According to her, nearly all Vietnamese learners of English make the following categories of pronunciation errors: - Sound omission: when learners omit the middle or last sounds.. Final
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
English has recently become a very popular language throughout the world, including in Vietnam People use English for communication, travel, cultural and trade exchanges, and a variety of other purposes Because Vietnam is one of the countries that uses English as a foreign language, English has become one of the most important subjects in many Vietnamese schools Four English skills are required for all English learners of all ages; however, students appear to prioritise reading and writing over speaking
They spend a lot of time each semester learning grammar for weekly tests and examinations, but they are terrified of speaking English Speaking English appears to receive less attention in high school than other skills such as reading or writing They do not spend enough time in class practicing speaking, which is why they have difficulty speaking Furthermore, many students struggle with grammar, lack vocabulary, and are self-conscious when communicating in English
In fact, many other factors influence English speaking, such as grammar, linking, rhythm, context, and so on and pronunciation is regarded as the most important Therefore, if students want to speak English correctly and fluently, they need to pay attention to pronunciation
After two years of teaching English at Phuc Xuan Secondary School, the writer has noticed that students are very hesitant to raise their hands to make constructive statements in English class for fear of saying the wrong thing and especially pronouncing it wrong Being aware of this will greatly affect their listening comprehension In fact, in the listening tests, the scores are not high because most of the children mispronounce the words, which leads to the inability to hear the words From all these facts, the author of this research paper decided to conduct a research paper titled “An Investigation into the English pronunciation mistakes by Students at a Secondary School in English Pronunciation in Thai Nguyen city” Hopefully, this study will help students understand issues that they
2 have not noticed before and suggest solutions to the problems, as well as help them improve their pronunciation.
Aims of the study
This study was conducted based on several objectives: to find out the common pronunciation mistakes of students, the causes of those pronunciation mistakes, and to learn about teachers' perceptions of the causes of pronunciation mistakes And also to improve students' pronunciation and find some solutions as well as provide teachers with more reference materials on pronunciation.
Research questions
1 What common mistakes do students have in pronouncing English sounds?
2 What are the causes of those mistakes?
3 What are the teachers’ perceptions on the causes of those mistakes?
Scope of the study
There are many English pronunciation mistakes that students make when speaking However, this study will not cover all the problems in the pronunciation of learners and there are many different sources, requiring a lot of time and effort while the author's ability and experience are still limited Therefore, in this study, the author focuses on the common pronunciation mistakes of students in Phuc Xuan middle school and the causes of pronunciation errors, on the other hand, on teachers' perceptions of students' pronunciation mistakes The author relies on references to consonants, vowels, and sound positions to find out students' pronunciation mistakes The author hopes that this study will be a useful document for students and teachers in learning and teaching English
Significance of the study
The research will help the author of this study to gain a lot of valuable experience in detecting students' pronunciation mistakes and testing solutions to improve listening and speaking of students’ abilities In addition, the researcher will gain more experience and better understand the sound structure, thereby changing the way of teaching, and enriching the lessons on pronunciation This research can be considered a step forward in improving the English learning of students at Phuc Xuan school with the hope to solve a problem that has existed for a long time Moreover, it will contribute to creating a foundation to help them approach and learn pronunciation more easily and methodically The researcher hopes that the implementation of the research will improve the teaching and learning of English pronunciation at Phuc Xuan Secondary School in the future.
Thesis organization
To achieve the aims of the study, this paper is divided into five chapters
Chapter 1: Introduction - includes the reasons of choosing the thesis, the aims, the objectives, the scope, research questions and the organization of the study
Chapter 2: Literature review - This chapter presents the theoretical basis related to the research, which is the foundation for shaping the research Help research have a solid basis as well as guide the methods
Chapter 3: Research Methodology - The study setting and procedures used to collect data and analyze data to determine results are presented in this chapter
Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions - This part finds out the answers to the study and then discusses them
Chapter 5: Conclusion - This final chapter summarizes the issues that this research has addressed At the same time, it presents the limitations of the study, which is useful for future studies
References and Appendices are shown on the final pages of the research
LITERATURE REVIEW
Core concepts
Pronunciation is defined as "the method in which a word or language is uttered, or the manner in which someone utters a word According to Wikipedia:
“Pronunciation was described as the creation of sounds that humans employ to generate meaning" in the AMEP Fact sheets financed by the Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs via the AMEP Special Project Research Program It encompasses attention to a language's individual sounds (segments), aspects of speech beyond the level of the individual sound, such as intonation, phrasing, stress, timing, and rhythm (suprasegmentally aspects), how the voice is projected (voice quality), and, in its broadest definition, attention to gestures and expressions that are closely related to the way we speak a language attention to gestures and expressions
Another meaning of pronunciation, according to Wikipedia Dictionaries, is
"the capacity to employ the right emphasis, rhythm, and intonation of a word in a spoken language According an article “individuals or groups can speak a word in a variety of ways, based on a variety of circumstances such as where they grew up, where they now reside, if they have a speech or voice impairment, their ethnic group, their socioeconomic status, or their education.”
Furthermore, the Oxford Advance Learner's Encyclopedic defined pronunciation as "the manner a language is spoken" (Oxford Advance Learner's Encyclopedic, 1992:718) Clear pronunciation, according to the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 8th edition (2008), is “the method in which a language or a particular word or sound is spoken.” There are several definitions of pronunciation, but this one from Oxford Dictionary appears to be the most straightforward:
“pronunciation is the manner in which a word is spoken.”
2.1.2 The importance of pronunciation in teaching a language
Because sound is at the heart of language, the first thing teachers should do when teaching a language is providing students opportunities to explore the sounds
5 of that language Furthermore, the communicative approach is regarded as the primary method of language training in the twenty-first century, as what students truly want after graduation is the ability to communicate successfully in their job and in their daily lives As a result, all teachers are paying more attention to pronunciation instruction Some years ago, pronunciation was taught alongside other skills, where students can learn more deeply about the principles of phonetics and phonology
2.1.3 Factors Influencing Learning of Pronunciation
There are three main factors that influence pronunciation learning Each factor will be clarified as follows
The native language is crucial in learning to speak English since a foreign accent is obviously impacted by some of the sound features of the learner's original language This language can be used to differentiate between native and non-native speakers (untrained as well as trained speakers) Because of the importance of the native language, there has been a significant lot of research on the variations between the sound systems of English and other languages, as well as the issues and difficulties that learners encounter when studying English “To put it very crudely, the more difficulties there are, the more difficulties the learners will have in pronouncing English” - According to Kenworthy, J (1992:4)
2.1.3.2 The ability to pronounce and recognize sounds
It is often held that some individuals have a "better ear" for foreign languages than others, and research has shown that some people can differentiate between two sounds better than others and/or replicate sounds more precisely However, every human being possesses this fundamental capacity; otherwise, they would not have acquired the sounds of their native language More intriguing is the question of whether various categories of learners, such as weak discriminators and good discriminators, benefit from different forms of instruction
According to another research, people with strong phonetic talents benefit from pronunciation drills, which are activities in which certain sounds are heard and
6 the learner must mimic them over and over Their natural talents enable them to take advantage of any opportunity to compare what they are doing to the example given It may be assumed that learners have the necessary equipment, and a range of assignments can be assigned so that something will meet the requirements and skills of each learner
2.1.3.3 Motivation and awareness for proper pronunciation
It is undeniable that motivation has a very important role, motivating people to participate in activities Especially in learning foreign languages, motivation will also be one of the decisive factors in a person's foreign language learning results Gardner (1985:10) described motivation as the combination of effort plus desire to attain the objective of learning plus favorable attitudes about acquiring the language in the present environment The connection between motivation and orientation is a major problem in Gardner's motivation theory (goal) Thus, in his opinion,
“motivation” refers to a type of central metal “engine” or “energy – center” that encompasses effort, desire/will, and work enjoyment They are, however, internal variables rather than external forces Both internal and external variables influence motivation Ellis claims that (1997:75) The learners’ attitude and effective states, which comprise the learners’ effort degree when studying an L2, fall under the category of "motivation “The definition provided by Little Wood expresses the same point of view” “In second language learning as in every other filed of human learning, motivation is crucial force which determines whether a learner embarks on a task at all, how much energy he devotes to it, and how long he perseveres it It is a complex phenomenon and includes many components: the individual’s drive, need for achievement and success, curiosity, desire for stimulation and new experience and so on” (Little Wood, 1980:53)
According to Scheidecker & Freeman (1999:116) “motivation is without question, the most complex and challenging issue facing teachers today” Some students appear to be more concerned about their pronunciation than others This worry is frequently conveyed in assertions about how “poor” the pronunciation is and requests for correction both blanket demands and numerous pauses during
7 speaking intended to seek feedback on pronunciation accuracy It might even manifest as a reluctance to talk Furthermore, the drive to succeed is a type of
“achievement motivation” In contrast, if you are uninterested in a task or do not perceive its worth, you will be unmotivated to do it properly Learners may also be indifferent if they are unaware that the manner they speak is causing difficulties, annoyance, or confusion for the listeners
The above are some factors that can lead to pronunciation errors during the learning process.
