A study on modification of English final sounds in connected speech – problems faced by the high school students and solutions

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES - TRỊNH PHƢƠNG THẢO A STUDY ON MODIFICATION OF ENGLISH FINAL SOUNDS IN CONNECTED SPEECH – PROBLEMS FACED BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND SOLUTIONS (Nghiên cứu biến thể âm cuối Tiếng Anh lời nói liên kết – vấn đề mà học sinh trung học phổ thông đối mặt cách giải quyết) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI – 2016 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES - TRỊNH PHƢƠNG THẢO A STUDY ON MODIFICATION OF ENGLISH FINAL SOUNDS IN CONNECTED SPEECH – PROBLEMS FACED BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND SOLUTIONS (Nghiên cứu biến thể âm cuối Tiếng Anh lời nói liên kết – vấn đề mà học sinh trung học phổ thông đối mặt cách giải quyết) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Dƣơng Thị Nụ HANOI – 2016 DECLARATION I, Trinh Phuong Thao, certify that this thesis is the result of my own research and the substance of the research has not been submitted for degree to any other university or institution Hanoi, 2016 Trịnh Phƣơng Thảo i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For the completion of this thesis, I have received great assistance and support from many people without whom the work could not have been fulfilled First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and my profound appreciation to my supervisor, Dr Duong Thi Nu, from Vietnam National University, Hanoi - University of Languages and International Studies for her guidance, precious suggestions, invaluable critical feedback and encouragement in the process of completing this thesis I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Dr Huynh Anh Tuan, The Head of Faculty of Post Graduate Studies and all his staff members who have been of great help My great thanks go to all the lecturers of Faculty of Post Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their interesting lectures and suggestions for the topic of my study Thanks are also due to my students at grade 11 in Hermann Gmeiner High School, Hai Phong for their assistance and cooperation in completing the questionnaires Last but not least, I would like to give my deepest gratitude to my parents and my friends for their moral support and encouragement throughout my training course The study still has limitations, therefore recommendations would be warmly welcomed ii all the suggestions and ABSTRACT Connected speech is the area on which little research has been done and is not taught in high school English education in Vietnam Yet teaching connected speech is essential for listening comprehension as well as pronunciation The researcher realized Vietnamese students deal with a lot of difficulties caused by modification of final sounds in connected speech Therefore, the purpose of this study is to present an overview of connected speech, especially the modification of final sounds such as linking, assimilation and elision, to find out the problems in listening to connected speech and give some suggestion in teaching and learning The study has been conducted in the area of listening skill It focuses on the attitudes towards the learning listening and the difficulties in teaching and learning listening to connected speech of the students of grade 11 in Hermann Gmeiner High School, Hai Phong It is hoped that this thesis will make contribution to solve some of the existing problems of inadequate listening competence of the students in Hermann Gmeiner High School iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS vi INTRODUCTION I Rationale II Aims of the study III Research questions IV Scope of the study V Significance VI Methods of the study VII Design of the study DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Definition of connected speech 1.2 Aspects of modification final sounds in connected speech 1.2.1 Linking 1.2.2 Assimilation 1.2.3 Elision 1.3 The connection between pronunciation and listening 1.4 Connected speech and problems for listening comprehension 10 1.5 Some previous suggestions 11 CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY 13 2.1 The context of the study 13 2.2 Subjects 14 2.2.1 Teachers 14 2.2.2 Students 14 2.3 Instruments 14 iv 2.3.1 Listening test 14 2.3.2 Questionnaires 15 2.3.3 Classroom observation 16 2.4 Data collection procedures 16 2.5 Data analysis 16 CHAPTER III: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS 17 3.1 Results from the questionnaire for the teachers and the students 17 3.1.1 Teachers and students‟ attitude toward teaching and learning connected speech 17 3.1.2 Connected speech difficulties perceived by students 20 3.1.3 Connected speech difficulties perceived by teachers 22 3.1.4 The methods in teaching listening sounds in connected speech 23 3.2 Results from listening test 24 3.3 Results from classroom observation 26 CHAPTER IV: DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION 28 4.1 Discussion 28 4.1.1 The problems that the grade 11-students at Hermann Gmeiner school may face when listening to the modifications in connected speech 28 4.1.2 The causes of these problems 29 4.2 Recommendation .31 4.2.1 To the teachers 31 4.2.2 To the students 36 CONCLUSION 37 Recapitulation 37 Limitations and recommendations for further study 38 REFERENCES 39 APPENDIXS……………………………………………………………………… I v LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS List of tables Table 1: The problems in listening to connected speech Table 2: The reasons causing difficulties in listening to connected speech Table 3: The major challenges in teaching listening to connected speech Table 