Using praat in indentication and improvement of rhythmic errors in speaking english of non english majors at the university of peoples security m a

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE USING PRAAT IN IDENTIFICATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF RHYTHMIC ERRORS IN SPEAKING ENGLISH OF NON-ENGLISH MAJORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PEOPLE’S SECURITY A thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics & Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL by PHAN NHUT KHANH Supervised by Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, MAY 2020 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE USING PRAAT IN IDENTIFICATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF RHYTHMIC ERRORS IN SPEAKING ENGLISH OF NON-ENGLISH MAJORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PEOPLE’S SECURITY A thesis submitted to the Faculty of English Linguistics & Literature in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in TESOL by PHAN NHUT KHANH Supervised by Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc, Ph.D HO CHI MINH CITY, MAY 2020 STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I certify that this thesis, entitled “Using Praat in Identification and Improvement of Rhythmic Errors in Speaking English of Non-English Majors at the University of People’s Security” is my own work This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other institution Ho Chi Minh City, May 28, 2020 Phan Nhut Khanh i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, Phan Nhut Khanh, being a candidate for the degree of Master of TESOL, accept the requirements of the Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature relating to the retention and use of Master’s Thesis deposited in the English Resource Center I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited in the English Resource Center should be accessible for the purpose of the study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the library for the care, loan, and reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh City, May 28, 2020 Phan Nhut Khanh ii APPROVAL SHEET This is to certify that the Master’s Thesis entitled “Using Praat in Identification and Improvement of Rhythmic Errors in Speaking English of Non-English Majors at the University of People’s Security” has been approved by the supervisor for further approval by the Board of Examiners Ho Chi Minh City, May 2020 Approved by the Dean of the Faculty of Acknowledged English Linguistics and Literature by the Supervisor Dr Le Hoang Dung Dr Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Dr Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc, for her invaluable guidance, devoted support, and most of all, for her great patience throughout the preparation and completion of the thesis Without her devotion, I could not have finished the thesis I am grateful to Dr Le Hoang Dung who carefully helped shape my ideas and painstakingly read my research proposal which paid tribute to the foundation of my thesis I would like to sincerely thank M.A David Mac Grath Hardy from University of Houston- USA and his parents for helping me with the standard recordings which were the main criteria for the data analysis in both recording tests I should wholeheartedly thank Dr Pascal Van Lieshout from University of TorontoCanada who generously provided me with many useful materials related to Praat I also appreciated the insights shared by M.A Dang Hoai Phuong, M.A Hoang Thi Nhat Tam, and M.A Bui Huynh Thuy Thuong who have deepened my understanding of the suprasegmental features in English phonology I gratefully acknowledge the help of Ms Hoang To Uyen and Ms Huynh Ho Tuong Van – the librarians at the ERC, who kindly provided me with many valuable works of reference related to the topic of my study My ultimate gratitude is reserved for the participants of the study, the UPS’s non-English majors, who were willing to take part in the two recording tests as well as the