Factors that constrain listening and speaking skills

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF LAW DIVISION OF LEGAL ENGLISH GRADUATION THESIS BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENGLISH Major: Legal English FACTORS THAT CONSTRAIN LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS OF LEGAL ENGLISH STUDENTS IN USING ENGLISH Supervisor: CAO DANG QUYNH TRAM, MA Student: HUYNH LAM MINH VI Student ID: 1352202010022 Class: LE-38 Ho Chi Minh City, 2017 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF LAW DIVISION OF LEGAL ENGLISH GRADUATION THESIS BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENGLISH Major: Legal English FACTORS THAT CONSTRAIN LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS OF LEGAL ENGLISH STUDENTS IN USING ENGLISH Supervisor: CAO DANG QUYNH TRAM, MA Student: HUYNH LAM MINH VI Student ID: 1352202010022 Class: LE-38 Ho Chi Minh City, 2017 FACTORS THAT CONSTRAIN LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS OF LEGAL ENGLISH STUDENTS IN USING ENGLISH i Acknowledgments It is a great pleasure to express my sincere thanks to all of the lecturers from Legal English Division for teaching me valuable lessons during my undergraduate studies at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law My utmost thanks and deepest gratitude go to my supervisor - Mrs Cao Dang Quynh Tram, who is also my class head teacher over these four years, for her thoughtful care, pertinent suggestions, and dedicated guidance in every step throughout this project Regardless of daytime or nighttime, she always provided me with the most useful comments as soon as possible and kindly told me to stay healthy during this stressful time Her insightful feedback and intellectual inspiration extremely motivated me and significantly contributed to this study Moreover, the research absolutely would not be completed without the participation of questionnaire respondents and interviewees Therefore, I would love to give my special thanks to those who generously took their precious time to share their opinions Most importantly, to my beloved family, your unconditional love and constant encouragement during the course of this thesis as well as my entire life are worth more than words that can be expressed on paper Lastly, I am forever thankful to all my dear friends who have always been there to support me along the way Though your names are not concretely mentioned here, all of your help are undoubtedly in my heart Huynh Lam Minh Vi FACTORS THAT CONSTRAIN LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS OF LEGAL ENGLISH STUDENTS IN USING ENGLISH ii TABLE OF CHARTS CHARTS PAGE Chart 1: Gender 30 Chart 2: Occupation 30 Chart 3: Age 31 Chart 4: Number of years that respondents have learnt English 31 Chart 5: Study method 32 Chart 6: Number of respondents who have misunderstood non-verbal messages 32 Chart 7: Reasons for misunderstanding non-verbal messages 33 Chart 8: Respondents’ views on the idea “People from different cultures may misunderstand each other due to differences in thinking and point of view” 33 Chart 9: Respondents’ views on the idea “Lack of vocabulary potentially leads to misunderstanding” 34 Chart 10: Number of respondents who have experienced listening difficulty due to connected speech 34 Chart 11: Frequency of connected speech lessons in respondents’ classes 35 Chart 12: Respondents’ views on the importance of connected speech lesson 35 Chart 13: Respondents’ views on misunderstanding due to connected speech 36 Chart 14: Number of respondents who have encountered misunderstanding due to homonyms 36 Chart 15: Respondents’ views on the differences among English dialects 37 Chart 16: The frequency of slang in everyday conversations 38 Chart 17: Age range that most frequently uses slang 38 Chart 18: Respondents’ views on misunderstanding due to slangs 39 FACTORS THAT CONSTRAIN LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS OF LEGAL ENGLISH STUDENTS IN USING ENGLISH iii Chart 19: Familiar English accents 39 Chart 20: Accents which respondents learn in class 39 Chart 21: Respondents’ views on communicating with native speakers who have unfamiliar accents 40 Chart 22: Respondents’ interpretation of “I didn’t nothing” 40 Chart 23: Respondents’ views on misunderstanding due to the use of ‘double negative’ 41 Chart 24: Respondents’ views on solutions to misunderstanding in communication 41-42 