4: The activities and techniques in teaching connected speech List of charts Chart 1: The roles of teaching and learning modification in connected speech Chart 2: The students‟ knowledge about connecting sounds Chart 3: The frequency of teaching and being taught connecting sounds Chart 4: The frequency of connected speech correction Chart 5: The situation of practicing listening to connecting sounds Chart 6: The students‟ percentage of correct answers in total Chart 7: Students‟ wrong answers on each task vi INTRODUCTION I Rationale 1.1 Theoretical rationale In contemporary life, English is becoming more and more common as an international language in many fields such as trade, education, media, science and so on English is a useful tool to get access to the world knowledge and success in life To many Vietnamese learners, learning English is very difficult because of many differences between this language and Vietnamese Pronunciation is considered one of the biggest challenges because it may lead to misunderstandings of listeners and sometimes bring unexpected effects or even communication breakdown Speech in every language is defined by a large variety of pronunciation features that work together to create its specific sound English is usually described as a very melodic, singsong language It is characterized by a continuous rhythmic stream of sound with frequent interaction between stressed and unstressed syllables and sound adjustments at word boundaries Although individual sounds are important, when speaking English naturally, the sounds blend together, some words flow together forming a continuous stream of speech Final sounds are joined with initial sounds of following words to produce connected speech This is essential for speaking English fluently and communicating efficiently, but this is also a big problem for the learners, especially when listening to natural language 1.2 Practical rationale In high school English education in Vietnam, connected speech is not taught systematically in any lessons of any English textbooks However, the role of connected speech is very important for not only pronunciation but also listening comprehension Unfortunately, in Vietnam, this feature seem to be rather neglected by teachers of English and only advanced learners are capable of producing good connected speech As an English teacher working at Hermann Gmeiner high school, the author also sees the similar present situation of pronunciation teaching and listening teaching The researcher finds many problems concerning connected speech that the students face in listening The students not recognize words they know while listening Some learners identify the wrong words that they are listening to The modification of ending sounds in connected speech may be one of the main factors preventing the learners from listening comprehension For all reasons above, I find it essential to choose this topic for study Hopefully, the research will find out the problems that the students face in listening connected speech and recommend some strategies to help the students and teachers at Hermann Gmeiner high school overcome the difficulties II Aims of the study The main aim of the study is to improve students‟ ability in listening English with modification of ending sounds in connected speech The study is to achieve these objectives:  Finding out the problems in connected speech that grade 11-students at Herman Gmeiner high school may face in listening comprehension  Explaining the reasons of these problems and suggesting some solutions III Research questions The above – mentioned objectives can be elaborated into the following research questions:  What are the problems about the modification of final sounds in connected speech that grade 11-students at Hermann Gmeiner may face when listening?  What are the causes of those problems? IV Scope of the study The study is implemented among grade-11 students at Hermann Gmeiner high school in Hai Phong The author mainly focuses on studying some students‟ problems in listening when they face the modification of ending sounds in connected speech and suggests some solutions for them V Significance The result of the study will hopefully be of great significance in giving some solutions and strategies to help high school students improve their speaking and It is a good idea to try and integrate work on connected speech into everyday lessons When studying grammar for example, not focus solely on the form of the words, draw attention to the way they are pronounced in natural conversation Superlatives, for example, provide practice of sound deletions You could write a few phrases on the board: - The Nile is the longest river in the world - The Vatican is the smallest country in the world The students listen to the sounds while you repeat the phrases a few times and see if they can spot the disappearance of the "t" on the superlative adjective They drill the phrases, chorally and individually Students might like to write their own general knowledge quiz, using questions such as, "Which is the tallest building in the world?" As they read their questions, make sure they elide the final "t" Such exercises provide practice of both grammatical form and pronunciation, and the repetition helps students to begin using these features of connected speech in a natural manner d Song Lyrics English verbal songs have statistically significant positive effects on the connected speech aspects of adult English learners‟ speech production Murphey (2010) argues that listening to songs and singing them improves listening and speaking skills Moreno et al (2009) found that “musical training influences linguistic abilities” (p.720) and