training in Praat with their great patience and cooperation Last but not least, while trying to write this thesis, I am, as always, indebted to my parents, who are always beside me and encourage me to complete the thesis Without their support, I could not have finished my thesis iv ABSTRACT The wave of the globalization has not only changed materials for EFL teaching in general but also reinforced a new notion of English pronunciation whose focus is on the intelligibility in particular With an urgent demand for the innovative teaching of English, this study has been conducted with a focus on the application of speech analysis software tool to identify and improve English rhythmic errors because the English rhythm is one of the decisive factors influencing on EFL learners’ acquisition of the intelligibility in speaking English Its experimental research design enables the researcher to apply Praat, a speech analysis software tool, in achieving the study’s objectives Eventually, the findings of the study provide a corroboration for the hypotheses proposed in the study The two major types of rhythm errors of which the researcher suggests taking notice, namely, the segmentation of thought groups in an utterance and the stress of content words and function words in an utterance Hence, the application of Praat puts forward some constructive ideas for helping non-English majors deal with the English rhythm – one of the important aspects of connected speech that are indispensable factors of an intelligible pronunciation; moreover, the study introduces a new approach in teaching English pronunciation in general and the English rhythm in particular to non-English majors who are usually afraid of speaking English v TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Statement of originality i Retention and use of the thesis ii Approval sheet iii Acknowledgements iv Abstract v Table of contents vi List of tables x List of figures xi Abbreviations xiii CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 The objectives of the study 1.3 The aims of the study 1.4 The scope of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Organization of the thesis CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Key concepts 2.2 Speech analysis software tool and Praat 15 2.2.1 What is speech analysis software tool? 15 vi 2.2.2 Common types of software tool in teaching and learning the English rhythm 15 2.2.3 The role of speech analysis software tool in learning and teaching English rhythm 17 2.2.4 Praat – a speech analysis software tool to teach the English rhythm and to identify English rhythmic errors 18 2.3 English rhythm 20 2.3.1 What is English rhythm? 20 2.3.2 English rhythm as a prosodic feature 21 2.3.3 Rhythmic aspects 25 2.3.3.1 Thought group 25 2.3.3.2 Pitch contour 32 2.4 The influence of mother tongue on the acquisition of L2 rhythm 34 2.5 The importance of English speaking skills and pronunciation to non-English majors at the UPS 35 2.7 Previous studies 36 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 42 3.1 Research design 42 3.2 Research site 42 3.3 Research subjects 43 3.3.1 The student participants 45 vii 3.3.2 The student respondents 46 3.4 Research materials 46 3.5 Research instruments 47 3.5.2 Recording tests 47 3.5.2.1 Pre-training recording test 47 3.5.2.2 Post-training recording test 48 3.5.3 Questionnaire 49 3.6 Data collection procedure 49 3.7 Data analysis procedure 50 CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 54 4.1 Findings 54 4.1.1 English rhythmic errors 54 4.1.1.1 Rhythmic errors related to the segmentation of thought groups 54 4.1.1.2 Rhythmic errors related to pitch contours 58 4.1.2 L1 influence on learning L2 rhythm 64 4.1.3 Potential for learning and practising the English rhythm with Praat 70 4.2 Discussions 78 4.2.1 Improvement on English rhythmic errors 78 4.2.1.1 The segmentation of thought groups in each utterance 78 4.2.1.2 The stress of words in each thought group 79 4.2.2 Influence of L1 Vietnamese on L2 English rhythm 