The value of aspects connected speech to enghlish majors oral communication at le quy don high school for the gifted in binh dinh m a

HO CHI MINH CITY NATIONAL UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES  VÕ HOÀNG THI THE VALUE OF ASPECTS OF CONNECTED SPEECH TO ENGLISH MAJORS’ ORAL COMMUNICATION AT LE QUY DON HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE GIFTED IN BINH DINH A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL SUPERVISOR NGUYỄN THANH TÙNG, Associate Professor Ph.D., Senior Lecturer HO CHI MINH CITY – September 2013 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled “THE VALUE OF ASPECTS OF CONNECTED SPEECH TO ENGLISH MAJORS’ ORAL COMMUNICATION AT LE QUY DON HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE GIFTED IN BINH DINH PROVINCE” in term of the Requirements for Theses in Master’s Program issued by the Higher Degree Committee The thesis has not previously been submitted for any degree or diploma at Universities and Institutions Ho Chi Minh, September 24th, 2013 Vo Hoang Thi i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby claim that I, Vo Hoang Thi, being the candidate for the M.A in TESOL Degree, accept the requirement of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Library for the care, loan or reproduction of theses Ho Chi Minh City, September 24th, 2013 Vo Hoang Thi ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the following people who have made a great contribution to the completion of my M.A thesis First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my respected supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Thanh Tung, for his enthusiastic guidance, insightful advice and critical feedback on my thesis, without all of which this thesis would never have been accomplished I would also like to sincerely thank the principal of Le Quy Don High School, in Binh Dinh Province where I work and carried out my research and all my colleagues in the Foreign Language Group of Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted for their encouragement, suggestions and support during my time of conducting the research I owe many thanks to all the students of class 11 English and 11A2 who wholeheartedly participated in this study I really appreciate their valuable cooperation which has made a great contribution to the success of my study Last but not least, I would like to extend my thanks to my wife and my parents for their care and supports Ho Chi Minh City, September 2013 Vo Hoang Thi iii ABSTRACT Teachers and learners of English are well aware of the fact that a good command of the language includes many components, among which aspects of connected speech must be taken into serious consideration if one wants to participate in an international environment However, at the high school level, aspects of connected speech have not received attention commensurate with their roles Avery and Ehrlich (1995) suggested that supra-segmental features are far more important and central to communication than accurate production of the individual sounds Accordingly, the researcher assumes that an adequate knowledge of aspects of connected speech will help improve the students’ communication skill To examine whether aspects of connected speech could really better students’ ability in oral communication, an empirical study was conducted at Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted in Binh Dinh Forty five 11 graders majoring in English were invited to take part in the study to find out whether they could improve their oral skills with the help of aspects of connected speech The data, both qualitative and quantitative, were collected through the pre- and post-test, as well as the questionnaires The results from the statistical analysis of the pre- and post-test showed that there was a significant improvement in the students’ oral communication through the use of aspects of connected speech, which made their speech more natural In addition, after such an introduction to aspects of connected speech the experimental students showed a better attitude in learning speaking and listening Accordingly, the researcher came to a conclusion that the teaching of aspects of connected speech to high school students could develop their oral skills and positively change their attitude