English pronunciation mistakes
Making mistakes in pronunciation is unavoidable while learning any language According to Pham Cam Chi's research, "pronunciation errors are variants of pronunciation that prevent one communicator from understanding the propositional content of the other's utterances," as defined by Jenkins (2006:36)
"pronunciation errors are variants of pronunciation that prevent one communicator from understanding the propositional content of the other's utterances." Dulay, Burt, and Krashen describe mistake as "the flawed side of learner speech or writing" that
"deviates from some set standard of adult language performance" (1982:138) Richards (1971) distinguishes between two types of mistakes: performance errors, which are produced by factors such as exhaustion and inattention, and competence errors, which are caused by a lack of knowledge of the language's norms According to another study, mistakes show gaps in a student's knowledge; they arise because the learner is unsure of the proper answer
On the other hand, mistakes show rare failures in performance; they occur when a learner is unable to accomplish what she or he understands (Ellis, 1997)
In brief, every English learner will make pronunciation mistakes at least once when learning to speak English, and each one will have their unique issue However, students should detect and correct their pronunciation issues as soon as possible
In her science article, Ha Cam Tam (2005: 9–10) asserts that Vietnamese learners' primary pronunciation issues are sound omission, sound confusion, and sound redundancy She claims those are the most typical mistakes made by Vietnamese students The classifications made by Ha Cam Tam (2005) are by far the most suitable in the author's opinion for her research According to her, nearly all Vietnamese learners of English make the following categories of pronunciation errors:
- Sound omission: when learners omit the middle or last sounds
- Sound confusion: Learners do not clearly understand the difference between sounds and mispronounce one sound into another
- Sound redundancy: Learners have a habit of reading too many last syllables
One of the three major areas of phonetics is the study of the organs of speech and their function in creating speech sounds The phrase "organs of speech" refers to the components of the human body that are involved in the production of speech in various ways Many of them are only secondarily related with speech production; their major tasks include feeding, chewing, and swallowing food, as well as breathing The vocal tract includes the regions of the body below the lungs The vocal tract is split into two sections: supra-glottal and sub - glottal
Articulatory phonetics is concerned with the most important features of speech production They are the air flow mechanism, the state of the vocal cords, the state of the velum, and the location and method of articulation (Davenport &
Hannahs, 1998: 98) Therefore, the research is more focused on giving the position, pronunciation, and characteristics of these sounds Clark and Yallop define consonant articulation using two features: constriction and articulation The degree of constriction reduces from total closure to a fully open vowel-like way via partial constriction Articulation is classified as either dynamic or steady There are seven known articulation styles: stop, fricative, approximant, nasal, flap, tap, and trill The following articulation styles are described:
Stop: a full closure at any point in the vocal tract, followed by a rapid relaxation of the closure (for examples: pen, kit,…)
Fricative: A potentially stable articulation caused by a constriction in the vocal tract thin enough to induce turbulent airflow (for examples: sitter, zebra, )
Approximant: A potentially stable articulation in which the constriction is typically bigger than a vowel but not large enough to cause turbulence at the constriction site (for examples: lax, schwa, )
Nasal: When there is a blockage in the oral cavity, the velum is lowered to enable airflow via the nasal cavity, and the articulation is stable (for examples: sing, mine,…)
Tap: a dynamic articulation with a momentary occlusion in the vocal tract, a single intentional action to close the vocal tract, equal to a very short halt (for examples: dog, but,…)
Flap: a dynamic articulation in which there is a momentary occlusion in the vocal tract and one articulator impacts the other in passing, not so much to generate a temporary closure as an accidental result of the articulatory gesture
Trill: a sequence of vibrations created by the vibration of any articulator, a dynamic articulation (for examples: pat, top,…)
The area of the oral-pharyngeal vocal tract where the constriction is formed, as well as the portion of the tongue employed for the constriction, are both defined by the site of articulation As a result, we have the following points of articulation:
Dental the tongue lip or (usually) the tongue blade with the upper teeth Alveolar the tongue blade or (usually) the tongue tip with the alveolar ridge Palatal the tongue body and the hard palate
Velar the tongue body and the soft palate
Uvular between the uvula and the back of the tongue
(which hangs down in the back of the mouth) Pharyngeal between the root of the tongue and the back of the throat Glottal this isn’t strictly a place of articulation Glottal sounds are made in the larynx
In English, there are numerous pairs of sounds that differ solely in voicing that is, the two sounds have the same locations and ways of articulation, but one contains vocal fold vibration and the other does not The six chosen consonants are such exact examples in pairs, /θ - δ/, /ʃ - ʒ/, /ʤ - ʧ/
The majority of English dialects include around 24 unique (phonemic) consonant sounds that are classified into three categories: voicing, location, and style of articulation
The sounds /θ, δ, ʃ, ʒ, ʤ/ and ʧ can be called in different terms: Fricatives/affricatives based on the mode of articulation; θ, δ, based on the site of articulation /ʃ, ʒ, ʤ, ʧ/ are powerful and lengthy narrative sounds, whereas the rest are weak and short They are similar at this point but distinct at another owing to
11 their unique linguistic features, thus it is much easier to consider them in pairs, that is /θ, δ /; /ʃ, ʒ /; / ʤ, ʧ /
Katamba (1996: 121) describes FRICATIVE articulation; the articulators are pushed extremely close together, leaving only a very small path through which the air squeezes on its way out, generating turbulence in the process, such as /f, v, θ, δ, ʃ, ʒ / According to Kelly (2000: 35) provides the detailed descriptions of consonants “The tongue tip makes light contact with the back of the top, front teeth
Or, tongue tip may protrude between upper and lower teeth The soft palate is raised / θ / is unvoiced and fortis / δ / is voiced and lenis.”