80 viii A STANDARD ANALYSIS OF THE POST-TRAINING RECORDING TEST Barbara spent Saturday afternoon / looking at the beautiful book / about South America I want to go to South America / she said to herself The next morning / when Barbara woke up / it was six o’clock / and her brothers and sisters were still asleep Barbara looked at them / and then closed her eyes again Then / she quietly got out of bed / and started to pack her suitcase She took some comfortable clothes /out of the cupboard She packed a pair of binoculars / and her sister’s camera She packed a photograph of herself / and one of her mother and father I mustn’t forget to have some breakfast / she said to herself 10 But then / she looked at the clock 11 It was a quarter to seven 12 I’ll just drink a glass of water / she said 13 ‘A glass of water,’/ she said 14 Water / she said / and opened her eyes 15 She was still in her bed / and her brothers and sisters were laughing at her 16 Tell us / what you were dreaming about / they said to her 17 But Barbara didn’t answer 18 She was thinking about / her wonderful journey / to South America APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE “USING PRAAT IN IDENTIFICATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF RHYTHMIC ERRORS IN SPEAKING ENGLISH OF NON-ENGLISH MAJORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PEOPLE’S SECURITY” Dear Respondents, After practising Praat on the English rhythm, you are supposed to have an experience of identifying and improving your rhythmic errors when speaking English with the help of this speech analysis software De facto, the learner’s perspectives on the use of Praat may be different from those researchers and teachers Therefore, you are requested to spend some time reflecting on what you have experienced with Praat in this questionnaire Your answers will pay tribute to the success of the study! Kind Regards, The researcher  PART 1_ ATTITUDE TOWARDS USING PRAAT (THÁI ĐỘ VỀ VIỆC SỬ DỤNG PRAAT) Below are statements regarding your attitudes towards Praat Please read each of them carefully and indicate to what extent you agree or disagree (Bên phát biểu thái độ bạn Praat Bạn đọc kỹ câu chọn mức độ đồng ý bạn cho phù hợp.) Notice: 1: Strongly disagree; 2: Disagree; 3: Slightly disagree; 4: Slightly agree; 5: Agree; 6: Strongly agree; 9: no opinion Group No Likert Scale of Agreement Statement I am advised to use Praat to help clearly understand the English rhythmic rules Pretrain ing (Trư ớc tập huấn ) 1.1 (Tôi khuyên nên sử dụng Praat để hiểu rõ quy tắc 1 9 nhịp điệu.) 1.2 I can understand the rhythmic rules by looking at the Praat picture20 (Tơi hiểu 9 9 9 9 9 9 quy luật nhịp điệu thông qua Praat picture) 1.3 I am given clear and understandable instructions from the teacher on how to use Praat (Tôi giáo viên hướng dẫn kỹ dễ hiểu bước sử dụng Praat.) 1.4 I find rhythmic errors well illustrated with Praat picture (Tôi thấy qua Praat picture lỗi nhịp điệu biểu thị rõ ràng.) 1.5 I still need to visualize my rhythmic errors (Tơi muốn nhìn thấy lỗi nhịp điệu mà mắc phải.) 1.6 I really need to be trained in practising English rhythm by using Praat (Tôi thực muốn 2.1 I am provided the tutorial on Praat with easily understandable steps (Tôi cung cấp tập huấn sử dụng Praat để thực hành nhịp điệu tiếng Anh.) While-training (Trong trình tập huấn) tài liệu hướng dẫn sử dụng Praat với bước dễ hiểu.) 2.2 I can deal with Praat by myself at home with the teacher’s instructions and explanations during the training (Tơi tự thực hành với Praat nhà sau giáo viên hướng dẫn giải thích suốt thời gian tập huấn.) 2.3 I can record an English utterance and successfully analyze the English rhythm of that utterance (Tơi thu âm câu tiếng Anh phân tích tốt nhịp điệu câu đó.) 2.4 I can exactly identify my rhythmic errors in speaking English with Praat (Tơi dùng Praat để tìm lỗi nhịp điệu tôi.) 2.5 I can easily compare my utterances with standard ones uttered by the native speaker with Praat (Tôi dễ dàng dùng Praat so sánh Post-training (Sau