lessons
4.2.3 Students’ perception on finding out teachers intonation mistakes and use of intonation as one of the important assessment criteria in examinations
Table 4.3: Students’ perception on finding out teachers’ intonation mistakes and use of intonation as one of the important assessment criteria in examinations
Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree
1 In assessing scale of speaking, intonation is one of the important and necessary assessing criteria in different types of English questions
2 There are many methods used to assess intonation in different types of English questions, especially in examinations
3 Intonation mistakes are included and specified as one of criteria in speaking examinations
Figure 6: Students’ perception on finding out teachers’ intonation mistakes and use of intonation as one of the important assessment criteria in examinations
As mentioned in the above, the method of assessing intonation dimension consists of 03 attributes; the results gained from the survey are as follows:
Table 4.4: Results of Methods of assessing intonation at Pham Huy Quang
The overall mean score of this attribute is 2.87 or at the average level
The attribute with the highest mean score of 3.03 highlights the significance of intonation as a crucial criterion in evaluating speaking skills across various types of English questions While oral tests have become more prevalent in recent years at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School, particularly during first and final semester examinations, the focus on assessing intonation remains limited Effective presentation criteria encompass content, communication skills, body language, diverse vocabulary, fluent pronunciation, and intonation, among others However, intonation contributes only a minor portion to the overall assessment score, indicating that while it is necessary, it is not deemed the most important criterion in the evaluation process.
The mean score of 2.80 indicates that intonation assessment methods in English questions, particularly in examinations, are not considered significant At Pham Huy Quang Secondary School, various methods are employed to assess intonation, such as rising intonation at the end of sentences and falling intonation at the beginning However, these methods are applied methodically and often overlooked Students primarily achieve high scores based on content quality, fluency, correct pronunciation, and appropriate stress, rather than on intonation assessment.
Intonation mistakes are identified as a criterion in speaking examinations, receiving a mean score of 2.79 While intonation is acknowledged in assessments, these mistakes are often overlooked during evaluations and primarily addressed in lessons As a result, students frequently forget the principles of intonation due to a lack of structured practice To enhance learning, English teachers should compile common intonation errors after each speaking exam and incorporate them into future assessments This approach not only helps students recognize their mistakes but also allows teachers to refine their instructional methods based on observed errors.
4.2.4 Students’ perception on materials and means of support that are currently applied for teaching intonation
Table 4.5: Students’ perception on materials and means of support that are currently applied for teaching intonation
Attributes of materials and means of support
Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree
1 In-class document for intonation lesson is sufficiently provided for students by the teachers
2 There are many materials provided for teaching intonation such as video, radio, PowerPoint and so on
3 Materials and means of support for teaching intonation in different types of English questions are various, interesting and inspiring
Figure 7: Students’ perception about materials and means of support that are currently applied for teaching intonation
Similar to the second dimension, the dimension of materials and means of support is composed of three key attributes After conducting a survey and analyzing responses from participants, the results are summarized in the following table.
Table 4.6: Results of materials and means of support at Pham Huy Quang
The average mean score for the three evaluated attributes is 2.34, indicating a bad to average level of agreement This suggests that the materials and resources available for teaching intonation to 9th-grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School are inadequate.
The highest mean score of 2.69 indicates that teachers sufficiently provide in-class documents for intonation lessons, particularly in listening exercises where radio is a key support tool in rural areas English teachers often utilize radios to read aloud transcripts for students, highlighting a lack of resources during speaking lessons This deficiency is reflected in the low mean score from 100 9th grade students, which suggests an average performance level At Pham Huy Quang Secondary School, a relatively new institution, the challenges faced by middle-aged teachers in accessing modern teaching materials and methods contribute to this issue.
The possible solutions to intonation teaching problems
In accordance with the above findings, the followings will be some recommendations for English intonation teaching for secondary school the teachers of English
Teachers' methods of intonation instruction are crucial for enhancing students' overall English skills and specifically their intonation Utilizing diverse and appropriate techniques makes lessons more engaging and comprehensible, ultimately motivating students to learn Given the challenges posed by large and diverse classes in Vietnamese secondary schools, teachers must adapt their approaches to involve more students and alleviate lesson monotony With a variety of teaching techniques available, it is essential for educators to remain flexible and select methods that cater to different learning objectives The author will propose several solutions to assist teachers in addressing various challenges students face when learning intonation.
4.3.1 Teaching intonation on the level of accuracy
The first requirement for using accurate intonation is teaching principles of intonation The teachers should comprehend principles of intonation There are some ways to create intonation as follows:
- Emphasizing adverbs, nouns and adjectives in sentence:
Adverbs play a crucial role in modifying verbs by indicating their strength or weakness They can be positioned after the verb "to be," before regular verbs, or at the beginning of a sentence As a result, non-native speakers often emphasize adverbs when speaking to convey their intended meaning clearly.