Chart 25: Impact level of factors contributing to misunderstanding 43 FACTORS THAT CONSTRAIN LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS OF LEGAL ENGLISH STUDENTS IN USING ENGLISH iv TABLE OF FIGURES FIGURES PAGE Figure 1: Maslow's hierarchy of needs Figure 2: Conceptual framework 23 Figure 3: Research process 24 FACTORS THAT CONSTRAIN LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS OF LEGAL ENGLISH STUDENTS IN USING ENGLISH v TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments i TABLE OF CHARTS ii TABLE OF FIGURES iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Background and Motivation 1.2 Research Purpose and Objectives 1.3 Research Structure CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction 2.1 Definition of Misunderstanding in Communication 2.2 Causes of Misunderstanding in Human Communication 2.2.1 Culture Barrier 2.2.2 Language Barrier 10 2.2.3 Connected Speech 11 2.2.4 Homonyms 13 2.2.5 Dialect 15 2.3 Summary of Literature Review: 22 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 24 Introduction 24 3.1 Research Process 24 3.2 Research Design 25 3.2.1 Quantitative Research 25 3.2.2 Qualitative Research 27 3.3 Data Collection Method 28 3.4 Data Analysis Technique 29 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 30 Introduction 30 FACTORS THAT CONSTRAIN LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS OF LEGAL ENGLISH STUDENTS IN USING ENGLISH vi 4.1 Questionnaire 30 4.2 Interview 40 4.3 Discussion of Results 42 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 45 Introduction 45 CHAPTER 6: SOLUTIONS, LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 46 Introduction 46 6.1 Solutions to Misunderstanding in Communication 46 6.1.1 Culture Barrier 46 6.1.2 Language Barrier 47 6.1.3 Connected Speech 47 6.1.4 Homonyms 48 6.1.5 Dialect 48 6.2 Research Limitations 49 6.3 Recommendations for Future Research 50 REFERENCES vii APPENDIXES x Appendix A –THE MODIFIED QUESTIONNAIRE x Appendix B –THE TENTATIVE QUESTIONNAIRE xvii Appendix C - INTERVIEW QUESTIONS xxiii FACTORS THAT CONSTRAIN LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS OF LEGAL ENGLISH STUDENTS IN USING ENGLISH CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Background and Motivation Humans have a variety of needs to satisfy and purposes to fulfill According to Abraham Maslow, each and every one has an own set of needs which could be arranged in a five-stage hierarchy Once a person satisfies physiological (immediate survival needs including food, sleep, etc.) and safety needs (home, clothing), they will seek companionship of family, friends and colleagues in order to fulfill the higher level of social needs This is where communication starts to get in because relationship needs are intimately linked to interpersonal communication Specifically, communication enables us to show affection and form connection with others The fourth level of esteem is associated with the desire for respect and recognition of others as well as ourselves We achieve our sense of self-respect and self-worth through communication with others and judging ourselves through the way people perceive us Finally, when these lower needs are satisfied, we will get to the top of the pyramid which is the need for self-actualization The hierarchy of needs is depicted as a pyramid in Figure FACTORS THAT CONSTRAIN LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS OF LEGAL ENGLISH STUDENTS IN USING ENGLISH SELFACTUALIZATION NEEDS For self-expression and creativity ESTEEM NEEDS For self-respect and the respect of others RELATIONSHIP NEEDS For love &belonging, for being part of family and other groups SAFETY NEEDS Home, clothing, protection, a sense of security PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS Food and drink - survival Figure 1: Maslow's hierarchy of needs (Dimbleby & Burton1) In addition, there is a whole variety of needs and purposes which motivate us to communicate We communicate to exchange ideas by sharing and receiving information Many people communicate to build and maintain relationships since communication helps bringing people together and it is central to every relationship In our business interaction, we communicate to persuade and win the support of others The art of persuasion is an essential skill to master as it directly affects our success in career and life Communication, therefore, is an absolute necessity