tập huấn) câu nói tơi với câu chuẩn nói người ngữ.) 3.1 I continue to use Praat to practise the English rhythm after the training (Sau tập huấn, tiếp tục dùng Praat để luyện nhịp điệu tiếng Anh.) 3.2 I don’t think that Praat is difficult to use 3.3 I can refer to the tutorial in case I have any difficulties in dealing with Praat (Khi gặp (Tôi khơng nghĩ Praat khó sử dụng.) khó khăn q trình sử dụng Praat, tơi dùng lại tài liệu hướng dẫn.) Praat picture: Hình mơ nhịp điệu câu nói ( utterance) thơng qua đường viền âm (pitch contours) – đường cong lên xuống thể cao độ âm 20 3.4 I record my utterances and compare with standard ones with Praat (Tôi dùng Praat thu âm 9 9 câu so sánh chúng với câu chuẩn.) 3.5 I can identify and improve my rhythmic errors when using Praat to analyze my utterances (Tơi xác định cải thiện lỗi nhịp điệu dùng Praat để phân tích câu nói tôi.) 3.6 3.7 I find it difficult to identify rhythmic errors in speaking English without Praat (Nếu khơng có Praat, tơi thấy khó để phát lỗi nhịp điệu nói tiếng Anh.) I find it easier to understand the teacher’s feedback on a learner’s English rhythm with a Praat picture (Với Praat Picture, cảm thấy nhận xét giáo viên nhịp điệu học viên dễ hiểu hơn.) 3.8 I can realize significant improvement on rhythm in speaking English after I’ve practised identifying rhythmic errors with Praat by myself (Tôi nhận rõ tiến đáng kể nhịp điệu nói tiếng Anh sau tự luyện tập xác định lỗi nhịp điệu với Praat.) PART _ FURTHER COMMENTS (GÓP Ý THÊM) Answer the following questions (Bạn trả lời câu hỏi sau.) 2.1 What were difficulties you got in using Praat? (Bạn kể có khăn sử dụng Praat?) 2.2 What you think of the role of the teacher in the Praat training? (Bạn nghĩ vai trị giáo viên trình tập huấn sử dụng Praat?) 2.3 What you think of the role of Praat in learning the English rhythm? (Bạn nghĩ vai trị Praat q trình học nhịp điệu tiếng Anh?) 2.4 Do you have any suggestions for the use of Praat in learning the English rhythm, especially identifying the English rhythmic errors in speaking? (Bạn cho biết góp ý vào việc sử dụng Praat học nhịp điệu tiếng Anh, đặc biệt dùng Praat để tìm lỗi nhịp điệu nói tiếng Anh?) This is the end of the questionnaire Thank you for your cooperation! APPENDIX A SYNTHESIS OF RHYTHM METRICAL VALUES FROM THE SELECTED UTTERANCE RHYTHM METRICS _ 13-SYLLABLE SENTENCES (STUDENT No- UTTERANCE No) S2-U1 %V Vdev Cdev Varco V Varco C n PVI - V r PVI - V S10-U6 41.45 39.46 44.62 43.68 75.2 52.21 42.1 41.14 41.59 44 53.7 70.3 55.1 48.24 S18-U6 MEAN 42.49 45.72 45 51.86 70.22 52.22 49.82 41.69333 42.25667 44.54 49.74667 71.90667 53.17667 46.72 STANDARD L1 Vietnamese 31.2 45.2 68.9 57.6 78.1 62.3 51.5 42.49 45.72 45 51.86 70.22 52.22 49.82 RHYTHM METRICS _ 14-SYLLABLE SENTENCES (STUDENT No- UTTERANCE No) S19-U10 %V Vdev Cdev Varco V Varco C n PVI - V r PVI - V 67.9 62.1 35.8 44.3 21.5 45.3 64.9 S23-U10 S33-U10 S5-U10 65.3 60.1 35.8 39.3 25.5 46 59.8 68 61.4 39.1 38.3 29.8 45.1 56.9 66.3 59.5 30.1 33.3 27.8 45.2 63.4 MEAN 66.875 60.775 35.2 38.8 26.15 45.4 61.25 STANDARD L1 Vietnamese 50.6 69.6 70.8 57.5 60 52.8 69.2 67.9 61.2 36.5 39 28.6 46.2 59.8 RHYTHM METRICS _ 15-SYLLABLE SENTENCES (STUDENT No- UTTERANCE No) S2-U7 %V Vdev Cdev Varco V Varco C n PVI - V r PVI - V S5-U7 43.11 71 44.27 50.16 47.31 76.67 100.9 42.36 70 48.5 54.2 46.5 70 100.2 S10-U7 MEAN 48.5 75.1 41.5 53.3 46.2 74.7 111.8 44.65667 72.03333 44.75667 52.55333 46.67 73.79 104.3 STANDARD L1 Vietnamese 38.6 76.9 55.03 57.4 53.2 80.5 160.8 45 68.8 45.6 49.5 45.4 69.8 98.7 RHYTHM METRICS _ 16-SYLLABLE SENTENCES (STUDENT No- UTTERANCE No) S3-U3 %V Vdev Cdev Varco V Varco C n PVI - V r PVI - V S10-U3 27 74.8 99 64.8 57.6 63.5 85.9 S17-U3 38.6 71.3 97.2 68.9 56.7 64.5 86.2 MEAN 34.2 76.4 88 67.9 60.4 67.21 85.5 33.26667 74.16667 94.73333 67.2 58.23333 65.07 85.86667 RHYTHM METRICS _ 18-SYLLABLE SENTENCES (STUDENT No- UTTERANCE No) S18-U2 %V Vdev Cdev Varco V Varco C n PVI - V r PVI - V S5-U2 59 36.2 49.8 26.3 58.9 28.9 43.4 60 35.3 50.7 24 59 27.2 43.1 S21-U2 60.6 