English intonation errors made by third year students at english department, chu van an university

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES -  - PHAN THỊ NGỌC ANH ENGLISH INTONATION: ERRORS MADE BY THIRD YEAR STUDENTS AT ENGLISH DEPARTMENT, CHU VAN AN UNIVERSITY MA Combined Programmed Thesis Hanoi, 2012 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES -  - PHAN THỊ NGỌC ANH ENGLISH INTONATION: ERRORS MADE BY THIRD YEAR STUDENTS AT ENGLISH DEPARTMENT, CHU VAN AN UNIVERSITY (Ngữ Điệu Tiếng Anh: Những Lỗi Thường Gặp Của Sinh Viên Năm Thứ Ba, Khoa Tiếng Anh, Trường Đại Học Chu Văn An) MA Combined Programmed Thesis : English Linguistics Field : 60.22.15 Code Supervisor : Assoc Prof Dr VÕ ĐẠI QUANG Hanoi, 2012 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i ABSTRACT ii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iii LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF CHARTS ix ABBREVIATION AND SYMBOLS IN THE STUDY x PART A INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study Scope of the study Aims and objectives of the study 3.1 Aims of the study 3.2 Objectives of the study Research Questions Significance of the study Design of the study PART B DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Previous works related to the topic of the study 1.2 English intonation 1.2.1 Definitions of intonation 1.2.2 Systems of intonation 1.2.2.1 Tonality 1.2.2.2 Tonicity 1.2.2.3 Tone 1.2.3 Structure of intonation 1.2.4 Functions of intonation 11 1.2.4.1 Informative function 11 1.2.4.2 Communicative function 12 iv 1.2.4.3 Attitudinal function 13 1.2.4.4 Grammatical function 13 1.2.5 Intonation-related errors 14 1.3 English Tonality 15 1.3.1 Nature of tonality 15 1.3.2 Identification of tonality 15 1.3.2.1 Neutral tonality 15 1.3.2.2 Marked tonality 16 1.3.3 Components of tonality 26 1.4 Error and error analysis 31 1.4.1 Definition of error 31 1.4.2 Error Analysis 31 1.4.2.1 Identification of errors 32 1.4.2.2 Description of errors 32 1.4.2.3 Explanation of errors (Tracing errors to their sources) 32 1.4.2.3.1 Interlingual Errors 33 1.4.2.3.2 Intralingual Errors 33 1.5 Summary of the chapter 35 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 36 2.1 Research Setting 36 2.2 Subjects 36 2.3 Speech material 37 2.4 Instruments 38 2.4.1 The intonation tasks 39 2.4.1.1 The perception task 39 2.4.1.2 The production task 39 2.4.2 The academic results 39 2.4.3 Survey questionnaire 40 2.4.3.1 The questionnaire items adopted in the present study 40 v 2.4.3.2 Structure of the survey questionnaire 41 2.5 Data Collection and Data Analysis Procedure 41 2.6 Data Analysis 43 2.6.1 Data obtained via the intonation tasks 43 2.6.2 Data obtained via the academic results 43 2.6.3 Data obtained via the survey questionnaire 44 2.7 Summary of the chapter 44 CHAPTER DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 45 3.1 Research Question – Error Analysis 46 3.1.1 Research question 1.1 – Error identification and description 46 3.1.1.1 Errors of joining more than one intonation unit into one unit 48 3.1.1.1.1 Errors of joining closely grammatically connected units (Jc) 49 3.1.1.1.2 Errors of joining short units (Js) 49 3.1.1.2 Errors of splitting one intonation unit into more than one unit 50 3.1.1.2.1 Splitting marked tonality at clause boundary without comma (Sbwc) 50 3.1.1.2.2 Splitting marked tonality at clause boundary with comma (Sbc) 51 3.1.1.2.3 Splitting tonality after the stressed in the head (Shs) 51 3.1.1.2.4 Splitting tonality after the nucleus (Sn) 52 3.1.1.2.5 Splitting tonality after the unstressed in the head (Shu) 53 3.1.1.2.6 Splitting tonality in and after the pre-head (Sp) 53 3.1.1.2.7 Splitting tonality at unstressed syllables of tail (Stu) 54 3.1.1.2.8 Splitting tonality after direct objects (So) 3.1.1.2.9 Splitting tonality after subjects (Ss) 54 55 3.1.1.2.10 Splitting tonality at the changing point in the dive-Sd 56 3.1.2 Research Question 1.2 – Error Explanation 56 3.1.2.1 Interlingual errors 57 vi 3.1.2.2 Intralingual errors 58 3.1.2.2.1 Over-generalization 3.1.2.2.2 Ignorance of rule restrictions 59 59 3.1.2.2.3 Incomplete application of rules 60 3.2 Research Question 2: Correlation Investigation 62 3.2.1 Research Question 2.1 Perceptive