Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions

Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourthyear English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions

ABSTRACT Pronunciation is an integral part of foreign language learning since it directly affects learners' communicative competence as well as performance The limitation in pronunciation can decrease learners’ self-confidence, restrict social interactions, and negatively affect estimations of a speaker’s credibility and abilities The current focus on communicative approaches to EFL pronunciation learning and the concern for building communication skills are renewing interest in the role that pronunciation plays in EFL learners’ overall communicative competence This study investigates the factors which affect English pronunciation of fourthyear English major students at Thuongmai University In other words to find the obstacles of students and the factors that cause these problems Then find some techniques that help fourth-year English major students at Thuongmai University improve their pronunciation The method used for researching is quantitative The instruments used for collecting the data were interviews, recordings and a structured questionnaire The collected data were analyzed both descriptively and artistically The purposes of this paper are to identify the features of pronunciation, find out the common English pronunciation mistakes, explain factors affecting the learning of pronunciation, discuss the strategies that can help fourth-year English major students at Thuongmai University improve their pronunciation The review of literature shows that with careful preparation and integration, pronunciation can play a significant role in supporting the learners’ overall communicative skill 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT During the process of conducting my graduation paper, I have received plenty of enthusiastic help and support from my teachers and friends who have guided and encouraged me to overcome all difficulties and finish this hard but meaningful time I would like to extend my sincere thanks to those lending me a hand in accomplishing the graduation paper First of all, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to the teachers of The English Faculty at Thuongmai University, who have imparted golden knowledge to me From these supports, I can improve me English skills and have a good background to achieve my dream Secondly, I sincerely thank Master Do Thi Bich Dao, my supervisor who has given me useful guidance and advice for finishing my graduation paper successfully Last but not least, I am grateful to all of the lovely English major students of Thuongmai University who contributed and had warm cooperation to help me during the process I carried out my survey In short I am really thankful to all people helping me to finish my graduation paper Thank you sincerely! Ha Noi, November, 2020 Nguyen Huu Ngoc Anh 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES 4 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS L1 L2 EFL ESL First language Second language English as a foreign language English as a second language CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale In recent years, English has been one of the most commonly used languages in the world English is not only used for communication purposes but also used in many other fields such as tourism, foreign trade, culture exchanges etc among a lot of countries around the world In the context of globalization in Vietnam, English is also used as the second language and plays an important role for students when communicating Nonetheless, most of the students focus on reading and writing skills rather than speaking They spend a lot of time learning grammar to deal with tests and exams rather than practicing pronunciation and speaking skills in class and at home to improve their communication skills Therefore, it is quite obvious that students are afraid of speaking English Moreover, like students elsewhere in the non-English speaking countries, Vietnamese students encounter great difficulties in learning English pronunciation because they have little opportunity to contact with native speakers in the target language while teachers are the main source of modelling pronunciation in the classroom During my English learning at Thuongmai especially my own experience in learning Phonetics and Phonology subject in the third year However, I find out that if I spend more time on practicing, the English pronunciation problems will be overcome and I really want to enhance my English pronunciation For these reasons I mentioned above, I have decided to carry out a study on: “Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of fourth-year English major students at Thuong Mai University and possible solutions” to research 1.2 Previous studies There have been a lot of outstanding studies which research the factors affecting the English pronunciation These studies not only gave the author valuable reference material but also inspired the author to conduct this study to fulfill the gap left by them 1.2.1 Foreign studies Firstly, the study “Non-Native Pronunciation of English: Problems and Solutions” was written by Norma It was issued in September 2017 (Vol.7, No.3) in the American International Journal of Contemporary Research The aims of the study include: Finding the obstacles that Jordanian students face in pronunciation, as a result of linguistics interference, investigating the factors that cause the phonological interference between Arabic and English, and trying to find fundamental solutions for this problem and trying to find fundamental solutions for these obstacles The study is also conducted with the research questions: What are the obstacles that Jordanian students encounter in English pronunciation? What factors cause these obstacles? And what solutions can be suggested