Possible causes of mistakes in language learning
2.3.1 The interference of the mother tongue
The concept of first language interference is defined as a negative transfer from the first to the target language, or the process of acquiring new habits while being hampered by previously learned habits "Mistakes are started in the learners’ inclination to transfer forms and meanings, and the distribution of forms and meanings of their own language and culture to the foreign language and culture," according to Lado (1957: 3) (1957: 1) Why do language learners use their first language to acquire a second language? Four key elements have a role in the response The first is the pressure to perform Learners may be compelled to execute activities they do not like or their linguistic skills fail to fulfill in a classroom context; as a result, they may revert to their mother tongue, which is the language they are most comfortable with When learners write under duress, Windowson (1990:13) discovered that they can draw on systematic resources from their home language to produce and synthesize meaning Second, a limited foreign language context adds to language acquisition errors Due to a lack of natural linguistic input from native speakers, learners rely on their own language Furthermore, the language activities that are provided to the students have a significant impact on their verbal productivity Translation is stated to "raise the foreign language learners' reliance on first language structures" among these activities (Dulay et al.,
1982: 110) Finally, according to Dulay et al (1982), the monitor is "an essential element linked with the learners' use of foreign language learning" (1982: 110) Learners often think in their first language and then try to translate their thoughts into the target language As a result of four variables, the first language interference occurs: performance and monitor use
The above four elements, according to Myle (2002:186), are social influences that influence foreign language writing These elements are intertwined with learners' attitudes, motivation, and objectives "Studies based on direct and indirect measurements suggest that students with positive attitudes are more likely to succeed If they achieve achievement, their motivation and specific goals will be reinforced, as will their attitude Similarly, failure or lack of achievement can reinforce learners' negative views" (2002: 2) He came to the conclusion that some foreign language writers do better than others because of their negative attitudes, motives, and ambitions
Overgeneralization is the use of previously accessible methods in new contexts, according to Jakobovist (1969: 152) The terms "intra-lingual interference" were coined by Richard (1974: 64) and Littlewood (1980:23) Overgeneralization and transfer, according to Littlewood (1980:25), share the same approach; the difference is that in the former, knowledge of the foreign language is used, whereas in the latter, knowledge of the original language is used
False conceptualization: Learners’ faulty understanding of distinctions of target language items leads to false conceptualization
Fossilization: According to Brown et al (1987:186), "fossilization is a process that occurs when a learner internalizes an erroneous form." This is thought to occur in the pronunciation of adolescents and adults, as well as in some syntactic structures or vocabularies used by a learner
This phenomenon is caused by three factors: mother tongue impact, communication demands, and instructor feedback It might be difficult to determine which procedure is used in a particular mistake Littlewood (1980: 29) came to the
18 conclusion that several processes might be operating simultaneously and reinforcing each other, causing learners to make mistakes.
Previous studies
Many studies have been conducted to determine the problems with student pronunciation of the English language
Linguists and researchers all over the world have demonstrated that the errors made by English speakers are systematic rather than random According to Moosa (1972) and Homedan (1984), Arab students who speak English have difficulty pronouncing sounds they are unfamiliar with, such as /v/, /p/, and / As a result, they concluded that the primary problem of English speakers was sound substitution In other words, they replace sounds that do not exist in their native language with sounds that are similar to them in the place of articulation For example, they replace /p/ with /b/, / with /s/, and so on
Similarly, several studies conducted by Vietnamese researchers revealed that Vietnamese learners face numerous difficulties in learning English pronunciation as well as common mispronunciation errors According to Dung (2014), Vietnamese speakers have a greater number of issues with voiced versus voiceless stops in word-final position, /b/, /p/, /d/, /g/ vs /p/, /t/, /k/ and final fricative consonants /f/, /v/, //, /s/, /z/ Because fricatives do not occur in the word-final position in their native language, the omission of a fricative at the end of words is common when speaking English As a result, Avery and Ehrlich noted that "Vietnamese students tend to omit one or more consonants from a difficult cluster" (1992, p 155)
Duong Thi Nu (2009, pp 41-50) has studied pronunciation issues and the influence of the mother tongue in addition to previous works She emphasized that one of the most common pronunciation errors made by Vietnamese learners is confusion over consonant sounds Many sounds, such as /s/ and //, /z/ and //, /d/ and / /, /t/ and Vietnamese //, are mixed up, for example (she/sea), (measure/pleasure), and (change /teind/ is pronounced /tein/) The English / in chair is incorrectly pronounced like the Vietnamese / in Vietnamese "che" for the /t/ and Vietnamese /
The above mispronunciation is the result of overuse of the first language, a process known as fossilization According to (Yule; O'Connor, 1975), the main problem of English pronunciation is to create a new set of sounds that correspond to the sounds of English, as well as to break down the arrangement of sounds that the mother tongue's habits and systems have strongly built up It means that it is too difficult to change such habits that learners have acquired since childhood, or that it takes a very long time and regular practice to change such habits, and all of this is linked to a certain age of the learner, especially students As a result, the points mentioned above all share the idea that learners confuse such sounds and replace them with other sounds that are said to be the closest to them (O'Connor, 2003)
The effect of sound systems on learning pronunciation was another study result mentioned by Nu She demonstrated that the main difficulty in teaching and learning English pronunciation stems from differences in the sound systems of English and Vietnamese, so a Vietnamese student is not accustomed to pronouncing, for example, /θ/ sound and /ð/ sound, which he does not find in his native language This means that because such sound systems are unfamiliar to students, the learner's organs of speech are not trained to produce them
The differences between the two languages are most noticeable in the manner of articulation, location of articulation, and voicing in Vietnamese and English Furthermore, due to the differences between the two languages, learners from different linguistic backgrounds will face different challenges in producing English sounds (English and Vietnamese) Because the new sounds remain strange for their organs of speech, these differences between the sound systems are regarded as a barrier to competence in English pronunciation This problem, however, is expected to be solved after a long period of regular practice and hard work
As a result, most Vietnamese students face such difficulties because the sound system in Vietnamese is not overly complex and the learner can speak freely, whereas in English, he may pronounce / for /s/, for example, /shame/, /same/ In English, the /r/ is only pronounced before a vowel; the /r/ after a vowel is not
20 pronounced However, in Vietnamese, the /r/-sound is equally pronounced in all positions As a result, students struggle with different sounds and find it difficult to distinguish those consonants