ability and productive ability 62 3.2.1.1 Better scores in perception task than in production task 63 3.2.1.2 The smaller number and the less frequency of errors in the perception task than in the production task 65 3.2.1.3 The fewer number of students making different types of errors in perceptive task than in productive task 67 3.2.2 Research Question 2.2 Language proficiency and tonality competence .69 3.2.2.1 The bigger number of errors committed by the mid-ability group compared to the higher ability group 70 3.2.2.2 The bigger number of students in mid-ability group than in highability group committed different types of errors 71 3.3 Research question – Attitude and Behavior Assessment 74 3.3.1 Students‟ beliefs and attitudes towards learning English intonation .74 3.3.2 Students‟ reactions to their problems 77 3.4 Summary of the findings 78 PART C CONCLUSION 79 Recapitulation 79 Concluding remarks 80 2.1 Concluding remarks on objective 80 2.2 Concluding remarks on objective 80 2.3 Concluding remarks on objective 81 2.4 Concluding remarks on objective 81 2.5 Concluding remarks on objective 81 Recommendations 82 vii Suggestions for further study REFERENCES APPENDIX APPENDIX PERCEPTION TASK APPENDIX PRODUCTION TASK APPENDIX KEYS TO INTONATION TASKS APPENDIX PHONETIC TRANSCRITION OF INTONATION TASK APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE APPENDIX ACADEMIC RESULTS APPENDIX APPROACHES TO TEACH INTONATION APPENDIX TECHNIQUES TO TEACH INTONATION APPENDIX PRINCIPLES TO TEACH INTONATION APPENDIX 10 TEACHERS‟ ROLES IN INTONATION TEACHING APPENDIX 11 EXERCISES AND ACTIVITIES FOR PRACTICE viii LIST OF TABLES Table 01: Rules of Neutral and Marked Tonality Table 02: Stressed and Unstressed Words Table 03: Structure of Intonation Table 04: Instruments Table 05: Types of intonation units Table 06: Types of errors made in two intonation tasks Table 07: Probable Causes to Tonality Errors Table 08: The Allocation of Marks Table 09: The Difference in the Scores of Intonation Tasks Table 10: Frequency of Errors in Perception and Production Task Table 11: The Allocation of Errors Table 12: Types of Errors Made in Two Tasks Table 13: The Number of Errors Committed by Members of Ability Groups Table 14: The Number of Students Made Errors by Two Ability Groups ix LIST OF CHARTS Chart 01: Proportion of joining and splitting errors Chart 02: Proportion of error types Chart 03: Number of students making errors from the most to the least frequent in perception task Chart 04: Number of students making errors from the most to the least frequent in production task Chart 05: The number of students made different types of errors in two groups (According to Mid ability group) Chart 06: The number of students made different types of errors in two groups (According to High ability group) x ABBREVIATION AND SYMBOLS IN THE STUDY - P1: Participant 1, test of twenty participants will be coded from P1 to P20 - M1-M12: twelve members of mid ability group - H1-H8: eight members of high ability group - Jc: Joining closely grammatically connected units - Js: Joining nearby short units - Sbc: Splitting marked tonality consisted of two clauses with a comma in between - Sbwc: Splitting marked tonality consisted of two clauses without a comma in between - Sp: Splitting tone units in and after the pre-head - Shu: Splitting tone units at the place of unstressed syllables in the head - Sn: Splitting tone units after the nucleus - Shs: Splitting tone units at the place of stressed syllables in the head - Ss: Splitting tone units after subjects - So: Splitting tone units after objects - Sd: Splitting tone units in between of the dive - Stu: Splitting tone units in the tail - Tone unit boundary: // or / (for closely connected units) E.g.: // The bus stopped // we‟d got to the terminus // E.g.: //Do you really mean to tell me / you haven‟t got a suit since then? // XXII Journalist – wonderful Politics – overweight Argentina – biology 10 Pyjamas – attractive Box B Teacher reference She told me her name – A litre of milk He went by car – Over the hill He plays the guitar – I‟ll try to find out On holiday – A chest of drawers They live in a flat – She‟s really angry What does it look like? – She‟s really angry I‟m afraid I can‟t – In the afternoon She‟s meeting her boyfriend – It‟s under the table She‟s completely exhausted – He wants to be a docto 10 She‟s expecting a baby – I was looking for David B RHYTHM-RELATED TASKS The same or different number of syllables?  