to ease these obstacles? The author uses some methods to the research with Jordanian students such as: oral interview and pronunciation test The research subjects are the obstacles that Jordanian students encounter in English pronunciation, causes and solutions for the obstacles Finally, the author obtained the following research results: the English Jordanian students in both universities committed different kinds of errors in: vowels, diphthongs, consonants, stress, and consonant clusters, an important challenge the Jordanian students encountered in the pronunciation test is “the consonant cluster”, the differences between Arabic and English in: Vowels, diphthongs, consonants, consonant cluster, and stress create errors in pronunciation for the Jordanian students and there was an urgent need to find some solutions that could help the English Jordanian students to encounter such a problem Secondly, “Discovering factors that influence English pronunciation of native Vietnamese speakers” was conducted by Leah Tweedy in August 2012 The purpose of this study is to uncover the factors that lead to intelligibility issues for a native Vietnamese woman tested as proficient in English The study was carried out with three research questions: What are native Vietnamese women's attitude toward learning North American? What is the specific pronunciation background? And what are the different factors influencing the native Vietnamese women’s English pronunciation? The research subjects are native Vietnamese women's attitude toward learning North American, the specific pronunciation background and the different factors influencing the native Vietnamese women’s English pronunciation Research methodology includes a survey questionnaire and interview At the end of the research, the author concludes that the participant’s age at arrival, first language influence, and lack of directed pronunciation instruction appear to have all contributed to intelligibility issues, the participant’s positive attitude and motivation toward acquiring clear pronunciation and language exposure have likely been positive influences and the participants exhibit pronunciation errors that interfere with intelligibility, but intelligibility improves when the participant is allowed to speak freely about familiar topics and select her own words Thirdly, “The Pronunciation Errors of L1 Arabic Learners of L2 English: The Role of Modern Standard Arabic and Vernacular Dialects Transfer” was carried out by El Zarka, Amro Mohamed El Said in October 2013 It was published by The British University in Dubai The purpose of this study is to concentrate on English pronunciation errors made by native Arab speakers, while they make conversation, deliver speeches or give presentations The research questions are divided into two parts: In what way vernacular dialects of Arabic affect the pronunciation of English as a second language? And what are the common errors and repair strategies the participants employ? The two questions also are the research subjects of the author The quantitative and the qualitative methods are used to the research At last, the given research results are: intelligibility is the core of any communication process and pronunciation is its tool, in one’s native language the other party might tolerate an accent, fast speech, falling tones etc., as they can still get the message and when learning a second language the significance of proper pronunciation doubles 1.2.2 Domestic Studies In Tam’s graduation paper written 2005, the researcher conducted a study named “Common pronunciation problems of Vietnamese learners of English” The aim of the study is to find out English department students’ common pronunciation problems With research subjects are the common pronunciation problems of Vietnamese learners of English, the given research question was “what are the most common pronunciation problems of the students in the English department?” The research methodology is oral examinations Lastly, the author concludes that the sounds most frequently mispronounced by the informants include: /z/, /tʃ/, /f/, /z/, /ch/, /s/, since language learning, like music, painting or architecture, requires some gift from learners, aptitude test would be necessary in order to get rid of students who have language deficiency, for instance people with confusion of /1/ and /n/, as language aptitude exam is still not possible, it would be desirable to use “task force” periods for pronunciation practice to help improve then- pronunciation Secondly, “A study on common pronunciation mistakes and recommended solutions to improve receptionists’ English speaking skills at Sea View Hotel” was carried out by Nguyen Thi Tam and issued in April 2019 at Hai Phong private university The aim of the study is to help receptionists realize their ending sounds errors and find out some solutions for receptionists’ pronunciation problems The research questions include: What is the most common pronunciation mistake that receptionists at Sea View Hotel tend to make when speaking English? What are the ending sound errors that receptionists’ are likely to face? And what are solutions to help receptionists’ avoid pronunciation mistakes and solve their problems? The three given questions are also the research subjects The research methodology was a survey questionnaire and the research subjects were receptionists at Sea View Hotel In the end, the author concluded that there are common ending sounds that receptionists tend to make when speaking English in work: /dʒ/, /θ/, /ʃ/, /ð/ and /ʒ/ Thirdly, the study “A Case Study of Solutions to Some Intonation Mistakes” was conducted by Dieu (2015) The final target of the study is to improve Vietnamese students’ pronunciation skill as well as catching the main idea in the conversation in order to have successful communication in English The research includes two questions: What is the effect of combining