Ha Cam Tam's (2005:7) article, Common pronunciation problems of Vietnamese learners of English, also identified some major issues in Vietnamese learners' pronunciation, namely sound omission, sound confusion, and sound redundancy However, many previous studies found in books, linguistic magazines, or on the Internet are only about general pronunciation problems of broad issues, with none of them focusing on specific consonants that most impede Vietnamese learners' communication and common mistakes in English pronunciation As a result, the research is being conducted to determine the most common errors made by students at Bac Ninh Specialized High School in pronouncing some English consonants and to improve their pronunciation
Tuan (2010) and Tuan (2011) conducted two studies on pronunciation:
"Teaching English discrete sounds through minimal pairs" (2010) and "Vietnamese EFL learners difficulties with English consonants" (2011) Among the English consonants surveyed, data from the survey show that students had the most difficulty producing the English fricatives /&/ and affricatives /t/ - /d/ The students frequently substitute Vietnamese sounds for English sounds
In summary, the above studies show pronunciation problems that most Vietnamese students have This study will build on previous studies to find out the pronunciation mistakes of students at Phuc Xuan Middle School The problems found and analyzed will help to come up with solutions to these problems, improving students' pronunciation
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The research design addresses the following elements: the research approach, participants, research procedures, and data collection instruments
The researcher used the survey research method in this study to make observations surveys to find out common pronunciation mistakes in students At the same time, this method will help researchers easily collect data from participants In conducting this survey study, the researcher had to make careful decisions about how to conduct the study They include many steps such as: determining the research purpose; stating the research questions; population identification and sampling within the population; deciding on the method of data collection; developing tools and training data collectors; collecting data; data analysis; and resolving unresponsiveness
In this study, the author used a quantitative research method through data analysis from questionnaires and audio recordings
Phuc Xuan Secondary School is a school in the western cluster of schools in Thai Nguyen City Due to inadequate facilities, there are not many learning facilities and equipment In recent years, new students have started to pay more attention to English However, most of the students are still very uncared for this subject
There were 157 students that were randomly selected by the odd number from grade 7 to grade 9 at Phuc Xuan middle school Most of the students have studied English long enough and follow the textbook program of the Ministry of Education and Training All 5 teachers participating in the survey have experience in teaching English
The whole school has 5 English teachers They are all university trained and have full professional expertise in teaching
The study was carried out in the second semester of the academic year 2021-
2022, the researcher conducted a survey, recorded and evaluated the results for 3 weeks
During the teaching period at the school, the author conducted research The researcher found that the assessment test containing the listening part of the students did not achieve good results Most of the children said they couldn’t hear anything when they were doing a listening test After investigating, it was found that the children misheard the word or did not hear it clearly due to the incorrect pronunciation of the word At the same time, in the speaking exercises in class, teachers and classmates did not understand the content of the conversations because they mispronounced them Besides, realizing the benefits of standard pronunciation such as correct pronunciation will make it easier for listeners to understand and understand what student’s mean, english pronunciation also plays an important role in listening and understanding skill They will hear more easily in understanding videos, radios, etc Because if students pronounce it wrong and others hear the word wrong, they cannot recognize the meanings From there, the researcher decided to conduct a study to help improve students' pronunciation as well as their academic achievement, helping them become more interested in the subject
The first step in data collection is to record student pronunciations through a handout with three pronunciation exercises Students are divided into groups and recorded to avoid noise Each participant has 5 minutes to watch and prepare to read After recording students' pronounced sounds, the researcher listens carefully to samples and repeated this process a lot of times playing the tape at home Both incorrect and correct pronunciation was written down and analyzed descriptively
In general, all sounds recorded by students were written on paper for the recording test, and the number of correct and incorrect pronunciations was counted beside each student As a result, the recording test greatly aided in the notes and
Questionnaires are given to survey students' opinions on the causes of pronunciation mistakes, students' perceptions, and attitudes as well as solutions to improve pronunciation This portion of the questionnaire was distributed and recorded on the same day Participants were assisted in completing the research questions, in particular by reading the questions in a certain order to the respondents, explaining each question clearly to avoid misunderstandings, and taking notes
The teacher survey questionnaire was designed to collect data on teachers’ perceptions of students' pronunciation errors and their solutions to this problem Participants in this survey will answer the questions without any assistance to ensure the objectivity of the data
The obtained results found common pronunciation mistakes of students as well as reflected students' attitudes and perceptions about the importance of English pronunciation, students' own perception of the frequency of pronunciation mistakes, and causes of pronunciation mistakes At the same time, the data also reflect teachers' perceptions of those pronunciation errors and the methods they use to teach pronunciation.
Data collection instruments
Tape recording is considered an indispensable tool in the teaching population because it serves a dual purpose: students can have access to appropriate samples of native speakers while also being able to record and replay their pronunciation or speech to judge the accuracy of their pronunciation, which serves as motivation for their improvement Furthermore, tape recording is a great tool for teachers to learn how students pronounce a foreign language at the beginning of the process and to assess the students' pronunciation process and growth This is why tape recording is used to identify kids who have difficulty pronouncing certain English consonants
A task was designed to record student pronunciation There were 157 students who took part in the task The author has created three pronunciation exercises for the participants In the first exercise, the participants read individual words In the second exercise, they read some short sentences In the third exercise, they listen and then write a short passage to check if the students can hear the correct word and sentence
The second instrument utilized to collect data for this investigation was a questionnaire This approach has shown to be productive and time-saving since it may yield a wide range of data, from factual to behavioral to attitudinal, from a large number of respondents in a variety of scenarios In this study, a variety of question kinds were used, including frequency, list, category, and ranking questions, as defined by Youngman
(1986, as referenced in Nunan, 1992: 144) Some severe drawbacks of questionnaires, such as simplicity and superficiality of replies, unreliable and unmotivated respondents, respondent literacy issues, and tiredness effects, as mentioned by Dornyei (2003:10), appeared to have been handled in this fashion
Survey questionnaires are chosen by the researcher because they are useful for gathering information about “affective dimensions of teaching and learning, such as beliefs, attitudes, motivation, and preferences” (Richards and Lockhart, 1994:10) and allow the researcher to collect a large amount of information in a short period of time The questionnaire was designed to clarify:
- Students' common English pronunciation mistakes
- Teachers’ perceptions of the causes of those mistakes
- Teachers’ methods to help students eliminate their mistakes in pronouncing English consonants.