Focus:  Level:  Time:   Preparation: Prepare a list of ten pairs of words The words in each pair should have the same or a different number of syllables Alternatively, use the words in Box A Don‟t give students a written list of the words Procedure XXIII Students write the numbers to 10 in their notebooks Say the pairs of words and students write S if they hear the same number of syllables and D if they hear a different number Check the answers Students work alone or in pairs to produce their own list of ten pairs of „same‟ and „different‟ words Then follow step 1, with each student reading out their ten pairs and the rest of the class writing the answers Box A Teacher reference Sandwich (2) – April (2) Majority (4) – exercise (3) Pollution (3) – competition (4) Horse (1) – choose (1) Guitar (2) – homework (2) Twice (1) – colour (2) Helicopter (4) – American (4) Museum (3) – abroad (2) Before (2) – computer (2) 10 Timetable (3) – afternoon (3) (The number of syllables in each word is given in brackets)  Variation For intermediate students, follow the same procedure, but use short phrase or sentences You may need to repeat each one, two or three times Example material is given in Box B Don‟t give students a written list of the phrases/sentences Box B Teacher reference Tom‟s in Spain (3) – She‟s inside (3) What are you afraid of? (6) – Nine to see you again Give these to Pauline (5) – She‟s over there (4) Can I try it on? (5) – I saw it on TV (6) XXIV Highly unlikely (5) – Hang on a minute (5) Put it on the top shelf (6) – We should be going I‟ve got nothing to (6) – Absolutely fantast A coffee, please (4) – In the summer (4) I want to go tomorrow (7) – The homework wa 10 Leave it in the kitchen (6) – Some time on Tue (The number of syllables in each phrase/sentence is given in brackets.) Drilling Practice the following sets of phrases Remember that „content‟ words are stressed and grammatical or „form‟ words are unstressed  Come and loo Yes, of course  He saw us I like it  Who saw them Please tell me  Can‟t you he Come and see  A piece of ca The shop was  Where you Give me a ca Drilling Requires: - Start with - Add syllables to it on each line, but the time it takes to say the utterance remain the same XXV They LIVE They LIVE They LIVE They‟ve been LIVing They‟ve been LIVing They‟ve been LIVing Dialogue Practicing Sister: Billy, Billy, teach me to read! Brother: You‟re too little Sister: No, I‟m not I‟m big Very big Brother: I‟m busy Here‟s a nickel for some candy Sister: A nickel? That‟s too little! I need fifty cents Brother: Hmmm It would be cheaper to teach you to read Poem reading The first poem is traditional The second is having fun with it Circle the content words in each poem Then say the poems Twinkle, Twinkle- Twice Twinkle, twinkle, little star, Twinkle, twinkle, little bat, How How I wonder what you are! I wonder where you‟re at! Up above the world so high, Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky Like a tea tray in the sky (Jane Taylor) (Lewis Carroll) C WORD LINKING-RELATED TASKS This unit will help you to link words together smoothly Think of the words joined together like this: Putitaway Or imagine that the last letter of a word is the first letter of the next XXVI Words: a big apple – a bi gapple Read a book – rea da book Link /p, b, t, d, k, g/ to a following vowel a Listen to people giving advices Practice it B1 Wrap it in a scarf B2 Drink a cup of te B3 Take an aspirin B1 A big umbrella B2 A bag and some B3 A book on music B4 A red and white A What would Anne like for Christmas? Link /f, v,∫, t∫, d ,s, z, θ/ to a following vowel a Listen, and practice this conversation A: What you want to when you leave school? B: I want to move into a flat with some friends A: It‟s less expensive to live a party B: I‟m going to give a party A: Don‟t damage anything! B: I‟d like to buy myself a sports car A: Don‟t crash into anything! B: I want to catch a plane to South America A: Arrange a cheap flight! B: What you