His ideas were completely misguided The emphasis on "completely" highlights the severity of the mistake, while the word "misguided" is articulated more slowly, using a falling intonation to convey the gravity of the situation.
For example: I do not have the money to study at an English center
In this sentence, “money” and “English” are emphasized and they are emphasized by adding “acute accent” on them
- Emphasizing and stopping for a while for some words such as so, that, but, however, Words like so, that, will be emphasized when you want to emphasize something
For example: I like driving car, but my mom don‟t (When it comes to the
“but”, you emphasize and stop a bit; listeners will understand that they will then hear information contrary to the information before)
- Emphasizing on negative thoughts: In English, negative meanings are always emphasized when talking
Example: I have a car (The word will be emphasized as “I” and “car”)
Negative sentence: I don‟t have any car (The word “don‟t” and “any” shall be emphasized)
In English, rising intonation is typically used for Yes-No questions, while falling intonation is applied to WH-questions Question tags can vary in intonation based on the speaker's intent; those that serve as comments or observations generally have a falling intonation, whereas question tags used to verify information or convey uncertainty often feature a rising intonation.
Besides, it is necessary to remember some following rules:
- Use rising intonation to express surprise
- Use falling intonation to express sarcasm or disbelief
4.3.2 Teaching intonation on the level of fluency
To enhance intonation skills, teachers should implement structured practice activities by dividing the class into small groups of five to six students, assigning group leaders based on their pronunciation abilities Initially, teachers must outline their monitoring and correction methods for students Under the guidance of group leaders, students will practice various sentence types with the correct intonation, allowing group leaders to directly address and correct any intonation errors among their peers This approach not only saves teachers time but also provides students with increased opportunities to practice their intonation effectively.
Teachers conduct group lessons that focus on helping students practice intonation in various types of English questions Students record their voices, allowing teachers to collect and assess their performance When students demonstrate incorrect intonation, teachers provide feedback and highlight these errors in front of the class, facilitating a learning experience from their mistakes.
Regular practice of intonation lessons allows teachers to flexibly instruct students on intonation principles across various sentence types By covering intonation for all types of sentences in English, educators can help students draw comparisons and deepen their understanding of the material.
4.3.3 Organizing training courses for English teachers
Many English teachers at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School are middle-aged and lack proficiency in using computers and information technology for lesson planning This deficiency extends to their use of intonation, as many teachers speak incorrectly and do not prioritize intonation in communication To address students' intonation errors, it is essential to emphasize the importance and necessity of intonation to the teachers While intonation may not have been a focus at the secondary level, it becomes crucial at higher levels, as it directly affects the meaning of sentences and can hinder understanding for non-native speakers.
The Head of Pham Huy Quang Secondary School should select a qualified teacher or Group Leader to attend a speaking course focused on essential skills like pronunciation, stress, rhythm, and intonation With only seven English teachers available, it is crucial to send just one representative who will then train the others Additionally, the Head must ensure that this teacher participates in ongoing training sessions to maintain and enhance their skills, fostering a culture of continuous learning among the staff.
The school Head actively promotes the integration of technology in teaching, encouraging teachers to utilize tools like PowerPoint presentations, videos, and radio To ensure effective implementation, the Head participates in classroom lessons to observe and evaluate the teaching methods and student engagement, gaining insights that can enhance future educational strategies.
At Pham Huy Quang Secondary School, addressing the urgent need for enhanced teaching facilities is crucial In addition to essential resources like textbooks and chalkboards, the school requires specific tools to support listening and speaking lessons, including radios, videos, computers, projectors, microphones, and loudspeakers It is vital that these facilities are utilized consistently and effectively, necessitating the Head of School to implement monitoring plans to ensure teachers and students engage with the resources fully Given the financial challenges associated with establishing a new school, the Head should prioritize investments in facilities based on their necessity for teaching and learning activities.
CONCLUSION
Recapitulation
This study aimed to explore the teaching and learning of intonation among 9th grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School, highlighting how intonation can lead to unexpected misunderstandings in communication It identified key factors contributing to these challenges and proposed potential solutions Utilizing tape recordings and survey questionnaires as research instruments, the findings are intended to serve as a valuable reference for future research in this area.
Concluding remarks
5.2.1 Concluding remarks on the first objective
* For the first research question: “ What are the intonation mistakes commonly committed by the 9 th grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School, Thai Binh?”
This study investigates intonation errors in English questions among 100 ninth-grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School in Thai Binh The research involved practicing short dialogues and directly observing students' performances, which revealed that many students read sentences without adhering to intonation principles Additionally, in-depth interviews with English teachers and school leaders provided further insights into the common intonation mistakes and the importance of effective intonation practice in language learning.
5.2.2 Concluding remarks on the second objective
* For the second research question: What are the causes of students’ problems when using intonation in different types of English questions?