Summary
This chapter provides detailed information about the research design, the participants, the research procedures, and the data collection instruments The data analysis and findings of the research will be mentioned in the next chapter.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Findings from tape recording
Based on the results obtained from the tape recording, the students' pronunciation mistakes were found to be: Mispronouncing consonant sounds, sound confusion, sound omission
The analyzed results, it is indicated that the majority of the students have difficulty with a wide number of English consonants
The Figure illustrates that the students often make mistakes in English consonants The bilabial plosives /p/ and /b/was mispronounced by around 4% and 2%, respectively The alveolar plosives /t/ and /d/ are 12% and 1.5% while the velar nasal /ŋ/ is 15% the labio - dental fricatives /f/ and /v/ are only 6% and 5.5% Notably, the dental fricatives /ð/ and /θ/ constitute up 89% and 91%, also the post-
26 alveolar affricates /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ appropriately 60% and 75% The post-alveolar fricatives /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ are 44% and 45%, while the alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/ is 42
With the above data, the consonants that students get confused about the most are the sounds /s/, /θ/, /ð/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, and/dʒ/ because most of these sounds are absent
In Vietnamese transcription, to pronounce these sounds correctly, it is necessary to make good use of the pronunciation parts in the oral cavity
As seen in the graph, more than 76% of the participants could not distinguish when reading the sound /ʒ/ they need to create friction through clenched teeth by directing airflow through a narrow channel formed along the middle of the tongue, which leads to sound confusion with the sound /z/ Instead, they pronounce it as /z/
It is also not surprising that the number of confused two sounds /s/-/z/ accounts for 81%, for /z/ when appearing in the middle or last syllable, it will be very confusing Also, the confusion between sounds like /∫/ - /s/; /dʒ/-/z/; /θ/ - /ð/ are 40%, 25% and 30% respectively Moreover, there is also a large number of participants who confuse the sounds / t∫/; / ɜː/ - /ə/;/ɒ/ - /ɔ:/; /I/ = /i:/ is 20%, 32%, 28%, 36%
Thus, many participants in the recording made mistakes in pronouncing the above sounds due to the inability to distinguish the sounds and the incorrect way of connecting sounds
To identify the omission of consonant clusters in students when they spoke English, each person was asked to pronounce the consonants aloud, while their voices were recorded Then the mistakes were statistically analyzed as shown in the following table:
Number of subjects with errors
In word-initial position: /ʃr/
In word-final position /-ʒd/
Table 5 Students’ mistakes when pronouncing Consonant Clusters
The results from the recording test showed that most of the students made pronunciation mistakes in sounds such as: /-ʃn/, /-ʃt/; //ʒd/;/-tʃt/; /-dʒd / with the data obtained is 140,144,155 and 153 respectively In which the sound that students make the most mistakes with is /-tʃt/ Only 58 out of 157 students made a mistake in the /ʃr/ sound Among those errors, the most common error is the lack of final sounds is more common than others They are /-ʃn/, /-ʃt/, /-ʒd/, /-tʃt/ It is easy to understand why the last sound is omitted so often because Vietnamese people do not necessarily pronounce the last sound In addition, some consonant clusters with /ʒ, ʤ, ʧ / are
28 really difficult to pronounce for Vietnamese learners, especially when these sounds appear at the end of words In conclusion, this suggests that in teaching English pronunciation, emphasis should be placed on these areas, the pronunciation of consonant endings and consonant clusters in the final position
There are seven sounds that are regularly omitted by students They include /s/, /z/, /t/, /v/, /k/, /dʒ/, /θ/ that are analyzed in the following chart:
Figure 5 Students’ mistakes when pronouncing Final Sounds
As Figure 5 shows, students tend to pronounce too many ending sounds when it is not necessary Which, 91% of students dropped the /s/ sound at the end of words This sound can be pronounced /z/, /s/, or /iz/ The English consonant /z/ is ignored by 88% of students; 67% of students tend to leave the English consonant /θ/ at the end Besides, the /dʒ/ sound is 55%; The /k/ sound in English accounts for 32%, and the /v/ sound in English at the end of the word accounts for 16%; Similarly, 13% of students omitted the /t/ sound In summary, the omission of these English consonants seems to be related to students’ bad habits and laziness They tend to over pronounce or skip the ending sounds, especially /z/, and/s/ In addition, students who make this type of mistake don't try to correct or create the sound θ v k t dʒ z s
Because of this serious error, students need to be reminded and corrected immediately
In summary, the data presented show that when subjects read words or sentences consisting of those consonants and vowels, all subjects did not seem to produce the sounds appropriate enough for the teacher to perform the practice or beyond that native speakers can understand their accent.
Findings from questionnaire
To learn about the causes of pronunciation mistakes as well as the perception of learners and teachers Two questionnaires were created and given to two research subjects, students and teachers, with the following focuses: students' and teachers' attitudes towards pronunciation; perceptions of students and teachers about pronunciation errors, methods applied to teaching and learning pronunciation
4.2.1 Results collected from questionnaire survey 1: the causes of those mistakes
Figure 6 Students’ attitude towards pronunciation
Only 8% of learners find pronunciation very important Maybe these are good students and they know that good pronunciation will help them speak fluently and help others understand Meanwhile, sadly, 60% don't know if pronunciation is important and 12% think it's not important Therefore, chart 6 shows that students' attitude
Very importantImportantNot very important not important
30 towards English pronunciation is not high This is understandable since the middle school program is more focused on teaching grammar and how to take the tests
* Students’ perceptions of their frequency of pronunciation mistakes
Figure 7 Students’ perception of their frequency of pronunciation mistakes
When the students were asked about the frequency of English pronunciation mistakesd, the majority of students said that they always made mistakes in pronunciation Others think that the frequency they often mispronounce is 20% And the remaining 5% say they only make mistakes from time to time In the end, no student is confident that he has never mispronounced
In summary, from the data, it can be seen that students have a perception of the frequency of their pronunciation mistakes This is quite surprising to the researcher because according to the data in Figure 7, the attitude toward the importance of pronunciation for students is not high Moreover, figure 7 shows that students are interested in their English pronunciation
* Students’ perceptions of the causes of those mistakes
This question is asked to find out the cause of the students' English pronunciation mistakes - this is also the key to solving the problem In this section, the reasons are listed and the student will give their opinion agreeing or disagreeing with these reasons
Figure 8 Students’ perceptions of causes of those mistakes
Causes of mistakes Strongly agree
Disagree a I do not know how to pronounce these sounds (how to use my tongue, mouth etc.;) b I imitate my teachers and friends’ pronunciation c I pronounce the sounds as the way I hear d I think that English sounds and Vietnamese ones are the same e I think I cannot pronounce
English accurately f I’m afraid of my teacher’s feedback g I do not dare to ask my teachers or friends for help h I do not practice much i I do not know whether my pronunciation is good or bad j I do not pay attention to my pronunciation a b c d e f g h i j
From the chart can see, that the number of students who agree that they do not practice pronunciation at home is 76% In addition, 54% agree that they are afraid of teacher feedback or comments This mentality can stem from pressure of grades and fear of being wrong In addition, 48% of students agree with the reason that they do not pay too much attention to pronunciation As explained earlier, the curriculum with the lower secondary levels still places more emphasis on grammar and vocabulary and students have to meet that need
Furthermore, 71% of students agree that they pronounce according to what they hear which reflects students' imitation while learning pronunciation The number of students who disagreed that the sounds in English and Vietnamese were the same was 59% Moreover, 54% of the students agreed with the statement “I do not dare to ask my teachers or friends for help” The teachers are very friendly and always try to help the students as best they can so students can ask the teacher for help with any learning-related problems at any time But with the fear of negative feedback from the teacher, so students will not ask the teacher to help correct mistakes As mentioned above, students pay little attention to their pronunciation, so it is difficult for them to ask their friends
In conclusion, the main reasons leading to students' pronunciation mistakes are their imitation of sounds even when they are mispronounced, laziness in pronunciation practice, fear of direct evaluation from teachers leading to not daring to ask for help from teachers, not caring about their English pronunciation is also one of the causes of English pronunciation mistakes
* Students’ self-treatment to overcome those mistakes
After surveying students about the causes of their mistakes, they were also asked about the methods used to correct pronunciation errors However, due to the lack of emphasis on pronunciation, very few students have ever tried to improve their pronunciation For that reason, the researcher has also listed methods for self- improvement of pronunciation Students can review whether or not they have ever tried the methods
Figure 9: Students’ self-treatment to overcome those mistakes
Methods Never Seldom Sometimes Often Always a Recording and listen your voice b Practicing pronunciation as much as possible c Attending English pronunciation courses d Asking teachers and friends for help e.Learning through apps and watch movies or listen to English songs
Technology has developed so that applications or tools to support English learning become more accessible to students Therefore, for this method, 43% of learners are sometimes applying watching movies or listening to English music, learning through apps to pronunciation practice Besides, learners also often ask
Never Seldom Sometimes Often Always
34 teachers about pronunciation (39%) – this is also a popular method because it is not too difficult and students themselves can learn from each other better and easier In contrast, the method of practicing pronunciation at home is also an easy way to practice, but 56% of learners never do this, 31% rarely do it, and only 3% The rest are aware of learning and practicing pronunciation Compared with self- pronunciation practice, recording requires a support tool And students at the researcher's school don't all have a device of their own to be able to record
4.2.2 Results collected from questionnaire survey 2: teachers’ perceptions on the causes of those mistakes
As mentioned earlier, the teachers participating in the survey all have over 7 years of experience in teaching English Therefore, researchers did not have any doubts about their level of expertise The questionnaire consists of 6 questions:
- Questions 3 are teachers' attitudes towards students' pronunciation mistakes
- Question 5 shows teacher’s perceptions of the causes of those mistakes
- Question 6 describes teacher's methods have been applied in teaching pronunciation
* Teachers' attitudes towards students' pronunciation mistakes
Figure 10 Teacher’s opinion about the importance of pronunciation
It is obvious from Figure 10 that 50% of teachers have the opinion that teaching English pronunciation is important and 30% of them think that English
Very important Important NeutralNot very important Not important
Discussion
Question 1: What common mistakes do students have in pronouncing English sounds?
