Strategies to correct common errors in pronouncing English final consonant clusters made by second-year English-majored students at Phuong Dong University

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES oo0oo NGUYỄN THỊ HẢI STRATEGIES TO CORRECT COMMON ERRORS IN PRONOUNCING ENGLISH FINAL CONSONANT CLUSTERS MADE BY SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS AT PHUONG DONG UNIVERSITY (NHỮNG CHIẾN LƯỢC SỬA CÁC LỖI THƯỜNG GẶP KHI PHÁT ÂM NHÓM PHỤ ÂM CUỐI TRONG TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ HAI CHUYÊN TIẾNG ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC PHƯƠNG ĐÔNG) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Hanoi – 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES oo0oo -NGUYỄN THỊ HẢI STRATEGIES TO CORRECT COMMON ERRORS IN PRONOUNCING ENGLISH FINAL CONSONANT CLUSTERS MADE BY SECOND-YEAR ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS AT PHUONG DONG UNIVERSITY (NHỮNG CHIẾN LƯỢC SỬA CÁC LỖI THƯỜNG GẶP KHI PHÁT ÂM NHÓM PHỤ ÂM CUỐI TRONG TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ HAI CHUYÊN TIẾNG ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC PHƯƠNG ĐÔNG) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Supervisor: Nguyễn Hoàng Lan, M A Hanoi - 2011 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES, CHARTS vii PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study Aims of the study Scope of the study Method of the study Thesis Design PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 English pronunciation 1.1.1 Standard English Pronunciation 1.1.2 Aspects of English pronunciation 1.1.2.1 Consonant sounds 1.1.2.2 English final consonants and consonant clusters 1.1.2.3 A comparison between English and Vietnamese final consonants.9 1.2 Errors 12 1.2.1 Errors vs Mistakes 12 1.2.2 Pronunciation errors 13 1.2.3 Final consonant clusters errors 13 v 1.3 Error correction 14 1.3.1 Definition and types of error correction 14 1.3.2 Approaches to error correction 16 1.4 Techniques to deal with final clusters 16 CHAPTER 2: AN OVERVIEW OF TEACHING AND LEARNING PRONUNCIATION AT PDU 21 2.1 The syllabus 21 2.2 The learners 22 2.3 The teachers 22 2.4 The teaching and learning conditions 22 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 24 3.1 Research questions 24 3.2 Subjects of the study 24 3.3 Data collection procedure 24 3.4 Data analysis procedure 25 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 26 4.1 Findings from recordings and discussions 26 4.1.1 Overview of the errors with final clusters of 2nd year English-majored students at PDU 26 4.1.2 Details of the errors with final clusters of nd year English-majored students at PDU 27 4.1.2.1 Reduction 27 4.1.2.2 Substitution 30 vi 4.2 Findings from observation and discussions 31 4.3 Comparison of the two findings 33 4.4 Strategies to correct final clusters errors 33 PART 3: CONCLUSION 38 Summary of major findings 38 Limitations and suggestions for further study 38 REFERENCES 40 APPENDIX 1: Checklist for recording I APPENDIX 2: Findings from recordings II APPENDIX 3: Checklist for observation XIX APPENDIX 4: Findings from observation XXVI vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Table of consonant sounds pp 6-7 Table 2: Component of consonant clusters pp 8-9 Table 3: Reduction errors found in the data from recordings pp 27-28 Table 4: Substitution errors found in the data from recordings p 30 Table 5: Errors from students’ reading out loud the 230 errors from recordings p 31 Table 6: Details of errors from observation p 32 LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Types of errors p 26 Chart 2: Comparison of two results from recordings and observation p 33 PART 1: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study English has become an important demand for schooling and job opportunities in the past few years; however, many Vietnamese speakers not have intelligible English pronunciation so as to be easily understood in direct communication with foreigners Learners with serious pronunciation errors will certainly fail in communication Therefore, it is very essential to research learners‟ pronunciation errors, and then to seek out suitable strategies to solve the problems Among many