VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HOCHIMINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE EXPLORING TEACHERS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE PRONUNCIATION OF ENGLISH[.]
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HOCHIMINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE EXPLORING TEACHERS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE PRONUNCIATION OF ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA: A CASE STUDY AT WINDY ENGLISH CENTER IN HO CHI MINH CITY A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in English Linguistics & Literature By NGUYEN HOANG QUOC THAI Supervised by NGUYEN THI NHU NGOC, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, JANUARY 2022 EXPLORING TEACHERS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE PRONUNCIATION OF ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA: A CASE STUDY AT WINDY ENGLISH CENTER IN HO CHI MINH CITY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc, for her continuous guidance and support Her great expertise and diligent editing have been really beneficial to me I am grateful for my time conducting the study under her careful supervision This study would not have been accomplished without the great support from the English teachers at Windy English Center I would like to give special thanks to their valuable time spent for sharing information and assisting me at the research site Finally, I want to express my thanks to numerous friends who have supported me during my study at University of Social Sciences and Humanities STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I confirm that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no portion of it has been published or submitted for publication elsewhere To the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not intrude on anyone's copyright or violate any ownership rights, and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or other content from other people's work used within my thesis, whether published or unpublished, is fully acknowledged in accordance with standard referencing practices I certify that this is a genuine copy of my thesis, along with final revisions, as accepted by my thesis supervisor and the administration staff of the English Faculty in USSH, and that this thesis has not been submitted to any other University or Institution RETENTION OF USE Being a candidate for the MA degree, I agree to the University's standards for the preservation and use of theses deposited in the Library I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the Library should be available for study and research purposes, subject to the Librarian's standard rules for the preservation, lending, or replication of theses I agree to follow any general terms imposed by the University for the preservation, lending, or replication of theses, as well as any specific usage conditions in regard to this thesis titled By signing this form, I agree that a copy of my thesis will be preserved in the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, and allow it to be published online in full text I confirm that the necessary copyright licenses for any original materials included in my thesis have been secured Date: Candidate‟s signature TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Significance of the study 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Organization of thesis chapters CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Pronunciation and its role in language classrooms 2.2 Principles for teaching English pronunciation 2.2.1 Nativeness and intelligibility principles 2.2.2 Segmental and suprasegmental approaches 2.3 The pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca 10 2.3.1 World Englishes 10 2.3.2 English as a Lingua Franca 12 2.3.3 Principles of English as a Lingua Franca 14 2.3.4 The pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca 16 2.4 Attitude towards the pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca 19 2.4.1 Language attitude 19 2.4.2 Attitude towards the pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca 20 2.4.3 Previous studies 21 2.4.4 Conceptual framework 24 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 26 3.1 Research questions 26 3.2 Research design 26 3.3 Context of the study 27 3.4 Participants and sampling procedure 28 3.5 Research instruments 29 3.5.1 Observation field notes 29 3.5.2 Semi-structured interviews 31 3.6 Data collection procedures 33 3.7 Data analysis scheme 34 CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 38 4.1 How the pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca is instructed at WEC 38 4.1.1 Segmental aspects 38 4.1.2 Suprasegmental aspects 46 4.1.3 Preferred pronunciation models 51 4.1.4 The primary goal of pronunciation teaching 52 4.2 The attitude of teachers towards the pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca 53 4.2.1 The