From the data obtained through the recording, it can be seen that the students' pronunciation errors are: Mispronouncing consonant sounds, Sound confusion, Omission of consonant clusters, and Omission of final sounds For Mispronouncing consonant sounds, the sounds that students make the most mistakes are /θ/, /ð/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/, and /ʃ/ Regarding the Sound confusion error, most students feel confused when distinguishing the sounds /s/-/z/ and /ʒ/- /s/, when reading these sounds without transcription, students will have difficulty recognizing them know the difference between sounds because they can be written as an “s” (e.g vision, cousin, sofa, etc.) On the other hand, the Omission of consonant cluster mistakes is also one of the common pronunciation errors among students when a large number of participating students mispronounce these sounds This is because the sounds in this group are very difficult to pronounce in Vietnamese people Finally, about the error of Omission of final sounds, the mutes that are omitted in this group are all consonants, this error occurs often because in Vietnamese or the spoken language of Vietnamese people do not focus on the final sounds
Question 2: What are the causes of those mistakes?
Figure 5 and Figure 9 and the questionnaire of students and teachers about the causes of pronunciation mistakes, show that students do not actively practice
40 pronunciation exercises at home, when they come to class, there are exercises on this part then they will focus on it Moreover, pronunciation will become more difficult when they do not know the exact pronunciation positions such as not knowing how to place their tongue and lips Many of them also stutter, which makes it difficult to correct pronunciation errors In addition, students will listen and pronounce according to what they hear, so if the instructor makes a mistake, students will also pronounce it wrong On the other hand, students' psychology is that they don't like their teachers to comment on their own mistakes, so when they mispronounce or are not confident in their pronunciation, students will not ask for fear of receiving negative comments
Question 3: What are the teachers’ perceptions on the causes of those mistakes?
The results of figure 8 and figure 9 shows that teachers have a clear understanding of pronunciation errors as well as the causes of pronunciation mistakes of students They also believe that pronunciation also plays an important role in language learning and admit that students make pronunciation mistakes quite often With the reasons given, they strongly agree with the reason that students do not know how to use their lips or tongue to pronounce and the laziness of students is also one of the main reasons for students to make pronunciation mistakes With many years of teaching experience, the teachers are aware of the problems that students face in their subjects to apply methods to improve those problems However, with little time and a number of pronunciation exercises in the book, teachers often have difficulty helping students with pronunciation.
Summary
This chapter is the most important in the study since it supplies the writer with the essential facts and evidence to complete the work First, the recorded audio revealed students' problems with English sounds Following that, they were given a questionnaire to get their feelings about their mispronunciations of certain sounds, as well as their confirmation of the causes, as well as their strategies and teachers' ways for improving their pronunciation Last but not least, interviews were undertaken to address the questionnaire's flaws
4.5 Some suggestions on activities to learn and teach English pronunciation 4.5.1 Recommendations for English teachers
In English, a tongue twister is a statement or series of words that is difficult to pronounce correctly Children enjoy tongue twisters and challenge their pals to repeat them as quickly as possible Tongue twisters are a fun technique for English learners to practice on one or two consonants at a time to perfect their pronunciation Slowly say the tongue twister at first, then try to speed it up Once you've mastered a tongue twister, try saying it again or three times in a succession for a more difficult challenge
Here are some examples for tongue twisters that teachers can apply it in their lesson:
Tongue twister Sounds/words emphasized
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? wood & chuck (means: throw) Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick? p
Can you can a can as a canner can a can? can
Frivolously fanciful Fannie fried fresh fish furiously f
To begin to toboggan first buy a toboggan, but don't buy too big a toboggan Too big a toboggan is too big a toboggan to buy to begin to toboggan b & t
She saw Sharif's shoes on the sofa But was she so sure those were Sharif's shoes she saw? s & sh
Give papa a cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee cup c & p
The chic Sikh's sixty-sixth sheep is sick s & k
A loyal warrior will rarely worry why we rule l & r
A pessimistic pest exists amidst us s & st
Drew Dodd's dad's dog's dead d
Which witch switched the Swiss wristwatches? w, s & ch
She sells seashells by the seashore s & sh
Table 6: Examples of tongue twisters
Minimal pairs are pairs of words that differ in only one sound, with the sound occurring in the same position in each member of the pair; for example, bat vs bet Certain combinations are known to be challenging for certain groups of foreign language learners, depending on their native language Placing such minimal pairs side – by – side in a game situation can raise learners’ awareness of their pronunciation challenges, albeit in a non-threatening context Based on your students' pronunciation issues, make a list of minimal pairs Students should be taught and practiced the target phonemes Students should be paired up Bingo Sheet A is given to one student, while Bingo Sheet B is given to the other Allow students to dictate their words to each other (in pairs) until all pairs have been completed Correct their responses as a group once they've written all of the words on their papers Provide answers to any inquiries that students may have
A minimal pair bingo sheet looks like this:
Sort comparable words into three groups: two with the same sound and one with a distinct (but related) sound Alternatively, you may have four or five groups with the same sound but only one that is distinct
For example: meet, seat, sit (for vowels), plays, pace, space (for consonants)
The odd word can be chosen by a reading exercise in which students read the words aloud to themselves and identify the sounds in the written words, or through a listening exercise in which the teacher reads the words and the students respond to the "odd" word
Similarly, some students could attempt reading the words aloud to see if others can spot the unusual word, or they could work in pairs or small groups, with one person speaking the words and the others identifying which is odd
There are a number of different activities you could run with these groups of words depending on the ages and abilities of your class, and your classroom arrangement
- Ask the students individually to read through the word groups and pick which words have different sounds
- Ask the students to discuss the groups of words with a partner and decide which one is odd
- Divide the class into two teams, in two lines, and ask the person whose turn it is to choose the odd word as you read them out loud
- Make the question part of another game like Tic Tac Toe The team or individual whose turn it is to place an X or an O must first pick the odd one out They proceed with their turn if they choose the right word If they can’t identify the odd word, then they lose their turn
- Play Run and Grab (see below) putting the words on the board and having participants run up to pick the odd word
It's practically hard to tell the difference between some words when someone is truly whispering and not utilizing their voice "Bit" and "Pit" for example We rely on context to fill out the meaning in a social scenario where whispering is used Chinese Whispers is a classroom game in which students transfer a message from one student to the next, preferably without it being altered too much To play Chinese Whispers as a pronunciation game, enable students to talk and instruct them to convey the message further away so that it is not overheard by others