pronunciation errors that learners of English as a second language are likely to make (i.e intonation, stress, ending sounds, etc.), errors with final consonant clusters can be considered serious because “learners‟ inability to produce final consonant clusters can lead to incomprehensibility” (Avery & Erhlich, 1992, p.55) In the same line, CelceMurcia, Brinton & Goodwin (1996) supported that inaccurate pronunciation of consonant clusters can make English language learners‟ speech difficult for native speakers to understand, particularly in cases where the learners use epenthesis to break up clusters or omit a consonant in a cluster (as cited in Arnold, 2009) Serious as it might be, problems with final clusters can be considered as one typical pronunciation error of Vietnamese learners According to an earlier research by the Australian Government publication Asian Language Motes (1978; as cited in Pham, 2009), “initial clusters not cause many problems, but final clusters are found extremely hard for Vietnamese students” Also in an article about common challenges faced by Vietnamese learners, Deshayes (2005, p.6) firmly stated that “English consonant clusters give Vietnamese learners problems not only because they not have these consonant combinations in their own language, but also because they produce a variety of syllable types” Although final clusters errors are very common to Vietnamese learners, it seems that teachers not pay much attention to them Firstly, it is perhaps because the final sounds are not pronounced as clearly as other sounds in an utterance so they are less noticed by both learners and teachers In addition, few researches have been carried out on these particular final clusters errors The latest and most noticeable research on this issue was done by Pham (2009); however, it did not analyze deeply students‟ final clusters errors as well as did not suggest particular strategies for correcting them Being an English teacher at Phuong Dong University (PDU), I realize that many of my students encounter difficulty in pronouncing English final clusters though they are able to produce single consonants accurately For the above reasons, I would like to conduct this research entitled “Strategies to correct errors in pronouncing English final clusters made by second- year English-majored students at PDU” The research hopes to find answers to the following questions:  What are the English final cluster errors that second-year English-majored students at PDU often make?  What are some strategies to correct those errors? Aims of the study The main aim of the study is to analyze final clusters errors in pronunciation of the secondyear students in English Department, PDU, and then to suggest strategies to help teachers deal with students‟ final clusters problems Scope of the study There are many pronunciation errors that Vietnamese students are likely to make However, within the limit of a minor thesis, this study focuses on analyzing the students‟ final clusters errors and proposing the strategies for correcting them This study was implemented for a group of 30 English-major second-year students at Phuong Dong University who are working with the course book “Let‟s talk 2” by Leo Jones (2002) Method of the study 30 English-majored second-year students from class 509701A2 were chosen to participate in this study Recording and observation were two methods used to collect data The data analysis procedure included two steps In the first stage, all the speeches that the students presented in their mid-term oral test were recorded and used for take-home analysis Next, all the errors made by students were counted in terms of types, sounds frequency and seriousness in order to find out a list of common pronunciation errors students make with final clusters At the same time, tapes recorded from students were sent to a group of three English teachers to help analyze and find errors and error frequency After that, the data were converted into tables and charts In the second stage, the results from recording analysis were used to design a checklist for observation process when each student was asked to read the words individually The results collected from observation were