in every walk of our life as it makes life much easier “Been there, done that” is the expression we will definitely say when it comes to the topic of misunderstanding in communication Karl Popper shares the same R Dimbleby & G Burton, More than words: An introduction to Communication, 4th edn., London, Routledge, 2007, p 16 K Popper, Unended Quest: An Intellectual Autobiography, London, Routledge, 2002, p 29 x APPENDIXES Appendix A – Questionnaire THE MODIFIED QUESTIONNAIRE Hello Mr./Mrs My name is Huynh Lam Minh Vi I am currently a senior at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law Thank you so much for participating in this survey! All of the information you provide will be kept confidential and only used for research purpose I am conducting a research on “Factors that constrain listening and speaking skills of legal english students in using English.” Your time and opinions are deeply appreciated It is my pleasure to cooporate with you! With the following questions , please check cross (X) the boxes that most fit your opinions / Xin vui lịng đánh dấu (X) vào trống bạn chọn Section 1: Gender / Giới tính: □ Male / Nam □ Female / Nữ Current employment position / Nghề nghiệp tại: (Xin vui lòng ghi cụ thể sinh viên năm mấy, đơn vị công tác bạn) □ Student / Sinh viên…………………………………………… □ Office worker / Nhân viên văn phòng……………………………… □ Housewife / Nội trợ…………………………………………………… □ Businessman / Kinh doanh…………………………………………… xi □ Others / Nghề khác……………………………………………………… What is your age? / Bạn tuổi? □ Under 15 / Dưới 15 □ 15-18 □ 18-22 □ 22-30 How long have you been studying English? / Bạn học tiếng Anh bao lâu? Which English language institute are you studying in? / Bạn theo học trung tâm Anh ngữ nào? Section 2: Have you ever misunderstood any non-verbal messages (for example: body language, gestures, postures,…) of your native friends from English speaking countries? / Bạn có hiểu nhầm hình thức giao tiếp phi ngơn từ người xứ chưa? □ Yes / Đã □ No / Chưa xii If your answer is YES, what is your reason for such misunderstanding? / Nếu câu trả lời bạn có, lí dẫn đến hiểu nhầm gì? □ I’ve no idea about that non-verbal cue / Tơi khơng biết cử nghĩa □ My friend’s non-verbal cue carries different meaning in their culture / Cử văn hố tơi mang ý nghĩa khác với văn hố bạn tơi □ Other reasons / Lí khác: Culture is said to shape a person’s beliefs and values Therefore, people from different culture may understand each other due to difference in thinking and point of view Do you agree? / Người ta nói văn hóa ảnh hưởng đến tư tưởng giá trị người Vì vậy, người từ văn hóa khác hiểu nhầm ý có khác biệt cách suy nghĩ Bạn có đồng ý với ý kiến không? □ Agree / Đồng ý □ Disagree / Không đồng ý Lack of vocabulary potentially leads to misunderstanding when communicating with a native speaker Do you agree? / Việc thiếu từ vựng có khả dẫn đến hiểu nhầm giao tiếp với người nước ngồi Bạn có đồng ý với ý kiến khơng? □ Yes / Có □ No / Không xiii 10 English is full of connected speech On a scale of 4, how often you experience listening difficulty due to connected speech? / Người xứ nói tiếng Anh hay nối âm (cắt, trộn, bỏ bớt từ âm thanh) Như vậy, bạn có gặp khó khăn việc nghe tiếng Anh cách nối âm không? Never Không O Sometimes Often Đôi Thường xuyên O O Always Luôn O 11 To what extent have you got to learn about connected speech in your English language classes? / Ở lớp bạn có học giảng cách nối âm không? Never Không O Sometimes Often Đôi Thường xuyên O O Always Luôn O 12 Do you think it is important to be equipped with knowledge about connected speech to improve listening and communicating skills? / Bạn có nghĩ việc trang bị kiến thức nối âm quan trọng kĩ nghe giao tiếp tiếng Anh không? Not important at all Important (Không quan trọng) (Quan trọng) O O Quite important Very important (Khá quan trọng) (Rất quan trọng) O O 13 Do you think it is likely that misunderstanding will arise due to connected speech in everyday conversation? / Bạn có nghĩ cách nối âm tạo hiểu nhầm giao tiếp tiếng Anh khơng? xiv □ Yes / Có □ No / Không 14 When in a conversation with a foreign friend, have you encountered any word that is spelled and pronounced exactly the same as another word (homonyms), which makes you misunderstand your friend’s message or vice versa? / Khi giao tiếp với người nước ngoài, bạn hiểu nhầm (hoặc bị hiểu nhầm) từ đồng âm khác nghĩa (các từ giống cách đánh vần phát âm) chưa? □ Yes / Đã □ No/ Chưa 15 How differently you think people from different dialects communicate based on the following criteria? / Theo bạn người dân vùng miền giao tiếp khác mức độ theo tiêu chí sau đây? Not different Different at all Quite different (Khơng có khác biệt) Totally different (Hồn tồn khác nhau) - Lexicon / Từ vựng O O O O - Grammar / Ngữ pháp O O O O - Phonology / Âm vị O O O O (accent, pronunciation, ) / (phương ngữ, phát âm, ) xv 16 How often you encounter slang in everyday conversations with a foreigner or between foreigners? / Bạn có thường bắt gặp từ lóng nói chuyện với người nước ngồi, người nước ngồi nói chuyện với khơng? Haven’t encountered Chưa O Sometimes Đôi Usually Thường xuyên O Always Luôn O O 17 What is the age range that people will most likely use slang? / Bạn thường thấy người độ tuổi sử dụng từ lóng? □ Kids Trẻ em □ Teenagers Thanh thiếu niên □ Adults Người lớn 18 Do you think slang can create misunderstanding in communication? / Bạn có nghĩ từ lóng gây hiều nhầm giao tiếp khơng? □ Likely / Có khả □ Not likely / Khơng có khả 19 What accent is easiest for you to understand? / Giọng xứ vùng miền bạn cảm thấy dễ hiểu nhất? (You can choose more than one / Bạn chọn nhiều đáp án) □ Received Pronunciation / Giọng Anh chuẩn □ General American / Giọng Mỹ chuẩn □ Others (Giọng vùng khác): ……………………………………………… xvi 20 Which accent you get to learn in class? / Bạn học theo giọng vùng miền nào? (You can choose more than one / Bạn chọn nhiều đáp án) □ British accent / Giọng Anh □ American accent / Giọng Mỹ □ Others (Giọng vùng khác): … 21 Do you think misunderstanding can happen when you communicate with another person having a different accent from the one you have learnt in class? / Khi bạn giao tiếp với người xứ sử dụng giọng vùng miền khác với giọng bạn học lớp, bạn nghĩ xảy hiểu nhầm khơng? □ Likely / Có khả □ Not likely / Khơng có khả Thank you very much for your time and opinions! xvii Appendix B – Questionnaire THE TENTATIVE QUESTIONNAIRE Hello Mr./Mrs My name is Huynh Lam Minh Vi I am currently a senior at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law Thank you so much for participating in this survey! All of the information you provide will be kept confidential and only used for research purpose I am conducting a research on “Factors that constrain listening and speaking skills of legal english students in using English.” Your time and opinions are deeply appreciated It is my pleasure to cooporate with you! With the following questions , please check cross (X) the boxes that most fit your opinions / Xin vui lịng đánh dấu (X) vào trống bạn chọn Section 1: Gender / Giới tính: □ Male / Nam □ Female / Nữ Current employment position / Nghề nghiệp tại: (Xin vui lòng ghi cụ thể sinh viên năm mấy, đơn vị công tác bạn) □ Student / Sinh viên…………………………………………… □ Office worker / Nhân viên văn phòng ……………………………… □ Housewife / Nội trợ…………………………………………………… □ Businessman / Kinh doanh…………………………………………… □ Others / Nghề khác……………………………………………………… xviii What is your age? / Bạn tuổi? □ Under 15 / Dưới 15 □ 15-18 □ 18-22 □ 22-30 How long have you been studying English? / Bạn học tiếng Anh bao lâu? Which English language institute are you studying in? / Bạn theo học trung tâm Anh ngữ nào? Section 2: Have you ever misunderstood any non-verbal messages (for example: body language, gestures, postures,…) of your native friends from English speaking countries? / Bạn có hiểu nhầm hình thức giao tiếp phi ngơn từ người xứ chưa? □ Yes / Đã □ No / Chưa xix If your answer is YES, what is your reason for such misunderstanding? / Nếu câu trả lời bạn có, lí dẫn đến hiểu nhầm gì? □ I’ve no idea about that non-verbal cue / Tơi khơng biết cử nghĩa □ My friend’s non-verbal cue carries different meaning in their culture / Cử văn hố tơi mang ý nghĩa khác với văn hố bạn tơi Culture is said to shape a person’s beliefs and values Therefore, people from different culture may understand each other due to difference in thinking and point of view Do you agree? / Người ta nói văn hóa ảnh hưởng đến tư tưởng giá trị người Vì vậy, người từ văn hóa khác hiểu nhầm ý có khác biệt cách suy nghĩ Bạn có đồng ý với ý kiến khơng? □ Agree / Đồng ý □ Disagree / Không đồng ý English is full of connected speech On a scale of 4, how often you experience listening difficulty due to connected speech? / Người xứ nói tiếng Anh hay nối âm (cắt, trộn, bỏ bớt từ âm thanh) Như vậy, bạn có gặp khó khăn