using music and songs were more apt to facilitate the process of listening comprehension than the ordinary teaching of this skill According to Arnold (1999), “we learn better that which attracts our attention, and emotion automatically makes us pay attention.” This is what exercising songs in a language-learning program Songs, and especially the chorus, provide real and 'catchy' examples of how whole phrases are pronounced often to the extent that students find it difficult to pick out individual words The music further emphasizes the 'flow' of the words Songs, like other spoken texts, are full of contractions Students can be keen to reproduce this, in order to sing the song as they hear it However, not all songs are suitable with the learners, we should try to choose songs 35 that are clear (use quality recordings where possible), not too fast, memorable, likely to appeal to our learners (possibly songs they already know) and easy to create activities for students Here are several features that make the songs excellent for classroom use: - It is efficient The songs focuses in on features of connected speech not take up time with extended song lyrics that not relate directly to the teaching point - It is repetitive in a good way Because each song is played several times, students have several opportunities to notice phenomena, and they receive reinforcement I especially like that the last repetition of each song is slowed down, which makes it easier to hear the linking 4.2.2 To the students In English, there is an idiom, “Practice makes perfect” Hence, those who would like to master English language have to practice English as much as possible With the teachers‟ instruction in class, students can start to identify and get used to connected speech when they are practicing at home They should listen to as much English as possible at home, whether it be movies, podcasts, songs or just the news When they don‟t quite get what someone is saying, the teachers advise them to pause it and listen back until they have figured out exactly what has been said This kind of active listening is far more beneficial than passively listening to songs or the TV Moreover, the students only need use 10 minutes every day to practice pronouncing, both individual sounds, words and connecting sounds They should practice in the early morning after getting up Also, students can find the more interesting ways to practice pronouncing such as watch video clips which teach how to speak English more natural or play the games relating to connected speech on Internet The combination of pictures and sounds can help students learn easier 36 CONCLUSION Recapitulation The modification of final sounds in connected speech causes many difficulties for both students and teachers toward listening English To find out the problems about connected speech that students face in listening and give some useful suggestions to them, this study was conducted After the researcher carried out the survey questionnaire, the listening test and class observation, the results showed that modification in connected speech is a rather problematic area of English teaching and learning The learners‟ unfamiliarity with connected sounds in English is one of major sources of difficulties in their listening comprehension as well as in their pronunciation skills That the sounds are modified in connected speech with fast speaking speed caused many problems such as linking, elision and assimilation that make the students misunderstand the words, not catch all of words or sounds or not indentify words These challenges have resulted from the problems in teaching and learning connected speech The teacher admitted a lack of theoretical knowledge in this field while none of the lessons in textbook is designed to teach connected speech, so most of the teachers ignored it when teaching In addition, the teachers have not created natural English environment for students when they often used Vietnamese in class The students did not understand how the sounds they expect change or disappear in connected speech while the mother tongue influences a lot to the ways they hear or speak This study can have implications for the researchers interested in the effect of speed modification on listening comprehension and word identification First, the learners should be taught what is happening in natural speech It‟s practical or useful to teach the modifications that occur in native speech to the extent that the learners can produce them The teachers need to provide an overview of connected speech in English systematically so that the students will be able to recognize what hinders their listening comprehension Secondly, the findings of this research may warn teachers to be concerned about their speaking in the classrooms and may prompt them to adopt a mode of speaking similar to that of 37 native speakers of English They should try not to articulate and enunciate words and more importantly they should adhere to the conventions of connected speech Thirdly, making the students familiar with the features of connected speech through exposure to oral English from the beginning of listening activity is of utmost importance Students should practice speaking with moderate fast speed and should not separate the sounds from each other The study is hoped to help teachers appreciate the importance of teaching connected speech, then change their teaching style and improve awareness, methods and techniques in teaching Limitations and recommendations for further study In any research papers, limitations are unavoidable The study presented in this minor thesis is of no exception Firstly, listening is one of the four basic skills