then compared with the results from recording analysis to prepare for the next stage where suitable solutions to students‟ pronunciation errors with final clusters were suggested Thesis Design This thesis consists of three parts, namely Introduction, Development and Conclusion Part 1, the Introduction, presents the rationale, the aims, the scope and the method of the study Part is the development with four chapters Chapter (Literature review) introduces some key concepts necessary for understanding this research including Standard English Pronunciation, English final consonants & consonant clusters, Vietnamese final consonants, Errors vs mistakes, Pronunciation errors and Error correction Also, it reviews some previous studies related to the topic Chapter (Setting) gives an overview of English pronunciation teaching and learning context at PDU Chapter (Methodology) demonstrates a clear and detailed plan to collect adequate and reliable data for analysis including the selection of subjects, research instruments, procedures of data collection as well as procedures of data analysis Chapter (Results and Discussions) mainly deals with the findings from the recordings and observation Some discussions about these findings can also be found in this chapter Part 3, the Conclusion, discusses the major findings and limitations of the research as well as provides suggestions for further study XVI Consonant clusters /nd/ /ndz/ /st/ /nt/ /lθ/ /mz/ /st/ Mispronounced words Friend  /fren/ Find  /fai/ Friends  /frens/ Honest  /ɔ nis/ Confident  /kɔ nfɪ də ns/ Health  /hel/ Comes  /kʌ m/ Must  /mʌ s/ Types of errors Reduction Insertion Substitution x x x x x x x x Repetition times 1 1 Speaker 29: Which place you prefer, living in a big city or in the Topic countryside? Give your reasons Length 129 words Percentage of error (%) 7/129 =5.4% Gender Female Consonant clusters /nd/ /st/ /dz/ /nts/ /nt/ /st/ Mispronounced words Attend lack /d/ Best  lack /t/ Goods  /gʊ ds/ Events lack /t/ Department lack /t/ Post  lack /t/ Reduction x x Types of errors Insertion Substitution x x x x Repetition times 1 1 Speaker 30: Topic What is your favorite sport? Give some reasons Length 91 words Percentage of error (%) 5/91 = 5.5% Gender Female Consonant clusters Mispronounced words Types of errors Reduction Insertion Substitution Repetition times XVII /nz/ /lθ/ /ndz/ /lps/ /ld/ Reasons  /rizəns/ Health  lack /θ/ Friends lack /d/ Helps  lack /l/ Build  lack /d/ x x x x x 1 1 XVIII APPENDIX 3: Checklist for observation CHECKLIST FOR OBSERVATION Speakers Consonant clusters /nts/ /nz/ /ld/ /nt/ /mp/ /mz/ /st/ /nd/ /dz/ /nd/ /nt/ /nd/ /nts/ /pt/ /dz/ /st/ /lθ/ /nt/ /nd/ /ld/ /ŋk/ /st/ /ls/ /kt/ /pts/ /ndʒ / /ns/ /ld/ /ʃ t/ /st/ Words Grandparents reasons household want environment camp problems most husband kind weekend kids spend entertainment find Pavements developed crowds first health pleasant friend second build think honest first else affect accepts change since child wished almost lost Types of errors XIX /kt/ /nts/ /nd/ /lp/ /st/ /vz/ /lz/ /ts/ /nt/ /nz/ /nt/ /st/ /nts/ /lf/ /st/ /nd/ /lθ/ /nts/ /mz/ /nd/ /st/ /kst/ /st/ /ndʒ d/ /nt/ /vd/ /kt/ 10 11 /ndz/ /lz/ /lt/ /ft/ /nd/ /nz/ /st/ /nt/ /st/ /nz/ /lps/ react students misunderstand spend help best believes smiles hates intelligent plans convenient fast restaurants yourself cost spend health parents items brand First next used exchanged spent went arrived walked looked islands hills felt Raft returned Fans latest want best reasons helps XX /lθ/ /ks/ /nd/ /nt/ /st/ /lp/ /kt/ 12 13 14 15 16 /lps/ /lθ/ /nd/ /lv/ /st/ /nt/ /ks/ /st/ /nd/ /kst/ /nd/ /kt/ /ŋz/ /nd/ /st/ /kts/ /nts/ /ndz/ /dz/ /st/ /st/ /ndz/ /nd/ /nθs/ /st/ /nt/ /ks/ /st/ 17 /nd/ /kt/ health relax find equipment released last cost help expect respect helps health kind solve Last went six past friend next island shocked things ground cost products restaurants kinds foods waste taste friends friend months interest important makes best first stand fact XXI 18 19 20 21 22 23 /nt/ /nt/ /st/ /nts/ /dz/ /ld/ /nz/ /kst/ /lt/ /st/ /nz/ /zd/ /nts/ /nt/ /gd/ /st/ /nd/ /tʃ t/ /nt/ /st/ /ndz/ /nts/ /lvz/ /ŋk/ /st/ /nz/ /nz/ /nd/ /nts/ /nt/ /dz/ /lt/ /kt/ /lvd/ /bz/ /ŋk/ /st/ /nt/ /st/ /nt/ want extent most parents needs child traditions mixed difficult best fans recognized servants went hugged first happened watched restaurant first friends parents themselves junk waste reasons generations understand arguments different attitudes difficult respect involved jobs think most tourist important impressed confident XXII 24 /lps/ /vz/ /st/ /nt/ /dz/ /ld/ /st// /nd/ /ndʒ / /st/ 25 26 27 /nd/ /st/ /dz/ /fts/ /vz/ /ndz/ /st/ /lm/ /lθ/ /vd/ /nz/ /lps/ /sk/ /ld/ /lt/ /st/ /ndʒ / /st/ /kt/ /ndz/ /nd/ /nd/ 28 29 /ndz/ /st/ /nt/ /lθ/ /mz/ /st/ /nd/ helps gives first important words old best friend change last practised husband most besides gifts relatives friends most film wealth loved fans helps ask world difficult most strange used liked friends around friend find friends honest confident health comes must attend XXIII /st/ /dz/ /nts/ /nt/ /st/ /nz/ /lθ/ /ndz/ /lps/ /ld/ 30 best goods events department post reasons health friends helps build APPENDIX 4: Findings from observation FINDINGS FROM OBSERVATION Speaker Consonant clusters /nts/ /nz/ /ld/ /nt/ Words Grandparents reasons household want environment Reduction Lack /t/ Type of errors Insertion Substitution Insert /ə/ XXIV /mp/ /mz/ /st/ /nd/ /dz/ /nd/ /nt/ /nd/ /nts/ /pt/ /dz/ /st/ /lθ/ /nt/ /nd/ /ld/ /ŋk/ /st/ /ls/ /kt/ /pts/ /ndʒ / /ns/ /ld/ /ʃ t/ /st/ /kt/ /nts/ /nd/ /lp/ /st/ /vz/ /lz/ /ts/ /nt/ camp problems most husband kind weekend kids spend entertainment find pavements developed crowds first health pleasant friend second build think honest first else affect accepts change since child wished almost lost react students misunderstand spend help best believes smiles hates intelligent Insert /ə/ /θ/ = /t/ Insert /ə/ Lack /t/ /dʒ / = /z/ /ʃ / = /s/ Lack /t/ Lack /l/ Lack /l/ XXV /nz/ /nt/ /st/ /nts/ /lf/ /st/ /nd/ /lθ/ /nts/ /mz/ /nd/ /st/ /kst/ /st/ /ndʒ d/ /nt/ /vd/ /kt/ 10 11 /ndz/ /lz/ /lt/ /ft/ /nd/ /nz/ /st/ /nt/ /st/ /nz/ /lps/ /lθ/ /ks/ /nd/ /nt/ /st/ /lp/ 12 /kt/ plans convenient fast restaurants yourself cost spend health parents items brand First next used exchanged spent went arrived walked looked islands hills felt raft returned fans latest want best reasons helps health relax find equipment released last cost help expect respect Lack /t/ Lack /s/ /dʒ / = /z/ Lack /d/ Lack /θ/ XXVI 13 14 15 16 /lps/ /lθ/ /nd/ /lv/ /st/ /nt/ /ks/ /st/ /nd/ /kst/ /nd/ /kt/ /ŋz/ /nd/ /st/ /kts/ /nts/ /ndz/ /dz/ /st/ /st/ /ndz/ /nd/ /nθs/ /st/ /nt/ /ks/ /st/ 17 18 19 /nd/ /kt/ /nt/ /nt/ /st/ /nts/ /dz/ /ld/ /nz/ /kst/ /lt/ /st/ helps health kind solve last went six past friend next island shocked things ground cost products restaurants kinds foods waste taste friends friend months interest important makes best first stand fact want extent most parents needs child traditions mixed difficult best Lack /t/ Lack /t/ Lack /d/ /z/ = /s/ Lack /d/ Lack /θ/ Insert /ə/ Lack /s/ Lack /lt/ XXVII 20 21 22 23 24 25 /nz/ /zd/ /nts/ /nt/ /gd/ /st/ /nd/ /tʃ t/ /nt/ /st/ /ndz/ /nts/ /lvz/ /ŋk/ /st/ /nz/ /nz/ /nd/ /nts/ /nt/ /dz/ /lt/ /kt/ /lvd/ /bz/ /ŋk/ /st/ /nt/ /st/ /nt/ /lps/ /vz/ /st/ /nt/ /dz/ /ld/ /st// /nd/ /ndʒ / /st/ fans recognized servants went hugged first happened watched restaurant first friends parents themselves junk waste reasons generations understand arguments different attitudes difficult respect involved jobs think most tourist important impressed confident helps gives first important words old best friend change last Lack /d/ Lack /t/ Lack /v/ Lack /t/ Lack /d/ Lack /v/ XXVIII 26 27 /nd/ /st/ /dz/ /fts/ /vz/ /ndz/ /st/ /lm/ /lθ/ /vd/ /nz/ /lps/ /sk/ /ld/ /lt/ /st/ /ndʒ / /st/ /kt/ /ndz/ /nd/ /nd/ 28 29 30 /ndz/ /st/ /nt/ /lθ/ /mz/ /st/ /nd/ /st/ /dz/ /nts/ /nt/ /st/ /nz/ /lθ/ /ndz/ /lps/ /ld/ practised husband most besides gifts relatives friends most film wealth loved fans helps ask world difficult most strange used liked friends around friend find friends honest confident health comes must attend best goods events department post reasons health friends helps build Lack /t/ Lack /d/ Lack /l/ /θ/ = /t/ Insert /ə/ Lack /t/ Lack /dʒ / Lack /d/ Lack /n/ Lack /d/ Lack /θ/ Lack /t/ /θ/ =/t/ Lack /d/ Lack /l/ Insert /ə/ XXIX Thank you for evaluating AnyBizSoft PDF Merger! 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