35.1 46.11 25.9 59.6 31.5 41.3 S24-U2 59.3 43 55 32 60 33 45 MEAN 59.725 37.4 50.4025 27.05 59.375 30.15 43.2 STANDARD L1 Vietnamese 47 85.4 60 67.4 67.5 64 95.1 65 40.3 52.3 28.2 57 28.7 42.6 Notes: S: Student U: Utterance STANDARD L1 Vietnamese 29.8 79.2 99.5 79.8 63.3 71 92 35.5 68.7 89.6 60.4 55.7 65 80.8 APPENDIX SYNTHESIS OF DECODED RHYTHMIC ERRORS FROM THE PRETRAINING RECORDING TEST Sentence Totally correct (No of Students) 10 Focus words in low pitch 2: S10; S16 8: S9; S11; S20; S21; S29; S32; S33; S34 3: S1; S11; S18 3: S18; S19; S26 8: S8; S13; S14; S16; S19; S21; S30; S35 9: S6; S8; S9; S14; S20; S27; S30; S31; S35 6: S13; S14; S26; S29; S30; S35 7: S2; S4; S15; S18; S21; S24; S28 10: S1; S3; S8; S14; S16; S17; S18; S20; S32; S34 S1; S7; S15; S16; S26; S30; S32 8 16 CORRECT THOUGHT GROUP SEGMENTATION Unstressed content words Stressed function words 8: S18; S19; S9; S10; S11; S16; S20; S22 15: S1; S3; S5; S7; S8; S9; S11; S13; S15; S16; S17; S19; S20; S21; S24; S25; S26; S28; S31; S32; S34 9: S5; S7; S9; S10; S11; S16; S18; S21; S29; S31; S32 11: S7; S10; S13; S18; S19; S20; S22; S26; S27; S29; S31 2: S19; S35 6: S8; S13; S16; S19; S30; S35 3: S6; S14; S28 7: S7; S8; S9; S14; S31; S34; S35 1: S14 7: S6; S8; S13; S14; S29; S30; S35 2: S18; S24 2: S18; S24 4: S7; S8; S14; S16 11: S1; S2; S5; S7; S8; S14; S16; S17; S18; S20; S24 2: S25; S28 7: S1; S13; S15; S18; S25; S26; S28 INCORRECT THOUGHT GROUP SEGMENTATION Inappropriate breakage of groups Long pauses of groups Equal stress of words 4: S11; S29; S1; S12 (>=3 GROUPS) 14: S2; S3; S5; S7; S8; S13; S14; S15; S17; S24; S32; S33; S18; S19 2: S1; S8 (>=4 GROUPS); 1: S17 (FEWER GROUPS) 4: S6;S25; S27; S28 4: S18; S5; S21; S24 1: S9 (FEWER GROUPS) 4: S1; S4; S19; S31 10: S3; S9; S10; S15; S17; S22; S24; S26; S32 5: S6; S14; S16; S23; S34 (FEWER GROUPS) 2: S10; S19) 10: S1; S4; S5; S9; S11; S21; S24; S32; S33 3: S18; S27; S29 (3-4 GROUPS) 8: S1; S5; S10; S11; S17; S22; S26; S32 4: S3; S11; S16; S19 (3 GROUPS) 11: S1; S4; S10; S13; S17; S18; S22; S23; S26; S29; S32 10: S1; S4; S9; S11; S15; S16; S19; S27; S28; S31 (3-4 GROUPS) 8: S2; S5; S10; S17; S18; S24; S32; S33 2: S8; S10 (4 GROUPS); 1: S18 (2 GROUPS) 2: S16; S27 4: S5; S7; S19; S35 4: S10; S11; S12 (3 GROUPS); 3: S19; S22; S27 (4 GROUPS) 1: S16 2: S13; S29 5: S6; S10; S11; S24 (4 GROUPS) 2: S14; S29 6: S3; S5; S17; S19; S23; S33 Notes: S: Student APPENDIX SYNTHESIS OF DECODED RHYTHMIC ERRORS FROM THE POSTTRAINING RECORDING TEST Sentence Totally correct (No of Students) 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 24 32 28 27 29 24 31 32 31 33 32 34 35 34 25 25 34 34 Focus words in low pitch 2: S5; S19 5: S1; S3; S9; S22; S23 1: S19 1: S20 4: S2; S16; S24; S26 CORRECT THOUGHT GROUP SEGMENTATION Unstressed content words 5: S1; S5; S23; S24; S33 1: S14 0 3: S9; S18; S22 0 2: S5; S10 0 0 0 0 2: S16; S26 0 0 2: S16; S26 0 0 1: S2 0 3: S2; S9; S22 3: S2; S14; S16 0 1: S15 0 Inappropriate breakage of groups 3: S4; S31; S33 2: S1; S23 3: S2; S1; S5 3: S1; S10; S23 3: S9; S18; S22 2: S16; S26 1: S18 2: S5; S10 Stressed function words INCORRECT THOUGHT GROUP SEGMENTATION Long pauses of groups Equal stress of words 1: S2 3: S5; S6; S8 0 3: S3; S16; S26 2: S9; S22 1: S3 9: S1; S2; S5; S9; S11; S14; S20; S22; S232: S3; S19 1: S11 1: S31 1: S11 0 1: S11 0 0 0 1: S5 6: S1; S13; S16; S18; S23; S26 0 2: S1; S23 0 0 1: S17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ... intelligibility, nonEnglish major, and prosody They are vitally important to the teaching and learning of English speaking in general and the English rhythm in particular; and understanding them... University of TorontoCanada who generously provided me with many useful materials related to Praat I also appreciated the insights shared by M. A Dang Hoai Phuong, M. A Hoang Thi Nhat Tam, and M. A Bui... instance, in writing, many of the EFL learners cannot avoid making grammatical mistakes though they are able to recognize the types of grammatical mistakes they made Consequently, they are liable