in teaching and learning English, but up till now this study only improves listening skill for the students Toward the modifications in connected speech, it is better to notice speaking skill which helps students practice a lot Moreover, in the survey test, the researcher should have added the questions that can check speaking and pronouncing connecting sounds in order to find more problems caused by connected speech If someone else studies connected speech in the future, the author hopes that he or she will analyze in more detailed the errors made by the informants and recommend more effective ways to help students at High Schools to improve their ability of English language communication in general and of listening in particular 38 REFERENCES Avery, P & Ehrlich, S (1992) Teaching American English pronunciation Oxford University Press, Oxford Baker, A (2012), Ship or sheep? An intermediate pronunciation course (3rd ed.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Brown, J.D (2012), New Ways in teaching connected speech, TESOL International Association Celce-Murcia, M (1996), Teaching Pronunciation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Chen, S.W (2002), “Problems in listening comprehension for learners of EFL”, Studies in English Language and Literature, 10, 57-70 Connor, J.D.O‟ (1980), Better English Pronunciation (2nd ed.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Crystal, D (2008), A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics (6th ed.), Blackwell Publishing, Oxford Dale, P., & Poms, L (1999), English pronunciation for International Students, Prentice Hall Regents, NJ Erbanova, P (2014), Aspect of connected speech in English: Assessing Students‟ progress after Pronunciation Training Retrieved from https://is.muni.cz/th/262661/ff_m/Master_s_thesis.pdf 10 Field, J (2008), Listening in the language classroom, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 11 Giegerich, H.J (1992), An Introduction to English Phonology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 12 Gilbert, J B (2008), Teaching pronunciation: Using the prosody pyramid, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 13 Goh, C.C.M (2000), “A cognitive perspective on listening comprehension problems”, System, 28, 55-75 14 Hancock, M (2000), English Pronunciation In Use Elementary, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 39 15 Hancock, M (2012), English Pronunciation In Use Intermediate, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 16 Hancock, M (1995), Pronunciation Games, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 17 Hasan, A.(2000), “Learners‟ perceptions of listening comprehension problems Language”, Culture and Curriculum,13 (2),137-152 18 Henrichsen, L E (1984), “Sandhi-variation: A filter of input for learners of ESL”, Language Learning, 34, 103-126 19 Ito, Y (2006a), “The comprehension of English reduced forms by second language learners and its effect on input-intake process”, Perspectives on teaching connected speech to second language speakers, pp 67-81, University of Hawaii, National Foreign Language Resource Center 20 Jenkins, J (2000), The Phonology of English as an International Language, Oxford University Press, Oxford 21 Kelly, G (2003), How to teach pronunciation, Pearson Education Limited, Edinburgh 22 Khatib, M., & Reza, M (2010), “The Effect of Modified Speech on Listening to Authentic Speech”, Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 1(5), pp.285263 23 Lane, L (1993), Focus on pronunciation: principles and practice for effective communication, Longman, London 24 Martin, J (2008), “Connected Speech”, The Handbook of Clinical Linguistics, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford 25 Marks, J (1999), “Is stress-timing real?” ELT Journal, 53(3), 191-199 26 Matsuzawa, T (2006), “Comprehension of English reduced forms by Japanese business people and the effectiveness of instruction”, Perspectives on teaching connected speech to second language speakers , pp 59-66, University of Hawaii, National Foreign Language Resource Center 40 27 Moreno, S., Marques, C., Santos, A., Santos, M., Castro, S., &Besson, M (2009), “Musical training influences linguistic abilities in 8-year-old children: more evidence for brain plasticity”, Cerebral Cortex, 19(3), 712-723 28 Norris, R.W (1995), “Teaching reduced forms: Putting the horse before the cart.” English Teaching Forum, 33, 47-50 29 Roach, P (2000), English Phonetics and Phonology (2nd ed.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 30 Herwings, M (2004), Pronunciation Practice Activities: A resource book for teaching English pronunciation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 31 Underwood, M (1989), Teaching listening, Longman, London 41 APPENDIX A QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This questionnaire is conducted with a view to finding out difficulties in listening to modifications in connected speech by grade 11 students at Hermann Gmeiner high school Your completion of this questionnaire is highly appreciated The data collected are used in the research only, not for any other purposes Thank you for your cooperation! How important is connecting sounds in a phrase or a sentence? a Not important b Neutral c Important How much you know about how to connect sounds in a phrase or a sentence? a Know clearly b Know a little c Know nothing At school, how often are you taught about connecting sounds when reading, speaking or listening to a phrase or a sentence? a Often b Sometimes c Rarely d Never How often your teachers correct the mistakes in connecting sounds in a phrase or a sentence? a Often b Sometimes c Rarely d Never How often you pay attention