Phonological Knowledge, Rhythm and Melody in Teaching English Intonation Strategy? And what are the students' thinking of the treatment and students' attitude towards English intonation? The research subjects are the effect of combining Phonological Knowledge, Rhythm and Melody in Teaching English Intonation Strategy and the students' thinking of the treatment and students' attitude towards English intonation The research is the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods The given results of the research are that without a sufficient, threshold-level mastery of the English prosodic system, learners’ intelligibility and listening comprehension will not advance, no matter how much effort is made drilling individual sounds, and teachers should spend more time training students how to count the number of syllable in a word, identify the syllable weight and should be given to the training process of this new strategy and more research is needed into how to use this strategy effectively to make students accustomed to applying this method, especially on their own independently for their extra communicative 1.3 Aims of the study With the hope of getting a more comprehensive and specific understanding of English pronunciation, this study will help fourth-year English major students at Thuongmai University realize their pronunciation mistakes in consonants, ending sounds, word stress and intonation Besides, the study also gives some suggestions to deal with common pronunciation problems of fourth-year English major students at Thuongmai University In order to achieve these mentioned aims, the study is my effort to find the answers to the following research questions: What are the situations of fourth-year English major students at Thuong Mai University toward English pronunciation? What are the common mistakes in English pronunciation of fourth-year English major students at Thuongmai University? What factors affect English pronunciation of fourth-year English major students at Thuongmai University? What are the suggestions to deal with pronunciation problems of fourth-year English major students at Thuongmai University? 1.4 Research Subjects The subjects of the study are the situations of fourth-year English major students at Thuong Mai University toward English pronunciation, the common mistakes in 10 This is a rhyming pair exercise for students With this exercise, they can practice pronunciation, especially vowels and they also learn more new words via pictures Exercise: Match the pictures that rhyme Game 2: Spelling game This game is easy to play and useful It helps students practice not only their pronunciation but also their listening In order to play this game, firstly, class is divided into groups with columns on the board Then, three students in each group will be chosen to be the first players Students will prepare some words and when the students start the game and speak words out First students will run to the board and write the words on a letter Members of the group will alternate their turns until the game finishes After completing the game, which group has more correct answers would be the winner Game 3: Homophones Matching Game This game also aims to develop students’ pronunciation skills Finding the homophones that match each other, and drag them side-by-side are all things students need to in this kind of game It is a really fun way to improve their English pronunciation and your spelling at the same time 46 4.2.2.2 Organizing activities to practice pronunciation in pairs and groups Activity in form of pairs: Interview This is a common activity which is applied to the lessons, especially in parts of Speaking The teachers ask students to work in pairs to ask and answer for each topic of each lesson after giving the sentence patterns Performing this activity requires teachers to pay attention to the weak pairs to encourage them to participate Communication exercises Read the text, then ask and answer the questions about the content of the lesson, this method has several ways to the following: Students discuss questions in pairs or groups, then read the text to find answers Students read the syllabus themselves and then ask and answer the content in pairs or groups Short-term exercises: Students work in groups, choose the secretary to write what the group is discussing, this activity can be difficult to organize in large groups but it is advantageous for the students to practice with others and the teacher only grading the group after the completion of the activity Discussion: The teacher explains the task clearly After discussing, the teacher calls the groups to present their exercises before the class Other communication activities are information gap, warm up, role play, interview, questionnaire, survey, problem solving, communication games, etc 47 4.2.3 Some suggested books for students referring Book 1: Ship or sheep by Ann Baker The first book which students should have is “ship or sheep” by Ann Baker This one will help students to recognize and produce English sounds, and includes work on stress and intonation Students may change their pronunciation in a good way This book is a perfect choice for every English learner Book 2: English Phonetics and Phonology by Peter Roach This book will be an ideal choice for all of English major students or people who are interested in and want to learn more about pronunciation and speaking English The learners can understand more details of phonetics and phonology to help them improve their knowledge about this section Book 3: The series of English pronunciation in use 48 These series of books are the perfect choice for people who like studying English to practice pronunciation with many exercises, activities and games for the students to learn Book 4: New Headway Pronunciation Course- Pre-intermediate by Bill Bowler, Sue Parminte The book is a mixture of phonemes that different