One kid may be standing outside the door when you deliver the message The second student then goes outside to deliver the message The first student returns to the classroom and dismisses the second This continues until all of the students have heard the secret word The final student returns to the classroom to share their interpretation of the message
If the message contains terms from your minimal pairings list, it has most likely modified, possibly multiple times
In short, above are some activities that the researcher selected and found to be appropriate for middle school students In addition, there are many other interesting activities that teachers can apply in teaching pronunciation to students Teachers can find more activities on websites like teachingenglish.org.uk, etc And constantly changing pronunciation teaching activities will help students be more interested in learning this part
A minimal pair is a pair of words that differ only in one sound, usually sounds that confuse English learners, such as the /f/ and /v/ in fan and van, or the /e/ and / in desk and disk It is a great way to fix problems with English pronunciation is to work Those are steps to work with Minimal Pairs:
- Step 1: Choose the correct minimal pair list Listen to your students speak and isolate their problem(s) Once you've isolated the problem, find a list of minimal pairs by googling "minimal pairs /s/ /sh/" for example Here is a minimal pair list for /r/ & /l/ that we can work with as an example: alive arrive light right belly berry play pray fly fry lair rare
For the sake of the student, it's beneficial to choose words that have the target sound in the beginning, middle, and end of the paired words
- Step 2: Teach mouth positioning This can be done in several ways:
opening wide and showing the students how your mouth moves
drawing a mouth on the blackboard and showing the tongue/mouth/lips position
with the hands: using one hand to represent the upper jaw, and the lower hand to represent the tongue
Mirrors can also be useful when teaching pronunciation so students can contrast how they are moving their mouths to how they should
Also, pay attention to whether the sound you are focusing on is voiced (using the vocal chords) or not For example, with the /f/ and /v/ distinction, you should notice that if you place your hand on your throat and say "fa”, there is no vibration However, if you say "va", you can feel the vocal chords moving This means /v/ is a voiced consonant, while /f/ is not If you are teaching a voiced sound, have your students place their hands on their throats so they can feel the movement
- Step 3: Ensure students can distinguish difference in sounds
With the minimal pair list on the blackboard, say one of the words ('arrive' for example) Have your students tell you whether the word you uttered is on the left or right column
- Step 4: Have students practice in pairs
CONCLUSION
Summary
Besides teaching four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, pronunciation is also an important part of learning English Good pronunciation will help learners improve their listening and reading skills Since then, the purpose of this study is to find out the English pronunciation mistakes that students at a secondary school often make as well as to point out the causes to have solutions for these problems Besides, working with teachers to be aware of students' pronunciation errors in this study is also an opportunity to help them learn and explore many different methods of teaching pronunciation to help students enjoy learning English in general and pronunciation in particular
Students at the school suffer from two types of negative deviation in both mid and late positions and negative deviation, according to data obtained from audio tapes and questionnaires The sounds /θ/, /ð/, /dʒ/, / ʒ/, /s/, /z/, /∫/, /t∫/ are commonly mispronounced by students Based on the information gathered, the most common reasons of pronunciation problems are:
- Students do not know how to pronounce using their mouth, tongue, or lips They are unfamiliar with the technique and location of articulation of English consonants
- Students lack confidence in their ability to enunciate English sounds When it comes to learning pronunciation, they are terrified of making mistakes
- Students do not practice pronunciation often
In general, learning a foreign language is a lengthy process that necessitates significant effort on the part of learners in order to be successful and pronounce the language correctly Both teachers and students must be aware of its significance and seek out inventive ways to overcome obstacles and gain information.
Pedagogical implication
Teaching a foreign language is regarded as a difficult work As a result, there are numerous requirements for teachers Because of the differences in sound systems between English and Vietnamese, pronunciation is one of the most difficult aspects of English That is why English pronunciation is becoming more important
This study can be used as a resource for teachers at the researcher's school who are concerned about their students' pronunciation
The first, this study can be used as supplementary material, providing basic information of pronunciation, its significance in language education, and the elements that influence pronunciation learning
The second, the findings of a study on students' common mistakes in pronouncing English, as well as the causes of these mistakes and some potential solutions to improve the situation, are clearly presented so that teachers can have a better knowledge of their learners Moreover, Teachers can read and apply methods that are appropriate for their students and their classrooms
Finally, this study can be used as a primary reference source for English teachers at schools It will help teachers be more aware of students' pronunciation errors and come up with appropriate methods, and other students' problems, they can understand more about what they have and what they must do to improve their pronunciation.
Limitation and suggestion for further research
Although the study was completed on time and the researcher tried to complete it in the most complete way, shortcomings were inevitable
First, the prolonged COVID epidemic, affected the survey of students (because they had to study online)
Due to limited time, the researcher focused on finding common pronunciation errors The number of research subjects is not large (only one-third of the total number of students in the whole school)
Following the completion of this study, I discovered that some limitations remained For starters, the recording scripts lacked sufficient typical examples of words to be used for analysis of the most common errors
Furthermore, during the data analysis, I discovered that all of the subjects made errors not only with the six consonants but also with the clusters of vowels,
53 pitch, intonation, stress, and aspects of connected speech However, due to the scope of the study, the other issues would be addressed in a subsequent study
Moreover, during the data analysis, I discovered that all of the subjects made errors not only with the six consonants but also with the clusters of vowels, pitch, intonation, stress, and aspects of connected speech However, due to the scope of the study, the other issues would be addressed in a subsequent study
The research on students' pronunciation errors in pronouncing English that has been discussed thus far is only one aspect of English And, due to limited knowledge and the length of the study, it cannot be as comprehensive and detailed as expected For example, the number of subjects at Phuc Xuan Secondary School is insufficient to represent the entire student population
As a result, the author wishes to learn more about Vietnamese learners' mistakes in pronouncing other consonants and vowels on the same subjects in the hopes of helping her students improve their English so that they can use it for further study
1 Avery, & Ehrlich (1992) Teaching American English pronunciation Oxford: University Press
2 Avery, P & Susan, E (1912), Teaching American English Pronunciation, OUP
3.Brown, J.D & Rodgers, T.S (2002), Doing Second Language Research, OUP