want to when you leave school? A: I want to get a job in a large organization, and save all my money Link /r/ to a following vowel Listen to this conversation in a hospital waiting room Note that you can pronounce /r/ at the end of a word, when the next word begins with a vowel Mark the links in A‟s last speech XXVII A: We‟ve been waiting for an hour and a half B: Say your aunt is very ill A doctor ought to see her at once A: There isn‟t a doctor available They‟re all busy B: Ask the receptionist to hurry up A: I‟ve asked her over and over again The more I ask, the longer I wait Link vowels Listen, and repeat Think of a little /j/ sound linking two words Mark the links in the last three sentences j Very interesting j A lovely ice cream A day or two Stay at home for a day or two Link vowels a Listen, and repeat these sentences which were all overheard at a party Think of a little /w/ sound linking two words Mark the links in the last four sentences Let‟s go w into the next room Do you know I knew w It was so You w w everyone here? I would be late w exciting always say that How old is he? b Discuss which of the sentences above might have come from the same conversations Recognize and produce links with all sounds a Listen to this conversation which contains words ending with each of the consonants practiced in this unit, followed by a vowel, and also of linking with r, j w and Look for an example of each type of link and mark the link A: Anne‟s just phoned She and Diana are both on their way Is dinner nearly ready? Can I help with anything? B: Yes Can you get out two eggs from the fridge? XXVIII A: Which eggs? The large ones or the small ones? B: The large eggs Small eggs are no good A: Ok Anything else? B: Yes Squeeze another orange, and put the fresh orange juice in a jug, please A: Right What next? B: There‟s a pie in the oven Take it out, and slide it under the grill Then finish laying the table for me Each person needs a knife and fork, and a cup and saucer And then, could you scrub all these potatoes A: Come on, Anne and Diana! b Now practice the conversation, linking the words smoothly D TONALITY-RELATED TASKS Drilling Listen to these five sentences on the CD and divide them into word groups  I‟m sorry but I really don‟t know  Is this going to go here or there?  That‟s another big bill we‟ve got to pay  That letters for you and this ones for me  I‟d like to offer you the job Dividing speech into tone units  Focus:  Level:  Time:  Preparation: If you are using the recording, copy the material in Box A onto a handout If you are using your own material (see Variation), record a few short pieces of natural speech - four or five seconds for each one will Before the class, transcribe the extracts and divide the speech into „units‟ The boundaries of these units may be pauses, or they may come at the end of a fall or rise in intonation However, don‟t worry too much about the criteria for deciding on boundaries; if you hear them as units which include sounds XXIX that run together without a break, then that is fine Copy a version of the transcripts (as in Box B) onto a handout  Procedure Give out the handout (Box A) Focus on Part A Students look at the first extract while you play the recording of this two or here times Ask individual students to repeat, trying If students have problems, play (or say) single units one at a time until they can say each one fluently Then ask them to say the whole extract again Then the same for the remaining extracts Focus on Part B This includes extracts from the recording without unit boundaries marked on the written transcript Ask students to listen to the recording a few times, decide where the natural breaks are and mark these on their handouts Then follow the procedure in step above The transcripts with unit boundaries marked are given below Box B for your information  Variation Rather than using the recording, you could use your own material; for example, recording accompanying textbooks that you use Make sure that you don‟t include commas and full stops, which might give clues to intonation unit boundaries  Extension For homework, ask students to record a very short extract from a radio or television news broadcast where the newsreader is talking (this is likely to be the clearest part) They should transcribe this and mark where unit boundaries occur Encourage them to think about how professional broadcasters divide their speech into unit, an discuss one or two of the transcripts in class Box A Student handout She‟s leaving / to take up a past / in Glasgow / we wish her well The door opened and / this person got out / and it was a little old lady / with a shopping bag XXX I hurried across / and turned into an alleyway / and started to walk/ it was dark / and drizzling a little At the top of the stairs / was the coffee room / and opposite that / was the photocopying room / just beyond there / was the post room / and Arthur‟s room / was about three doors along Part B Student Handout Well I‟m rather busy just at present perhaps you wouldn‟t mind waiting for a few minutes We need to reduce the numbers of cars on our roads we don‟t need to increase them The thing to look out for is the playing fields and soon after you‟ve passed them you‟ll go under an underpass You remember that friend of his though the guy who came from Liverpool he always came on Fridays and nobody quite knew why Transcripts for Part B with unit boundaries marked Well I‟m rather busy / just at present / perhaps you wouldn‟t mind waiting for a few minutes We need to reduce / the numbers of cars on our roads / we don‟t need to increase them The thing to look out for / is the playing fields / and soon after you‟ve passed them/ you‟ll go under an underpass You remember that friend of his though / the guy who came from Liverpool / he always came on Fridays / and nobody quite knew why Integrated practice Use a few sentences of text taken from the course book or the class reader, preferably an excerpt that has not yet been intensively studied XXXI Take the first one or two sentences and ask the class to identify the sense groups, and to mark them with a vertical line (The idea and use of sense groups is explored further below.) For example: There was a table / set out under a tree / in front of the house, / and the March Hare and the Hatter / were having tea at it; / a Dormouse / was sitting between them, / fast asleep, / and the other two / were resting their elbows on it, / and talking over its head Ask learners to choose where to place the stresses within each sense group, and to underline the stresses syllables For example: There was a able / set out under a tree / in front of the house, / and the March Hare and the Hatter / were having tea at it; / a Dormouse / was sitting between them, / fast asleep, / and the other two / were resting their elbows on it, / and talking over its head Ask them to examine each sense group for any sounds that might impede the rhythmic flow, and to notice reduced vowels, consonant clusters, linking, etc They mark these on the text They can also mark any significant pauses between the sense groups with a double vertical For example: / There was a table / set out under a tree // in front of the house, // and th March Hare and the Hatter / were having tea at it; // a Dormouse / was sitting between them, // fast asleep, // and the other two / were resting their elbows on it, // and talking over its head.// Reading Practice  Read this paragraph silently Mark places where you think a pause should be made to give the listener time to think   Take turns reading two or three sentences to your group They should make a small mark to show where you paused Check to see if the other student could tell where you paused  Discuss the reasons why each student chose to pause in a particular place Cultural Differences XXXII In your country / is it considered polite / to listen quietly to other people, / without any change of expression on the face? / If this is the style you have learned, / perhaps you should watch two North Americans talking / frequent change of expression / person is talking Notice how the person who is listening / will have The listener may also make short remarks while the other These may be one word, lake “Really?” or they may just be a sound, like “uh- huh” or “mmmm” in a friendly way This is how North Americans listeners show that they are listening That is why North Americans get uneasy when the listener is completely silent and