pronunciation of ELF is suitable for low-level students 54 4.2.2 The pronunciation of ELF reduces students’ pressure 55 4.2.3 The pronunciation of ELF has a negative impact on students’ confidence 56 4.2.4 The pronunciation of ELF has a negative impact on students’ listening performance 57 CHAPTER CONCLUSION 60 5.1 Summary of the findings 60 5.2 Implications 66 5.3 Limitations and recommendations 67 REFERENCES 69 APPENDICES 73 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL English as a foreign language ELF English as a Lingua Franca GA General American LFC Lingua Franca Core NESs Native English Speakers NNESs Non-native English Speakers RP Received Pronunciation WE World Englishes WEC Windy English Center LIST OF TABLES Table2.2 Errors leading to breakdown of intelligibility (p.10) Table 2.3a The EFL and ELF paradigms (p 14) Table 2.3b EFL and ELF pronunciation targets - The core features (p 17) Table 2.3c EFL and ELF pronunciation targets - The non-core features (p 18) Table 3.2 Correspondence of research questions, analysis procedures, and data sources (p 27) Table 3.4 General information about the teacher participants (p 28) Table 3.5a Core and non-core features in the observation form (p 30) Table 3.5b Interview questions in response to research question (p 32) Table 3.5c Interview questions in response to research question (p 33) Table 3.6 stages for collecting qualitative data (p 34) Table 3.7 Findings from the observation field notes and interview data (p 36) Table 4.1.1 Main findings on segmental aspects (p 45) Table 4.1.2 Main findings on suprasegmental aspects (p 50) Table 5.1 Summary of main findings (p 64) LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Various Features of English Pronunciation (p 5) Figure 2.2 Intelligibility as central to oral communication (p 8) Figure 2.3 Three-circle model of World Englishes (p 11) Figure 2.4 Conceptual Framework (p 24) Figure 3.7 Structure of a thematic network (p 35) Brawn (2010)‟s and Zielinski (2012)‟s research stating students‟ confidence can significantly decrease due to their non-standard pronunciation The finding is also supported by Khodarahmib and Zarrinabadia (2017)‟s research concluding that students‟ willingness to communicate can be enhanced with accent strength However, the findings contradict Norman (2017)‟s research claiming student‟s perceived accent has no influence on their confidence as well as fluency According to Norman, students tend to value sufficient communicative competence; therefore, ELF pronunciation does not make them feel timid or inferior The negative impact of ELF pronunciation on students‟ listening performance was also questioned This finding is in line with Huang (2009)‟s and Kissling (2018)‟s research stating that the lack of instruction on suprasegmental features, the non-core features in LFC, may cause difficulties in teaching listening comprehension This phenomenon can be explained that if the core features of LFC are instructed solely, students can get confused when they have to listen to authentic speech in which suprasegmental features such as weak forms are frequently used However, this is only the case of listening to NESs‟ speech, which requires students to be familiar with suprasegmental features There is little literature on the impacts of ELF pronunciation on listening comprehension between NNESs in multilingual contexts The main findings of the current study are summarized in Table 5.1 63 Table 5.1 Summary of main findings Main findings of the study Affirmation Contradiction - The dental fricative /θ/ and /ð/ and the Jenkins (2009a) alveolar lateral fricative /ɫ/ are unimportant for Seidlhofer (2011) ELF pronunciation Carruthers (2019) - RP intervocalic [t] and GA rhotic /r/ are not Burgoine (2020) Jenkins (2009a) required for ELF pronunciation - The omission of consonant clusters at the Jenkins (2009a) end of the words is not advised - Vowel quality is important for ELF Shu (2019) Jenkins (2009a) pronunciation - Connected speech, weak forms, stress-timed Jenkins (2009a) Celce-Murcia et al (2010) rhythm and speech movement are unimportant Deterding (2010) Burgoine (2020) for ELF pronunciation - Word stress pronunciation is important for ELF Lewis and Deterding (2010) Jenkins (2009a) Shu (2019) - NNESs are the most suitable models for ELF Kirkpatrik (2014) Young and Walsh (2010) pronunciation Candlin and Crichton (2017) Hariri, Munir, and Anam (2019) Nguyen (2021) Phuong (2021) 64 - Mutual intelligibility is the primary goal of Kirkpatrik (2014) Timmis (2002) teaching English pronunciation Hung (2014) Sifakis and Sugaru (2005) Buss (2016) Tokumoto and Shibata (2011) Phan (2016) Munro and Derwing (2015) Luo (2017) - The pronunciation of ELF is suitable for Jenkins (2009b) low-level students Seidlhofer (2011) - The pronunciation of ELF reduces student‟s Pishghadam and Akhondpoor (2011) pressure - The pronunciation of ELF has a negative Brawn (2010) impact on students‟ confidence Zielinski (2012) Khodarahmib & Zarrinabadia (2017) - The pronunciation of ELF has a negative Huang (2009) impact on students‟ listening performance Kissling (2018) 65 Norman (2017) 5.2 Implications Implications can be drawn for teachers whose goal is to intrigue students‟ awareness of the pronunciation of ELF Teachers and students ought to aim at more realistic linguistic achievements to enhance intelligibility rather than achieve the nativelike levels of English pronunciation Considering the practicality and achievability of the pronunciation of ELF, teachers should consider instructing it in language classrooms First, the core features such as nuclear stress are expected to enhance the intelligibility of speech in multilingual contexts, which is relevant to the context of Vietnam Second, the omission of some non-core features will facilitate the learning process of English pronunciation, especially for students of low proficiency Third, some teaching tasks such as giving feedback to the non-core features are alleviated, which allows teachers to be more flexible about teaching English pronunciation This is particularly important as English teachers in Vietnam often lack sufficient time and materials for pronunciation teaching due to the exam-oriented practice of language teaching and learning However, such awareness of the pronunciation of ELF should only be raised by teachers of English as it is unfair and unethical to make learners believe that they are not able to achieve native-like pronunciation (Murphy, 2014) To further promote the teaching of ELF pronunciation, an implication to the administrators at WEC can be drawn The teachers at WEC should be assigned to instruct pronunciation lessons that focuses on the core features of LFC in low-level classes to help students achieve mutual intelligibility before any attempts to polish their pronunciation Moreover, an implication for the use of textbooks at WEC also arise For more suitable teaching and learning content to be devised, the teachers at WEC are encouraged to adapt the content for the instruction of ELF pronunciation Considering intelligibility as the main goal of teaching English pronunciation, the core features of ELF pronunciation in textbooks should be prioritized 66 5.3 Limitations and recommendations There are limitations that could affect the findings of the study First, although the teacher participants were used to teaching ELF pronunciation in language classrooms, they had little experience in using ELF pronunciation in multilingual contexts The study may yield more positive attitude towards the pronunciation of ELF when this constrain is removed Second, most of the teacher participants were in charge of primary classes in which the students had low levels of English proficiency; therefore, their attitude could change when they teach students of upper-intermediate levels and above Third, the study did not explore the aspect of phonetic requirements, one of the core aspect in LFC, as this aspect is rarely specified in the traditional syllabus (Jenkins, 2009a), and it is often ignored by language teachers and learners (Burgoine, 2020) Future researchers may want to take account of some factors that can affect the teachers‟ attitude towards the pronunciation of ELF According to Wang (2016), NNESs who have little experience of real-life ELF communication tends to judge variants from the native English Moreover, Browne and Fulcher (2017) concludes that the raters‟ familiarity with the speakers‟ speech pattern or accent significantly affects the speakers‟ intelligibility Therefore, teachers‟ intercultural experience and familiarity with ELF pronunciation are two significant factors to be included when exploring their attitude towards the pronunciation of ELF Additionally, teachers‟ attitude towards the pronunciation of ELF can change when they teach students of upper-intermediate levels and above since the LFC is not very useful when the NNESs are already fluent in English (Jenkins, 2009b) Finally, the scope of this study can be expanded by exploring teachers‟ instruction on the core feature of phonetics requirements and the full category of connected speech, including linking, assimilation and elision In conclusion, the current study has answered the two research questions regarding the teachers‟ instruction on the pronunciation of ELF and their relevant attitude Although there are some limitations, the study has contributed to the literature of ELF, 67 particularly the teaching of ELF pronunciation in Vietnam The findings of this study can be useful to the English teachers at Windy English Center and other teachers of English who instruct the pronunciation of ELF in similar settings It is reasonable to be optimistic that Vietnamese students will become more efficient speakers of English when they are instructed the pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca 68 REFERENCES Attride-Stirling, J (2001) Thematic networks: An analytic tool for qualitative research Qualitative Research, 1, 385-405 Brawn, J R (2010) Teaching pronunciation gets a bad R.A.P.: A framework for teaching pronunciation Browne, K., & Fulcher, G (2017) Pronunciation and intelligibility in assessing spoken fluency In T Isaacs & P Trofimovich (Eds.), Second language pronunciation assessment: Interdisciplinary perspectives (pp 37-53) Bristol, UK and Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Multilingual Matters Burgoine, S (2020) Pedagogic implications of a reduced model Lingua Franca Core in the EFL Classroom Buss, L (2016) Beliefs 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New York: Cambridge University Press Cogo, A (2012) ELF and super-diversity: A case study of ELF multilingual practices from a business context Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 1(2), 287-313 Cohen, L., & Morrison, K (2007) Research methods in education London: Routledge Collins, B., & Mees, I M (2013) Practical phonetics and phonology: A resource book for students (3rd ed.) Abingdon, UK and New York: Routledge Crouch, M., & McKenzie, H (2006) The logic of small samples in interview-based qualitative research Social Science Information, 45(4) Crystal, D (2008) Two thousand million? 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Whose English? An investigation of „non-native‟ teachers‟ beliefs about target varieties Language, Culture and Curriculum, 23(2), 123-137 Zielinski, B (2012) The Social Impact of Pronunciation Difficulties: Confidence and Willingness to Speak In J Levis, & K Levelle (Eds.), Proceedings of the 3rd Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference (pp.1826) Ames, IA: Iowa State University 72 APPENDICES APPENDIX – OBSERVATION CHECKLIST APPENDIX – CONSENT FORM APPENDIX – INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 73 APPENDIX – OBSERVATION CHECKLIST OBSERVATION CHECKLIST SECTION NAME OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT: Exploring Teachers‟ Attitude Towards the Pronunciation of English as A Lingua Franca: A Case Study at Windy English Center in Ho Chi Minh City GENERAL OBJECTIVE: To explore teachers‟ attitude towards the pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca SECTION Course: _ Level: Section: Schedule: Teacher‟s name Class code: _ Date: _ 74 SECTION N0 ELF target - Increased Decreased Lingua Franca focus focus Core The consonant inventory Consonant clusters Vowel quantity Nuclear stress Vowel quality Weak forms Features of connected speech Stress-timed rhythm Word stress 10 Pitch movement 75 Activities and Observations APPENDIX – INTERVIEW QUESTIONS SECTION 1: TEACHERS’ GENERAL INFORMATION Name: Study major: Names of schools / institutions: Years of teaching experience: SECTION 2: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS RQ Câu hỏi RQ1 Q1 Thầy cô dạy phát âm Tiếng Anh WEC? Q1.1: Thầy có thường xun hướng dẫn chỉnh sửa phát âm Tiếng Anh cho học sinh hay không? Q1.2: Thầy có tự làm mẫu để hướng dẫn chỉnh sửa phát âm Tiếng Anh cho học sinh hay khơng? Q1.3: Thầy có thường xun chỉnh sửa điểm phát âm Tiếng Anh sau hay không? (Các điểm phát âm LFC) RQ2 Thái độ thầy cô cách phát âm Tiếng Anh ngôn ngữ cầu nối? Q2.1: Theo thầy giáo viên có cần phải dạy phát âm Tiếng Anh chuẩn Anh, Mỹ cho học sinh hay không? Q2.2: Theo thầy cô cách phát âm Tiếng Anh của người dân quốc gia khơng nói Tiếng Anh ngữ có chuẩn riêng hay khơng? Q2.3: Theo thầy giáo viên có nên dạy cách phát âm ngôn ngữ cầu nối Việt Nam hay không? Q2.4: Theo thầy cô việc dạy phát âm Tiếng Anh ngơn ngữ cầu nối áp dụng Việt Nam hay không? 76 APPENDIX – CONSENT FORM RESEARCH STUDY PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM INSTITUTION: Windy English Centre NAME OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT: Exploring Teachers‟ Attitude Towards the Pronunciation of English as A Lingua Franca: A Case Study at Windy English Center in Ho Chi Minh City GENERAL OBJECTIVE: To explore teachers‟ attitude towards the pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca I agree to participate in the study conducted by Nguyen Hoang Quoc Thai I understand and consent to the use of audio and video recording during the interviews and class observations I understand that the information and data are for research purposes only and that my name and image will not be used for any other purposes I relinquish any rights to the recording and understand the recording may be copied and used by the researcher without further permission I understand that participation in this study is completely voluntary and I agree to immediately raise any concerns or areas of discomfort during the study Please sign below to indicate you have read and understand the information on this form and that any questions you might have about the study have been answered Date: _ Please write your name: Please sign your name: _ Thank you for your participation 77