4 Barbara A H., Brian B (1997) The Status of Final Consonant Clusters in English Syllables: Evidence from Children Journal of Experimental Child Psychology Volume 64, Issue 1, p 119-136 University of New England, New South
5 Cruttenden, A (2001), Gimson’s Pronunciation of English, Arnold
6 Clark E, Paran A (2007) The employability of nonnative-speaker teachers of EFL: A UK survey System 35(4): 407–430
7 Davenport M & Hannahs S.J (1998), Introducing Phonetics & Phonology, Arnold, Great Britain
8 Duley, H.C, Burt, M.K and Krashen, S.D (1982), Language Two, OUP
9 Ellis, R (1997), Second Language Acquisition, OUP
10 Honey P J (1987) Vietnamese speakers In M Swan & B Smith, Learner English : A teacher’s guide to interference and other problems (1st ed., pp 243-
11.Ha Cam Tam, Common pronunciation problems of Vietnamese learners of English
12.Tam Ha Cam (1999), English phonetics and phonology, A course book for students of the English department, Vietnam National University
13.Jacobovists, L.A (1969), A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Second Language
14.Nguyen Tien Dung.(2015), Some common pronunciation problems facing Vietnam learners of English, Ba Ria - Vung Tau University
15 Katamba, F (1996), An Introduction to Phonology, Longman
16.Kelly, G (2000), How to Teach Pronunciation, CUP
17 Kenworthy, J (1987), Teaching English Pronunciation, Longman
18 Nguyen Tien Dung, Some common pronunciation problems facing Vietnam learners of English, Ba Ria- Vung Tau University, 2015
19.Littlewood, W.T (1980), Foreign and Second Language Learning, Cambridge 20.Pham Cam Chi, Errors 1st year students at E.D., HULIS, VNU make with ending sounds and strategies to overcome using communicative teaching
21.Richarchs, Jack C (1992), Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied
22.Rebecca Treiman, The internal structure of the syllable, Kluwer Academic Publisher, 1989
23.Rachael- Anne Knight, Understanding English Variation, Week, 2003
24 Thi Nu, Duong.(2009), Mistake or Vietnamese English, Journal of Science,
VNU https://www.ef.com/wwen/english-resources/tongue-twisters-english/ http://www.eslhq.com/worksheets/preview_worksheet.php?worksheet_id$548 https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/developing-pronunciation-through-songs https://www.englishcurrent.com/pronunciation/pronunciation-lesson-plan-activity- esl/
APENDIX 1: EXERCISES FOR TAPE RECORDING Exercise 1: Read aloud the sounds and the words
Exercise 2: Read aloud the following sentences
1 She sells sea shells on the seashore
2 Look! The goat’s got a fig
3 My teacher’s on a chair and she’s got a sandwich
5 I usually watch television in my free time
6 My sister drives a car to work every day
7 I locked the door before going to the theater
Exercise 3: Listen to a monotalk and write
First, soak some old newspapers in a bucket of water overnight Then use a wooden spoon to mash the paper Next, mix the mashed paper and the water in another bucket Place a wire mesh in the mixture then pull it out Then put the mesh with the mixture on the cloth and press it down firmly Take the mesh off the cloth Wrap some heavy books in a plastic bag and put them on the cloth Wait about 5 minutes Finally, put the books away and take the paper out of the cloth to dry in the sunlight.
APPENDIX 2: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE NO.1 FOR STUDENTS This survey questionnaire is designed to collect the information or data for my
MA study, titled “ An investigation into English pronunciation mistakes by students at a secondary school in Thai Nguyen City.” Your assistance is highly appreciated and the results will be intended solely for this study but not for other purposes
Please answer the questions by putting a tick ()
1.How long have you learn English?
2.How many English periods do you have a week at school?
3 Have you ever attended any pronunciation courses outside your school?
4 How important is pronunciation in your study of English?
5 How often do you make mistakes in English pronunciation?
6 Putting a tick () into the box which is the best of your representative of your answer
Causes of mistakes Strongly agree Agree Neutral Strongly disagree Disagree a I do not know how to pronounce sounds (how to use my tongue, mouth etc.;) b I imitate my teachers and friends’ pronunciation c I pronounce the sounds as the way I hear d I think that English sounds and Vietnamese ones are the same e I think I cannot pronounce English accurately f I’m afraid of my teacher’s feedback g I do not dare to ask my teachers or friends for help h I do not practice much
VII i I do not know whether my pronunciation is good or bad j I do not pay attention to my pronunciation
7 Put a tick () into the box which is the best of your representative of your answer
Methods Never Seldom Sometimes Often Always a Recording and listening your voice b Practicing pronunciation as much as possible c Attending English pronunciation courses d Asking teachers and friends for help e.Learning through apps and watch movies or listen to English songs
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (VIETNAMESE VERSION)
Bảng câu hỏi khảo sát này được thiết kế để thu thập thông tin hoặc dữ liệu cho nghiên cứu Thạc sĩ của tôi, với tiêu đề “Điều tra về lỗi phát âm tiếng Anh của học sinh tại một trường trung học cơ sở ở Thành phố Thái Nguyên” Sự hỗ trợ của bạn được đánh giá cao và kết quả sẽ chỉ dành cho nghiên cứu này mà không dành cho các mục đích khác
Hãy trả lời câu hỏi bằng cách đánh dấu tích ()
1 Em đã học Tiếng Anh đƣợc bao lâu?
2 Em có bao nhiêu tiết Tiếng Anh trong 1 tuần ở trường?
3 Em đã từng tham gia bất kỳ một khóa học Tiếng Anh nào chƣa?
4 Phát âm quan trọng nhƣ thế nào trong việc học tiếng Anh của em?
5 Tần suất em mắc lỗi phát âm tiếng Anh nhƣ thế nào?
6 Đánh dấu (۷) vào ô mà em cho là đúng nhất trong câu trả lời của mình
Nguyên nhân Đồng ý hoàn toàn Đồng ý
Hoàn toàn không đồng ý a Em không biết cách phát âm những âm này (cách sử dụng lưỡi, miệng, v.v.;) b Em bắt chước cách phát âm của giáo viên và bạn bè c Em phát âm những âm thanh như cách em nghe d Em nghĩ rằng âm tiếng Anh và âm tiếng Việt giống nhau e Em nghĩ rằng mình không thể phát âm tiếng Anh chính xác f Em sợ phản hồi của giáo viên của em g Em không dám nhờ thầy cô hay bạn
X bè giúp đỡ h Em không luyện tập nhiều i Em không biết mình phát âm tốt hay không tốt j Em không chú ý đến cách phát âm của mình
7 Đánh dấu () vào ô mà bạn cho là đúng nhất trong câu trả lời của mình
Methods Never Seldom Sometimes Often Always a ghi âm và nghe lại giọng của mình b luyện tập nhiều nhất có thể c tham gia vào các khóa học về phát âm d nhờ thẩy cô và bạn bè giúp đỡ e.học qua ứng dụng, xem phim hoặc nghe nhạc Tiếng
CẢM ƠN EM ĐÃ HỢP TÁC!
APPENDIX 3: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE NO 2 FOR TEACHER
This survey questionnaire is designed to collect the information or data for my MA study, titled “An investigation into English pronunciation mistakes by students at a secondary school in Thai Nguyen City.” Your assistance is highly appreciated and the results will be intended solely for this study but not for other purposes
Decide your answer by putting a tick (v) or circle in your own opinion in blanks
1 How long have you taught English? ………
2 How often have you taught your students pronunciation?
3 What do you think about the importance of English pronunciation in studying English?
A very important in studying English
D not very important in studying English
E not important in studying English
4 How often do your students make mistakes in pronouncing English sounds?
5 Putting a tick () into the box which is the best of your representative of your answer
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree a Students do not know how to use their mouth, tongue, lip to pronounce b English consonants are strange to students c Students pronounce
English consonants in the same way in Vietnamese d Students do not practice
English consonants frequently e Students feel shy to pronounce English consonants f Dialect affects students’ pronunciation
6 Putting a tick () into the box which is the best of your representative of your answer
Methods Always Often Sometimes Seldom Never a Listening and imitating b Phonetic training c Minimal pair drill d Visual aids e Tongue twister f Reading aloud g Playing games