shows no change of expression In the Americans style of conversation, an unmoving face often means that the listener is unfriendly, or perhaps even angry Memory game Shopping list Feed the dog Go shopping Pot of honey a Listen, and say the things Johnny has to b Play the memory game Each person chooses something from a, and remembers what other people said Notice the listing intonation Example: ST PERSON: Johnny has got to buy some coffee ND RD PERSON: Johnny has got to buy some coffee, and wash the floor PERSON: Johnny has got to buy some coffee, wash the floor, and wind the clock TH PERSON: Memory Game a Listen, and say what is on this menu LUNCHTIME SNACKS Cup of tea Cup of coffee XXXIII Ham sandwich Ham sandwich – with mustard mixed salad Mixed salad – without onion Currant bun jam sponge Apple pie and custard Bread and butter, with – plum jam blackcurrant jam honey b Listen to someone saying what they would like Notice the listing intonation e.g „I‟d like a cup of tea, a mixed salad without onion, and some bread and butter with plum jam.‟ c In a group - Each person says what they would like - One person makes a list - Then orders the food and drink for the whole group Memory Game a Listen, and practice this conversation A: Everything went wrong on Thursday B: What happened? A: I woke up with toothache I rang the dentist three times, but there was no reply The fourth time, I got through He gave me an appointment at three thirty I thought it would be soothing to have a bath But I tripped getting out of the bath I hit my mouth on the tap, and broke three teeth B: Did that cure your toothache? A: No, I had three broken teeth and toothache b Listen, and notice the intonation of these alternative questions Then ask and answer the questions Which day did everything go wrong for A – Tuesday or Thursday? Did he wake up with toothache or a headache? Did he ring the dentist three times or four times? Was his dentist‟s appointment at three o‟clock or three thirty? When he tripped, did he break both legs or three teeth? XXXIV Tag question - Drill a Listen to these sentences with rising question tags The speaker isn‟t sure He‟s asking the other person to confirm Tim Fitzwilliam isn‟t English, is he? He isn‟t a British citizen, is he? He isn‟t a film actor, is he? The film isn‟t set in England, is it? Tag Question - Drill a Listen, and practice this conversation A: Can you play chess? B: Yes, I enjoy chess very much I was a chess champion when I was a child A: And are you still a champion chess player? B: No, things have changed In my last match I was beaten by a seven – year – old child I think she‟s a future champion! b Listen to these sentences with question tags The speaker isn‟t sure She‟s asking the other person to confirm You can play chess, can‟t you? You were a chess champion, weren‟t you? You‟re still a champion chess player, You were beaten by a seven – year – old child, You think she‟s a future champion, 10 Tag Question - Game a Listen, and practice this conversation A: Could I make an appointment with Doctor Boyle? B I‟m afraid all Dr Boyle‟s appointments are taken today A: How annoying! I like Dr Boyle B: Sorry to disappoint you Now, you‟ve got a choice You could make an appointment to see Dr Boyle tomorrow, or see Dr Lloyd today XXXV A: My employer has given me time off to go to the doctor I‟d better see Dr Lloyd today b Listen, and repeat these sentences with question tags The speaker is certain, and expects the other person to agree Doctor Boyle is very good, isn‟t he? Most people want to see Doctor Boyle, don‟t they? All his appointments are taken, aren‟t they? c Say the following sentences, adding a question tag It‟s annoying, … A is disappointed, … ... in communicating in English I choose the study on ? ?English Intonation: Errors made by Third Year Students at English Department, Chu Van An University. ” 2 Scope of the study Intonation is a vast...VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES -  - PHAN THỊ NGỌC ANH ENGLISH INTONATION: ERRORS MADE BY THIRD YEAR STUDENTS. .. provide an account of the errors commonly committed by third year students at Chu Van An University and on this basis, to facilitate the mentioned students in improving English intonation unit