nationalities find difficult; and a range of Stress, Rhythm and Intonation subjects all covered in a very practical way and including times and dates This is a practical and imaginative addition to the New Headway It helps students to express themselves clearly and confidently by training them in the key areas of pronunciation There is practice of individual sounds, with a guide to suitable exercises for speakers of particular languages Training is given in stress and intonation patterns for accurate, functional use Help is provided with the features of connected speech Book 5: English Pronunciation Made Simple by Paulette Dale and Lillian Poms 49 This book explains each individual sound in standard American English, as well as all the other elements of spoken English: rhythm, stress, intonation, consonant clusters, plurals, contractions, past tense verbs, etc This is a great book for teachers to use as a classroom textbook as there are a lot of exercises teachers will find useful in the classroom It is better for students, as the two included CDs don’t say all the words and exercises This book also helps to learn the IPA as it uses the IPA symbols to help explain American English pronunciation 4.3 Limitation of the study and suggestion for further study Because of the limited time, lack of experience and authority issues, some inevitable limitations have appeared in this research Firstly, due to the lack of experience, the author could not design a more specific and detailed questionnaire Besides, the researcher only pays much attention to four research questions: the situations of participants, the common English pronunciation mistakes, the factors affecting their English pronunciation and suggested solutions So there may be other cases which did not appear in this study, and if there had been more participants and more time, the significance of the research would have been perfected and the result (Abbas , 2016) may help more for readers Secondly, the study applied a convenience sampling method, which perhaps in certain points, could not best represent the behavior and attitude of the whole participants Besides, the researcher also met some difficulties while asking students to questionnaires Respondents frequently complained about the large number of questions they had to fill in They perceived it as something that was too timeconsuming 50 4.4 Future Research Recommendations Based on the findings as well as the limitation of the study, the author recommends some useful tips that can be utilized to enhance the quality of future research Future research should focus on the common English pronunciation mistakes and factors leading to these mistakes in speaking skills in general and English pronunciation in particular Researcher would like to suggest some topics for further studies: • A study on the effects of the native language on the English pronunciation • Pronunciation mistakes often made by first-year students when speaking • A study on ending sound pronunciation errors of English students at Thuong Mai University and suggested solutions 51 REFERENCES Abbas , G P (2016) English Pronunciation Instruction: A Literature Review International Journal of research in English education, Al-Zayed, N N (2017) Non-Native Pronunciation of English: Problems and Solutions American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 86-90 Avery (2006) Suggestions for Beautifying the Pronunciation of EFL Learners in Turkey Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 112-125 Brown (2003) Pronunciation strategies of advanced ESOL learners Scholarly Journals, 131-143 Brown (2010) Thai Learners’ English Pronunciation Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 757-764 Brown (2017) A STUDY ON THE EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTSÂ’ ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION AT SMP DARUL QUR-AN SINGOSARI Muhammadiyah Malang: University of Muhammadiyah Malang Byrne, B & (1996) The Speech Rhythm of Vietnamese Speakers of English ELSEVIER, 21-31 Cabrera, R L (2016) English Speaking and Pronunciation Competence in students of Suan Sunantha 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Phonetic Experimental Research on Vietnamese Students Journal of Language and Linguistics, 52-60 Donald , M (n.d.) 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Children's spellings of final consonant clusters Elsevier 55 APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE Dear English major students of Thuongmai University, I am Nguyen Huu Ngoc Anh from class N6 I am carrying out a study on the topic “Factors leading to pronunciation mistakes when speaking of English major students at Thuongmai University and possible solutions” for the graduation paper I would like to ask for your help with this questionnaire which was designed for my research Your help will be a valuable contribution for my data collection I sincerely thank you! A B A B A B A B C D Part I The situations of fourth-year English major students at Thuong Mai University toward English pronunciation How long have you been learning English pronunciation? Less than year C 2-3 years 1-2 years D More than years Which level the result of your English Phonetics and Phonology subject? Level A C Level C Level B D Level D How often you make pronunciation mistakes when you speaking? Seldom C Often Sometimes D Always Do you like subjects relating to pronunciation such as Speaking and Phonetics & Phonology? Do not like C Like Average D Really like Do you often practice pronunciation at home? Seldom C Often Sometimes D Always Part 2: What are the common mistakes in English pronunciation of fourth-year English major students at Thuongmai University What are the common mistakes in pronunciation which you make when speaking? Frequency Seldom Sometimes Often Always Mistakes English consonants Ending sounds Word stress Intonation Part 3: The factors affect English pronunciation