việc nghe tiếng Anh cách nối âm khơng? □ Yes / Có □ No / Không 10 Have you got to learn about connected speech in your English language classes? / Ở lớp bạn có học giảng cách nối âm khơng? xx □ Yes / Có □ No / Khơng 11 Do you think it is important to be equipped with knowledge about connected speech to improve listening and communicating skills? / Bạn có nghĩ việc trang bị kiến thức nối âm quan trọng kĩ nghe giao tiếp tiếng Anh không? Not important Important (Không quan trọng) (Quan trọng) O O 12 Do you think it is likely that misunderstanding will arise due to connected speech in everyday conversation? / Bạn có nghĩ cách nối âm tạo hiểu nhầm giao tiếp tiếng Anh không? □ Yes / Có □ No / Khơng 13 When in a conversation with a foreign friend, have you encountered any word that is spelled and pronounced exactly the same as another word (homonyms), which makes you misunderstand your friend’s message or vice versa? / Khi giao tiếp với người nước ngoài, bạn hiểu nhầm (hoặc bị hiểu nhầm) từ đồng âm khác nghĩa (các từ giống cách đánh vần phát âm) chưa? □ Yes / Đã □ No/ Chưa xxi 14 How differently you think people from different dialects communicate based on the following criteria? / Theo bạn người dân vùng miền giao tiếp khác mức độ theo tiêu chí sau đây? - Lexicon / Từ vựng - Grammar / Ngữ pháp - Phonology / Âm vị (accent, pronunciation, ) / (phương ngữ, phát âm, ) Not different Different at all (Khơng có khác biệt) O O O O O O Quite different O O O Totally different (Hoàn toàn khác nhau) O O O 15 How often you encounter slang in everyday conversations with a foreigner or between foreigners? / Bạn có thường bắt gặp từ lóng nói chuyện với người nước ngồi, người nước ngồi nói chuyện với không? Haven’t Sometimes Usually Always encountered Chưa Đôi Thường xuyên Luôn O O O O 16 What is the age range that people will most likely use slang? / Bạn thường thấy người độ tuổi sử dụng từ lóng? □ Teenagers □ Adults Thanh thiếu niên Người lớn 17 Do you think slang can create misunderstanding in communication? / Bạn có nghĩ từ lóng gây hiều nhầm giao tiếp khơng? xxii □ Likely / Có khả □ Not likely / Khơng có khả 18 What accent is easiest for you to understand? / Giọng xứ vùng miền bạn cảm thấy dễ hiểu nhất? (You can choose more than one / Bạn chọn nhiều đáp án) □ Received Pronunciation / Giọng Anh chuẩn □ General American / Giọng Mỹ chuẩn □ Others (Giọng vùng khác): ……………………………………………… 19 Which accent you get to learn in class? / Bạn học theo giọng vùng miền nào? (You can choose more than one / Bạn chọn nhiều đáp án) □ British accent / Giọng Anh □ American accent / Giọng Mỹ □ Others (Giọng vùng khác): 20 Do you think misunderstanding can happen when you communicate with another person having a different accent from the one you have learnt in class? / Khi bạn giao tiếp với người xứ sử dụng giọng vùng miền khác với giọng bạn học lớp, bạn nghĩ xảy hiểu nhầm khơng? □ Likely / Có khả □ Not likely / Khơng có khả Thank you very much for your time and opinions! xxiii Appendix C - Interview Questions Gender: □ Male □ Female Current educational level:……………………………………………………………………… How long have you been studying English? ‘Double negative’- The term refers to the use of indefinite forms of a noun when following the negative form of a verb For example, a friend tells you: “I didn’t nothing.” What you interpret the above sentence? □ He did not anything □ He did something □ Other interpretations: ………………………………………………………………………………………… Do you think this kind of English grammar pattern potentially cause misunderstanding to non-native speakers? □ Most likely □ Likely □ Not likely Solutions to mitigate misunderstanding in communication: Agree Avoid using homonyms that may cause ambiguities Educators in general should put more emphasis on knowledge about connected speech Use plain language and simple words; avoid technical terminologies Disagree xxiv Ask others to repeat what they heard if you feel that they are likely to get you wrong Ask for explanation whenever you face new vocabulary or idioms that you not understand When having a conversation with a native speaker whose accent does not sound familiar to you, ask them to speak more slowly Adopt body language in conversations along with verbal form to make sure the other person understands your message Enrich knowledge about cultures and behaviours of other English speaking countries THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND OPINIONS!