toward speaking and listening in the context of Vietnam in general and at Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted in Binh Dinh in particular In the light of these findings, some recommendations were made for a better instruction of aspects of connected speech, so that they would be used for students of other schools with the same conditions and setting iv Table of Contents Certificate of originality i Retention and use of the thesis ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract iv Table of contents v List of figures viii List of tables x List of abbreviations xi Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Background of the study 1.2 Aim of the study 1.3 Research hypotheses and questions 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Structure of the study Chapter 2: Literature review 2.1 Sound production and sound classification 2.1.1 Speech sound 2.1.2 Classification of sounds 2.1.2.1 Classification of vowels 2.1.2.1.1 Tongue Positions 2.1.2.1.2 Lip – rounding 2.1.2.2 Classification of consonants 2.1.2.2.1 Places of articulation 2.1.2.2.2 Manner of articulation 11 2.1.2.2.3 Voicing 13 2.2 Speech rhythm 13 2.2.1 Stress – timed rhythm 14 2.2.2 Syllable – timed rhythm 15 2.3 Assimilation 16 2.3.1 Progressive assimilation 17 2.3.2 Regressive assimilation 18 2.3.3 Coalescent assimilation 20 2.4 Elision 22 2.4.1 Loss of weak rowel after p, t, k 22 2.4.2 Weak vowel becomes syllabic before n , l, or r 22 2.4.3 Avoidance of complex consonant clusters 23 2.4.4 Loss of final /v/ in “of” before consonants 23 2.5.1 Linking 23 2.5.1 Linking consonants to vowels 24 2.5.2 Linking consonants to consonants 25 2.5.3 Linking identical consonants 25 v 2.5.4 Linking vowels to vowels 26 2.5.5 Linking vowels to semi – vowels 26 2.6 The correlation between spoken competence and aspects of connected speech 27 2.7 The principles of teaching pronunciation and connected speech 28 2.7.1 Principles in pronunciation teaching 28 2.7.2 Techniques in pronunciation teaching 29 2.8 Summary 33 Chapter 3: Methodology 3.1 Study setting 34 3.2 Participants 34 3.3 Empirical application of ACS 36 3.3.1 The practice of ACS 36 3.3.1.1 Preparation stage 3.3.1.1.1 Material selection 36 3.3.1.1.2 Activities for teaching ACS 37 3.3.1.2 The teaching of ACS in practice 40 3.3.2 Evaluative instruments 40 3.3.2.1 Pre – test and post – test 40 3.3.2.2 The questionnaires for teachers and students 41 3.4 Analytical framework 41 3.4.1 Quantitative analysis of pre – and post – tests 41 3.4.2 Quantitative analysis of the questionnaires 42 3.5 Summary 42 Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Discussion 42 4.1 Results from the students’ survey questionnaire 43 4.2 Results from the teachers’ survey questionnaire 51 4.3 Results from the diagnostic test 60 4.3.1 Problems with rhythm 60 4.3.2 Problems with assimilation 61 4.3.3 Problems with elision 62 4.3.4 Problems with linking 63 4.3.5 Summary 64 4.4 Results from the achievement test 64 4.5 Testing the two hypotheses 67 4.5.1 Testing of the first hypothesis 67 4.5.2 Testing the second hypothesis 68 4.6 Summary 70 Chapter 5: Conclusion and recommendations 5.1 Conclusion 71 5.2 Evaluation of the research methodology 73 5.3 Recommendations for applying ACS 74 5.3.1 The practitioners of ACS and the teachers of English 74 vi 5.3.2 Educational administrators 75 5.4 Strategies for teaching ACS 75 5.4.1 Strategies for teaching rhythm 75 5.4.2 Strategies for teaching linking 77 5.4.3 Strategies for teaching assimilation and elision 78 5.5 Suggestions for further study 79 References 80 Appendices Appendix1: Students’ questionnaire (in Vietnamese) 84 Appendix 2: Students’ questionnaire (in English) 86 Appendix 3: Teachers’ questionnaire (in Vietnamese) 88 Appendix 4: Teachers’ questionnaire (in English) 91 Appendix 5: Test 93 Appendix 6: Sample lesson plan 94 Appendix 7: List of student respondents 97 Appendix 8: Test CD 99 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1: The vocal organs Figure 2.2: Classification of vowels according to tongue positions Figure 2.3: Classification of vowels according to lip-rounding Figure 4.1: Students’ viewpoint on the importance of ACS 43 Figure 4.2: Reality of introducing ACS at LQD High School 45 Figure 4.3: Students’ interest in acquiring ACS 45 Figure 4.4: Students’ preference in acquiring ACS ……………………………………… 46 Figure 4.5: Students’ difficulty in acquiring ACS 47 Figure 4.6: Students’ knowledge of ACS ………………………………………………… 48 Figure 4.7: Students’ methods of overcoming difficulties ……………………………… 49 Figure 4.8: Students’ awareness of using ACS 50 Figure 4.9: Students’ evaluation of the usefulness of ACS 50 Figure 4.10: Students’ evaluation of the help of ACS ……………………………………… 51 Figure 4.11: Teachers’ evaluation of how important the introducing of ACS is …………… 52 viii Figure 4.12: Teachers’ introduction of ACS ………………………………………………… 53 Figure 4.13: Teachers’ evaluation of the students interest in ACS ………………………… 54 Figure 4.14: Teachers’ choices of the most activating and effective activities 55 Figure 4.15: Teachers’ opinion on the most motivating activities 56 Figure 4.16: Teachers’ observation of the most difficult ACS to students ………………… 56 Figure 4.17: Teachers’ view on most important ACS to introduce ………………………… 57 Figure 4.18: Teachers’ difficulties in teaching ACS 59 Figure 4.19: Students’ problems with assimilation 61 Figure 4.20: Students’ use of linking techniques 63 ix  Có: Xin cho biết  Khơng Anh/Chị làm để vượt qua khó khăn nêu câu 5?  Học quy luật sử dụng mạng  Bắt chước, đọc theo giọng băng, đĩa  Bắt chước đọc theo giáo viên  Không làm theo cách  Cách khác Xin cho biết: Anh/Chị có ý dùng mặt chuỗi lời nói giao tiếp khơng?  Có, thường xun Cho ví dụ:  Có, đơi lúc Cho ví dụ  Không Theo anh/chị, việc biết sử dụng mặt chuỗi lời nói có giúp cải thiện khả giao tiếp ngơn ngữ nói anh/chị khơng?  Có  Không Xin cho biết lý 10 Sau số luyện tập, khả sử dụng mặt chuỗi lời nói anh chị cải thiện mức độ nào?  Rất nhiều  Nhiều  Chút  Không cải thiện Xin cảm ơn cộng tác, giúp đỡ anh/chị 85 APPENDIX Students’ questionnaire (in English) Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted, Binh Dinh QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS Dear students, Please take your time and answer the questions in this questionnaire by putting a tick beside your choice (more than one option is acceptable) Your responses to these survey questions provide crucial data and are of a vital role to the success of my M.A thesis Also, it is hereby guaranteed that all the items in this questionnaire are employed solely for the research purposes and kept unknown to the public In your opinion, how important are aspects of connected speech to English learner communication pronunciation practice mean? to your learning English? What here??  Very important  Important  Fairly important  Not important at all Has your teacher ever mentioned ACS in the class?  Yes, often  Yes, sometimes Are you interested in learning ACS?  Yes, very much  Yes  No  No State the reason ………… …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… How would you like to study ACS?  Through authentic videos, tapes  Through authentic videos, tapes, together with teacher’s explanation  Through teacher’s explanation alone  Others Please state ………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… Do you have difficulty as to when and how to apply ACS in your communication?  Yes, usually  Yes, sometimes  No Do you know any rules of using ACS?  Yes What are the rules? 86  No What have you done to overcome the difficulty in using ACS?  Learn the rules on the internet  Repeat after the speakers in the recording or imitate them  Imitate the teacher  Do nothing  Others Please specify: Are you aware of using ACS such as linking and rhythm in your ora communication?  Yes, usually Example:  Yes, sometimes Example:  No Do you believe in the value of ACS in improving your communication?  Yes  No Please specify: 10 After a certain number of ACS classes, how much you think ACS helps to improve your communication?  Very much  Much  A little  Not improved at all Sincere thanks for your cooporation! 87 APPENDIX Teachers’ questionnaire (in Vietnamese) Trường THPT Chuyên Lê Quý Đơn, Bình Định PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT (Dành cho giáo viên) Thưa q thầy/cơ, Xin vui lịng trả lời câu hỏi bảng khảo sát sau cách đánh dấu () vào phương án trả lời chọn (có thể có nhiều lựa chọn cho câu hỏi) Đối với câu cần ý kiến cụ thể, xin ghi rõ vào khoảng trống chừa sẵn Câu trả lời thầy/cơ liệu quan trọng, có ý nghĩa định thành công đề tài nghiên cứu cho luận văn thạc sