Common errors of english fricatives made by first year english major students at hanoi university

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES **************** KERIM KARA COMMON ERRORS OF ENGLISH FRICATIVES MADE BY FIRST YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY (Các lỗi sai phổ biến việc phát âm phụ âm xát sinh viên năm thứ trường Đại Học Hà Nội) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HA NOI-2014 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES **************** KERIM KARA COMMON ERRORS OF ENGLISH FRICATIVES MADE BY FIRST YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HANOI UNIVERSITY (Các lỗi sai phổ biến việc phát âm phụ âm xát sinh viên năm thứ trường Đại Học Hà Nội) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Huynh Anh Tuan HA NOI-2014 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I here by declare that the research paper titled “Common errors of English fricatives made by Vietnamese learners” my own work and to the best of my knowledge It contains no materials previously published or written by another person Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have studied at Ha Noi University of Language and International Studies or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis Author Name: Kerim Kara Signature: i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I offer my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Huynh Anh Tuan, who has supported me throughout my thesis with his patience and knowledge whilst allowing me the room to work in my own way I attribute the level of my Masters degree to his encouragement and effort and without him this thesis, too, would not have been completed or written One simply could not wish for a better or friendlier supervisor Besides my advisor, I would like to thank to my colleagues Mr Kadir Basaran and Mr.Abdil Karakoc, for their encouragement, insightful comments, and hard questions Last but not the least, I would like to thank my family: my mom Fikriye Kara and my brother Sinan Kara , for supporting me spiritually throughout my life ii ABSTRACT English, being a global language, has penetrated into the education system of almost all countries in the world, including Vietnam, as a compulsory subject at all levels and forms of education This research was conducted to find out difficulties and possible solutions of learning and teaching pronunciation of English fricatives with three interrelated aims The first aim focuses on figuring out errors in the pronunciation of English fricatives commonly made by first- year English majors at Hanoi University whereas the second examines possible causes that may be the contributing factors behind the pronunciation problems the students face Upon achieving the second aim, the researcher hopes further to put forwards viable recommendations with a view to assisting students in their bid to improve their own English pronunciation skills English, previously included the curriculum from the first year of middle school, is now officially taught for children from six years old Foreign language centers are dramatically increasing in number, and English is the most popular foreign language offered for learners Although English has become an important demand for schooling and job opportunities, Vietnamese people cannot pronounce English properly Like some other languages, Vietnamese has phonotactic features that keep native learners from pronouncing English like native speakers iii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: English consonants (Gimson,1989) ……………………… …………… … Table 2: English fricatives ( Raoch,1991) …………………… .………………… … Table 3: Vietnamese consonants ( Trang Ngoc Dung, 2010) ………………… … … 12 Table 4: Vietnamese initial consonants ( Tran Ngoc Dung, 2010) ………………… …13 Table 5: Vietnamese final consonants( Tran Ngoc Dung, 2010)…………………… …13 Table 6: Confusion of fricatives ………………………………………………… … 29 Table 7: Intra-language replacement of English fricatives ……………………… … 31 Table 8: Replaced and replacing consonants …………………………………… … 32 Table 9: Inter-language replacement of English fricatives………………… …… … 34 Table 10: Omission of fricatives………………………………………………… …….35 Table 11: Sound addition in pronouncing English fricatives ………… ……… …… 38 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Vietnamese syllable structure ( Ngo Nhu Binh, 2009)……………… …… 16 Figure 2: Vietnamese syllable structure ( Doan Xuan Kien, 2005)………… … … 16 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS L1: First language of a learner L2: Second language of a language learner NL: Native language TL: Target language RP: Received Pronunciation iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Certificate of Originality ii Acknowledgements ii Abstract……………………………………………………………………… ………iii List of tables iv List of figures iv List of abbreviations iv Table of contents .v PART I: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………… .1 1.1 Background to the study…………………………………………………… …… 1.2 Aims of the study……………………………………………………………… …3 1.3 Research Questions ……………………………………………………… ………3 1.4 Significance and scope of the study…………………………………… …………3 1.5 Organization of the study……………………………………………… …………4 PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I : LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………… …5 2.1.1 Received Pronunciation………………………………………………… ….5 2.1.2 English sound system … ………………………………………………… … 2.1.3 English consonants and classification…………………………………… 2.1.3.1 Place of articulation…………………………………………………… … 2.1.3.2 Manner of articulation ………………………………………………… …7 2.1.3.3 Voicing………………………………………………………………… … 2.1.3.4 Positions of the soft-palate…………………………………………… 2.1.4 English consonants characteristics ……………………………………… …….8 2.1.4.1 The position of English consonant in a syllable ……………………… ……8 2.1.4.2 The distinction of voiced and voiceless consonants ………………… ……9 2.1.4.3 English Fricatives …………………………………………………… ……9 2.1.4.4 Production of labio-dental fricatives /f/ and /v/……………………… 10 v 2.1.4.5 Production of dental fricatives /θ/ and / ð / …………………………… …10 2.1.4.6 Production of alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/ …………………………… ….11 2.1.4.7 Production of palato-alveolar fricatives /ʃ / and / ʒ/ ……………… …… 11 2.1.4.8 Production of glottal fricative /h/ …………………………………… ……12 2.1.5 A phonological contrastive analysis of Vietnamese an English………… ….12 2.1.5.1 A contrastive analysis of Vietnamese and English consonant systems… …12 2.1.5.2 A contrastive analysis of Vietnamese and English syllable structure … ….16 2.1.6 Pronunciation errors …….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….… ….17 2.1.6.1 Errors …….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…………… … 17 2.1.6.2 Errors and mistakes ….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…… … 18 2.1.6.3 Common errors in the pronunciation of English fricatives …….… …… 19 2.1.7 Language transfer….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….… ……20 CHAPTER II: RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGY 22 2.2.1 Introduction ………………………………… ………………… ……… 22 2.2.2 Subjects ………………………………… …………………… …………22 2.2.3 Instrumentations …………………… ………………………… ……….22 2.2.4 Procedures …………………… ……………………………… ……….23 CHAPTER III: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 25 2.3.1 Error classifications ……… …………………………………… ……25 2.3.2 Errors grouped according to sounds ……………………… ………25 2.3.2.1 Errors in list reading … ……………………………………… …25 2.3.2.2 Errors in paragraph reading ……………………………… ……25 2.3.2.3 Errors in speaking …… ………………………………… ……26 2.3.3 Errors grouped according to types ………………………… …… 26 2.3.3.1 Errors in list reading…………………………………… …………26 2.3.3.2 Errors in paragraph reading …………………………… ……… 26 2.3.3.3 Errors in speaking ………………………………………… ……27 2.3.4 Data analysis ………………………………………………… …… 27 2.3.5 Sound replacement ……………………………………… ………….30 vi 2.3.5.1 Intra-language replacement ……………………………… ………31 2.3.5.2 Inter-language replacement ……………………………… ………33 2.3.5.3 Sound omission ………………………………… ………………… 35 2.3.5.4 Sound addition …………………………………… ……………… 37 2.3.6 Possible causes of these pronunciation errors ………… ………… 40 2.3.6.1 Confusing English fricatives ……………………… ………………40 2.3.6.2 Consonants unique to English …………………………… …………41 2.3.6.3 English distinctive syllable structure …………………… …………42 2.3.6.4 Morphological difference between Vietnamese and English ……… …42 2.3.6.5 Learners‟ inflexible organs of speech ……………………………… ….43 PART III: CONCLUSION 44 3.1 Summary of the study ……………………………………………… ……………44 3.1.2 Recommendation…………………… … 44 3.1.3 Recommendations for students …………………… … 46 3.1.4 Recommendations for teachers and students of English 48 3.1.5 Conclusion 49 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………… ………51 APPENDICES ……………………………………………………………… …………I vii PART I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study In the age of deepening global integration, with the steady rise of English as an international language which serves as a gate way to an inexhaustible source of wideranging knowledge and acts as an irreplaceable bridge between nations when it comes to exchange in trade, technology, and politics, it is a necessity, if not to say a must, for all who wish to thrive, to put English under their control However, among the four most essential English skills, namely, listening, speaking, reading, and writing, English speaking in general, and English pronunciation in particular, have always come to the forefront as the foremost challenging aspects of language acquisition (Bjarkman & Hammond, 2008), for two reasons First, speaking is the one stubbornly posing the greatest number of challenges to not only English learners, but also native speakers, due to its complicated pronunciation (Gilbert, 2008) Second, the mastery of English pronunciation, hence, English speaking skills, naturally facilitates the acquisition of the other skills (Zhang, 2009) Good pronunciation, therefore, lays a firm foundation for language acquisition and brings confidence and trustworthiness to non-native English speakers since it is commonly used as the criterion to evaluate language proficiency (Fraser, 2000) Duong Thi Nu (2008) was in agreement with Fraser when she asserted that although Vietnamese English speakers may master extensive vocabulary and grammar, poor pronunciation still prevents them from being understood, creating chronic unintelligibility problems and lowering their credibility and prestige in the eyes of native English speakers English, being a global language, has penetrated into the education system of almost all countries in the world, including Vietnam, as a compulsory subject at all levels and forms of education It is a contradiction but an easily understandable fact that English pronunciation, though serving as a stepping stone for the mastery of the language, may somewhat be intentionally neglected or undervalued by both Vietnamese learners and teachers of English, due to the fact that it presents seemingly insurmountable challenges for those whose native language‟s phonetics is strikingly different from that of English (Gang, 2000) Hanoi University, formerly focusing exclusively on language teaching, provides language learners with a foundation of pronunciation the very start of English pronunciation (Anthony Nguyen, 2007) In addition, pointing out the errors is not the main purpose, the point lies under the fact that students should not idealize and try to imitate unconsciously native speakers‟ pronunciation in general and English pronunciation in particular since, as (Hoang Thi Quynh Hoa, 1965) pointed out, it is only when language learners internalize thepronunciation in the target that correct pronunciation could be achieved In other words, having right attitude determines to a great extent the outcome of language teaching and learning (Fraser, 2000) Thus, besides grammars and vocabulary, it is essential that the task of teaching and learning English pronunciation should be taken by both teachers and students in a serious manners and attached due attention (Duong Thi Nu, 2008) In addition to time devoted to preparation of teaching materials and mere practicing of pronunciation, contributive though outright feedbacks are of critical needs in language learning environment According to Ha Cam Tam (2005), Vietnamese people are generally reserved in giving and accepting comments This, however, may represent the factor inhibiting students‟ awareness of errors and works against the improvement of their pronunciation It is therefore highly important that right attitude regarding feedback and constructive criticism be mutually held among teachers and students, thereby, further improving students‟ pronunciation skills in particular, and language competence in general 3.1.5 Conclusion In conclusion, through this paper, errors related to the pronunciation of English fricatives commonly made by first year English students at Hanoi University, possible causes behind these errors as well as suggestive measures are centered on It has been found out by the study that in the pronunciation of English fricatives, students generally commit four types of errors, namely, sound confusion, sound replacement, sound omission, and sound addition, among which, sound replacement and sound omission appear overwhelming However, the number and patterns of errors depend also on the position of fricatives in a syllable and the context in which the sound occur Specifically, higher number of errors and more varying types of errors are recorded in students‟ pronunciation of investigated consonants when these sounds are put into connected speech than when they stand in words read individually The findings necessitate the 49 introduction of Phonetics and phonology subjects to students from the first year instead of in third-year as currently set Furthermore, English speaking represents quite a big hurdle to students in their first year at university, reflected in students‟ repetitive and severe errors in pronouncing English fricatives on being asked to speak naturally about one chosen topic It is therefore highly needed that students are exposed to more frequent real speaking during the course of learning English From analyzing the errors, it can be also concluded that mother tongue influence plays a part in students‟ low competence in English pronunciation Mother tongue influence or language transfer, both in terms of transfer to somewhere and transfer to nowhere, was also proved to be one among major sources of errors commonly made by students Thus, this paper calls for an integration of contrastive analysis and phonetics and phonology subjects into the process of teaching and learning English pronunciation so that potential language transfer could be better minimized Due to the limitation of the number of subjects and the phonemes dealt with in this study, the findings might not applicable to larger populations of students Thus, to obtain a more accurate and representative result, further studies with a larger number of corpuses are encouraged In addition, besides pronunciation of individual sounds, other aspect of pronunciation such as linking, intonation and stress are of crucial importance if learners‟ mastery of pronunciation in general is to be achieved (Nguyen Thi Phuc Hoa, 1999) Thus, it is 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Please read aloud the word lists below (column by column) Thorough Sixths Death Therefore Together Bathe Vacation Wavering Survive Familiar Afternoon Enough Honey Usually Garage Student Asking Discuss Zero Puzzling Advertise Shaking Establishing English Recommendations Family‟s Commitments Deserves Ahead Staffs I APPENDIX II PARAGRAPH READING Please read out-loud the following text A thorough investigation has been conducted to find out the reason for the puzzling case of a student‟s tentatively declared death which occurred in his vacation to the familiar honeymoon beach The student was reported to be majored in English and to be the one who usually contributed recommendations as to how his university can better advertise itself to the public and make its commitments to establishing a college with best-ever graduates stay firmly in the mind of its staffs He, therefore, may have a great deal of unwanted rivals who often sit together in the afternoon to point out his shortcomings and discuss whether he deserves to rank among the sixths of the faculty In the accident, he and some of his friends are said to bathe near the coast where sharks may visit with zero-protection The student was considered to be unrivaled when it comes to swimming One of the things questionable about his death was that after wavering and smiling to his fellows he suddenly disappeared, leaving all who survive the accidents shaking in fear and sorrow The police are now asking the people leaving around the beach as to whether they spotted any signs of sharks in the days following the accident One assumption has been put forward, guessing that he could have been swiftly swallowed by a shark Others, however, believe that it is the pressure imposed by his loved ones and the intense relationship with some of his classmates that led him to end his own life His family‟s moves are now closely supervised by the police and a camera has been placed in the garage ahead of his house with a view to finding out the answer for the case II APPENDIX III QUESTIONNAIRE (Please answer all of the following questions by circling your choice, more than one choice is accepted) What are the sounds that are most difficult for you to pronounce in isolation? A Dental fricative /θ/ B Dental fricative // C Palato-alveolar fricative /ʃ/ D Palato-alveolar fricative /ʒ/ E Labio-dental fricative /f/ F Labio-dental fricative /v/ G Alveolar fricative /s/ H Aveolar fricative /z/ I Glottal fricative /h/ K No sounds What are the sounds that are most difficult for you to pronounce in connected speech other sounds in a word, and in what position? A Dental fricative /θ/  Word initial  Word medial III  Word final B Dental fricative / /  Word initial  Word medial  Word final C Palato-alveolar fricative /ʃ/  Word initial  Word medial  Word final D Palato-alveolar fricative /ʒ/  Word medial  Word final E Labio-dental fricative /f/  Word initial  Word medial  Word final F Labio-dental fricative /v/  Word initial  Word medial  Word final IV G Alveolar fricative /s/  Word initial  Word medial  Word final H Alveolar fricative /z/  Word initial  Word medial  Word final I Glottal fricative /h/  Word initial  Word medial K No sounds (turn to question and 5) Regarding specifically the pronunciation of the above-mentioned sounds, what will you when you encounter difficulty while pronouncing them clusters or word final position? A Omit them B Link them with the following sound C Add the schwa /ə/ so that the sound is more easily pronounced D Replace them with the sound similar to the following sound In connected speech, to make the speech fluent, what will you when the final sound of the preceding word has starkly different place of articulation with the initial sound of the following word? V A Use assimilation which is introduced in the pronunciation subject B Leave out the final sound of the preceding word C Try to pronounce both correctly, but make the preceding sound shorter D Add the schwa /ə/ to make it easier to move to the following word Rate your level of confidence in your ability to recognize the above-mentioned sounds in speech A Very low B Low C Average D Quite high E Very high Rate your level of confidence in the pronunciation of English fricatives A Very low B Low C Average D Quite high E Very high VI APPENDIX IV SPEAKING The recordings are collected with a view to helping the researcher complete the study and find out the problems in the pronunciation of English fricatives facing 1st -year English major students at Hanoi University Your cooperation is highly appreciated Please select out of the following 10 topics to talk about in about minutes Describe a picture Talk about yourself Talk about a market Talk about your fashion Talk about Hanoi Talk about your dreamed holiday Talk about your dream Change the detail of the picture Talk about a hero you like 10 Talk about health and accident VII ... questions of this study were formulated as follows: What are the errors commonly made by first year English majors at Hanoi University in their pronunciation of English fricatives? What are the... figure out the common errors committed by first- year English majors at Hanoi University in the pronunciation of English fricatives, examine possible causes of these errors, as well as offer some... NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES **************** KERIM KARA COMMON ERRORS OF ENGLISH FRICATIVES MADE BY FIRST YEAR