to connecting sounds in a phrase or a sentence when reading, speaking or listening? a Often b Sometimes c Rarely d Never After studying in class, How often you practice listening skill yourself? a Often b Sometimes c Rarely I d Never 7.What problems you have when listening to a phrase, a sentence or a connected speech? Agree Disagree Don‟t know f Find it difficult to recognize words g Cannot understand what the speaker says h Don‟t catch all words in a phrase or a sentence i Don‟t know the words you hear j Other problems (please specify): …………………………………………… What are the reasons for the difficulties in listening, especially listening to a phrase, a sentence or a connected speech? Reasons Agree Disagree Don‟t know a I not know how to connect sounds in a connected speech b When learning in class, my teachers rarely explain or talk about connecting sounds c I not practice listening at home d I get some class problems (facilities, class size, students‟ ability…) e Other reasons (please specify): II APPENDIX B QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (Version in Vietnamese) Bản khảo sát tiến hành nhằm mục đích tìm hiểu khó khăn gây nghe sự biến thể chuỗi lời nói học sinh lớp 11 trường THPT Hermann Gmeiner Câu trả lời em đóng góp to lớn nghiên cứu Các kết thu được sử dụng cho nghiên cứu này, khơng có mục đích khác Xin cảm ơn hợp tác em! Theo em, phát âm, việc liên kết âm cụm từ câu có quan trọng khơng? a Khơng quan trọng b Bình thường c Quan trọng Em có biết nguyên tắc liên kết âm cụm từ hay câu không? a Biết rõ b Biết chút c Khơng biết Ở trường, em thường giảng dạy cách liên kết âm đọc, nói nghe cụm từ hay câu nào? a Thường xuyên b Thỉnh thoảng c Hiếm d Không Giáo viên có thường ý chỉnh sửa lỗi liên kết âm cho em không? b Thường xuyên b Thỉnh thoảng c Hiếm d Không Các em có thường xuyên ý đến việc liên kết âm cụm từ, câu đọc, nói nghe Tiếng Anh khơng? c Thường xuyên b Thỉnh thoảng c Hiếm d Khơng Ngồi học lớp, em có thường xuyên tự luyện tập kỹ Nghe? d Thường xuyên b Thỉnh thoảng c Hiếm III d Không Em thường gặp phải vấn đề nghe chuỗi từ, cụm từ câu? (Đánh dấu vào vấn đề em gặp phải) Đồng ý Khơng Khơng đồng ý biết a Khó nhận biết từ b Khơng thể hiểu người nói nói c Khơng nghe đủ tất từ cụm câu d Không biết từ nghe thấy e Vấn đề khác: …………………………………………… Với em, lý gây khó khăn việc học Nghe, đặc biệt Nghe chuỗi từ, cụm từ, câu gì? (Đánh dấu vào lý em gặp phải) Đồng ý a Em âm chuỗi lời nói liên kết với b Trên lớp học, giáo viên giải thích đề cập đến việc liên kết âm c Em không luyện tập kỹ Nghe nhà d Em gặp số vấn đề lớp học như: trang thiết bị thiếu thốn chất lượng kém, lớp đông, khả học sinh không đồng e Lý khác IV Không Không đồng ý biết APPENDIX C QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS This questionnaire is designed to collect necessary data for my study on “A study on modification of English final sounds in connected speech - problems faced by the high school students and solutions.” Your cooperation in answering the following questions is highly appreciated I am looking forward to getting sincere answers from you! Thank you for your cooperation! How important you think teaching modification in connected speech is? a Important b Neutral c Very important How often you teach your students the modification of final sounds in connected speech? a Often b Sometimes c Rarely d Never How often you correct your students’ mistakes when reading, speaking or listening to connected speech? a Often b Sometimes c Rarely d Never V What are the major challenges for you when teaching Listening, especially listening to modification of final sounds in connected speech? g Lack of necessary facilities: cassette-player, video, TV projectors, computers and so on h Bad qualities of class equipment i Large class size j Students‟ lack of motivation k Time limitation l Teacher‟s teaching methods and techniques m Teachers‟ knowledge and abilities in connected speech n Boring tasks o Others (please specify):…………………………… Tick activities and techniques think are good for teaching listening sounds in connected speech k Design the detailed lessons to explain the rule of modifications in connected speech (the rule of assimilation, linking, elision) l Explain the rule of modifications in connected speech in the recording m Have the students practice speaking and pronouncing sounds in the guided conversation or passage n Use more natural listening conversations or talks o Have students watch the videos that describe how to connect sounds in connected speech p Provide a model for learners to listen and repeat q Apply song lyrics r Let students listen and role -play s Use poetry, rhyme and chant t Others (please specify): ……………… VI APPENDIX D LISTENING TEST Task 1: Listen and choose the sentences you hear He has the ball He has a ball A It snow good B It‟s no good A We stop choosing the typewriter when we got the computer B We stopped using the typewriter when we got the computer A It‟s a quarter to eight already B It‟s a quarter to wait already A He has hair over the ears B He has hair over the years A Her eyes are a strange colour B Her rises are a strange colour Task 2: Listen Select missing word I………classes this morning a torch b talk c taught The …………came up over the mountain a sun b sung c sum I can …………….Carol at tennis a beach b beak c beat Is this the ………… you bought? a couch b coat c coke They …………… people out of money a cheek b cheap c cheat VII Task 3: Listen and fill a missing word in each blank He made this jar …… jam himself Get some pasta ………… rice She ………… like she owns the place When we …………… Paris, we ………………for lunch Can you ……… the …………….tonight? I broke …… watch She is a …… nurse He sits …………… to me in the cinema VIII