After conducting an analysis, I discovered common mistakes made by 9th-grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary in Thai Binh Many students struggle with English intonation due to a lack of instruction on its principles Although some specialized classes cover intonation, the students quickly forget these lessons because they do not practice regularly Furthermore, they have difficulty distinguishing between different types of English questions, particularly in knowing when to raise or lower their voice and where to apply these changes within the questions.
5.2.3 Concluding remarks on the third objective
* For the third research question: What are possible solutions to their intonation mistakes?
Research findings indicate significant shortcomings in teaching materials and the approaches used by teachers at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School Both teachers and students have largely overlooked the importance of intonation in communication, resulting in a lack of focused intonation lessons To address this issue, I propose targeted recommendations aimed at enhancing the pronunciation skills of both students and teachers, particularly in mastering intonation for different types of English questions to effectively convey various purposes.
Limitations and suggestion for the further studies
Due to time constraints, several important issues remain unexamined in this research The author recommends further studies to identify effective teaching techniques for intonation specifically tailored for 9th grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School Additionally, given that this school is rural and newly established, there is a need for research on the availability and suitability of modern teaching facilities for intonation and other skills Expanding this investigation to include various schools in different regions would provide valuable insights.
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APPENDIX 1 APPENDIX 1: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES FOR 100 9 TH GRADE
I am Nguyen Thi Diem, conducting research on teaching and learning intonation for 9th-grade students at Pham Huy Quang Secondary School in Thai Binh I kindly request your assistance in answering the questions in the attached questionnaire, ensuring your responses are accurate and comprehensive Thank you for your time and support.
Your information shall be used only for this thesis
We sincerely thank you very much for your supports!
This survey aims to gather student feedback on intonation in various types of English questions The insights gained will assist teachers in enhancing their instructional methods, ultimately improving students' skills in this area.
2 Which class are you in? ………9………
3 Do you like English subject?
Please tick „√‟ into the following boxes, each question is selected once only and scored by the following criteria:
The question shall be based on the mentioned theoretical framework of intonation
1 How are currently the teachers teaching intonation in English lesson?
Attributes of teaching methods Completel y disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Complet ely agree
1 The teachers regularly find out intonation mistakes, especially in different types of English questions
2 The teachers pay more attention to correct mistakes in using intonation in different types of English questions
3 The teachers teach you principles of intonation in different types of English questions
4 The teachers give interesting intonation lessons about different types of English questions lesson to students
2 How do the teachers find out intonation mistakes and Is intonation used as one of the important assessment criteria in examinations?
Attributes of assessing methods Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree
1 In assessing scale of speaking, intonation is one of the important and necessary assessing criteria in different types of English questions
2 There are many methods used to assess intonation in different types of English questions, especially in examinations
3 Intonation mistakes are included and specified as one of criteria in speaking examinations
3 What are materials and means of support the teachers use to teach intonation?
Attributes of materials and means of support Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree
1 In-class document for intonation lesson is sufficiently provided for students by the teachers
2 There are many materials provided for teaching intonation such as video, radio,
3 Materials and means of support for teaching intonation in different types of
English questions are various, interesting and inspiring
1 What do you think about the teachers (qualifications, experience and enthusiasm)?
2 Do you find any difficulties when learning intonation?
3 Do you distinguish between rising intonation and falling intonation in different type of questions?
4 Do you realize mistakes commonly committed in using intonation in different types of question?
Part 4: Could you read aloud some following dialogues, please?
Dialogue 1: Hoa is going shopping at the supermarket
Hoa: How does this pen cost?
Shopkeeper: This pen is VND 30,000
Hoa: This red pen is VND 30,000, isn‟t it?
Shopkeeper: Yes, it is It is made of special material It is US‟
Dialogue 2: The boy calls his girlfriend
The boy: Do you like going to the cinema tonight?
The girl: Tonight? Yes, I do I really like
The boy: What time can I pick you up?
The boy: Ok, see you
The girl: See you soon
Dialogue 3: Mom talks to her son
Mom: Do you like visiting your grandparents in this summer?
Son: Why not? I want to go to countryside
Mon: Why do you love countryside?
Son: Well, it very peaceful and healthy and I love to go fishing with my cousins It‟s so fantastic!
APPENDIX 2 IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH GROUP LEADER OF
ENGLISH GROUP AT 9 TH GRADE
1 How long have you been working as Group Leader of English Group at 9 th grade?
2 How many English teachers are there in 9 th grade?
3 How often does the Head of School attend English teachers‟ lessons?
4 How does the Head of School invest materials and means of teaching support for English teachers at 9 th grade?
5 How often does the Head of School organize trainings for English teachers to improve their teaching skills and knowledge?
6 Did you pay attention to intonation mistakes in different types of English questions of students?
7 Did you direct English teachers to try to find out mistakes and correct them?
8 Did you require English teachers to submit list of common intonation mistakes and recommendations to fix them?