of fourth-year English major students at Thuongmai University What factors affect your English pronunciation when speaking? (Circle the number that represents the influence of these factors on your pronunciation when speaking) Not at all Slightly Fairly Significantly The native language Phonetic ability Exposure to English or native speakers (Direct and Indirect) Background knowledge Attitude Motivation Other (If any) …………………………………… 1 2 3 4 4 4 1 2 3 4 Part 4: The suggestions to deal with pronunciation problems of fourth-year English major students at Thuongmai University Circle the number that represents the effect of these solutions on your pronunciation What are the solutions for students to improve English pronunciation? Disagree Neutral Agree Practicing Difficult Phonemes and Syllables Strongly agree 4 Learning English pronunciation Read a passage out loud every day Record your own voice to improve pronunciation English consonants, ending sounds, word stress and intonation Regularly practice oral speech when pronouncing Learning Individual Words Look up how to pronounce the word in a dictionary Write down how to pronounce the word phonetically Create flashcards for each word 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 Practicing speaking skills with native speakers Listen to podcasts and videos in English every day and Imitate Practice the speaking skills with native speakers through the Internet Regularly visit places with many native people to make a conversation 2 3 3 4 What are the solutions for teachers to improve students’ English pronunciation Disagree Neutral Organizing pronunciation games Agree Activities to practice pronunciation in pairs and groups Giving abundant of phonetic exercises to Presenting phonetics and phonology theory Thank you for your precious time and co-operation! Strongly agree 4 1 2 3 4 APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS I am Nguyen Huu Ngoc anh from class N6 I am carrying out a study on the topic “An study on some factors affecting English pronunciation learning of fourth-year English major students at Thuong Mai University and suggested solutions” for the graduation paper I would like to ask for your help with some questions which aim at having deeper understanding about research subjects’ situations toward learning English pronunciation, common mistakes students make when speaking, factors affecting their pronunciation and suggested solutions Your help will be a valuable contribution for my data collection I sincerely thank you! Give some information about your current English pronunciation learning situation - How long have you been learning English pronunciation? - Which level is the result of your English Phonetics and Phonology subject? - How often you make pronunciation mistakes when you speak? - Do you like subjects relating to pronunciation such as Speaking and Phonetics & Phonology? - Do you often practice pronunciation at home? Give explanation for your answers What are your common English pronunciation mistakes when speaking? - Do you often make English consonant mistakes when speaking? - Do you often make English ending sound mistakes when speaking? - Do you often make English word stress mistakes when speaking? - Do you often make English intonation mistakes when speaking? Give explanation for your answers What are factors affecting your English pronunciation the most? Choosing from the following answers: - Do you think that the native language may significantly affect your English pronunciation? Why? / Why not? - Do you think that the phonetic ability may strongly impact your English pronunciation? Why? / Why not? - Do you consider exposure to English or native speakers (direct and indirect) have a large impact on your English pronunciation learning? Why? / Why not? - Do you think that the background knowledge is an important factor affecting your English pronunciation? Why? / Why not? - Do you think your attitude strongly affects your English pronunciation? Why? / Why not? - Do you think that the motivation may impact your English pronunciation significantly? Why? / Why not? What solutions can be suggested to minimize the influence of these factors? - What you often to practice English pronunciation? - Do you often spend time on practicing difficult phonemes and syllables or practicing tongue twisters? Why? / Why not? - Do you often read the whole passage out loud or pronounce the individual words? Why? / Why not? - Do you practice that recording yourself speaking to see how you have improved is a helpful way to improve your English pronunciation? Why? / Why not? - Do you often study individual words through looking up their pronunciation in dictionaries then write down on the note book? Why? / Why not? - Do you often create flashcards for each word that is useful method to improve English pronunciation? Why? / Why not? - Do you think that listening to podcasts and videos in English every day and imitating will help you enhance your pronunciation significantly? Why? / Why not? - Do you think that practicing the speaking skills with native speakers through the Internet will be an effective way for you? Why? / Why not? - Do you often visit places with many native people to make a conversation to promote your English pronunciation? Thank you for your precious time and co-operation! ... situations of fourth-year English major students at Thuong Mai University toward English pronunciation? What are the common mistakes in English pronunciation of fourth-year English major students. .. students at Thuongmai University? What factors affect English pronunciation of fourth-year English major students at Thuongmai University? What are the suggestions to deal with pronunciation problems... stress and intonation mistakes in pronunciation that they make when speaking Figure 3.6 The common mistakes in English pronunciation of fourth-year English major students at Thuongmai University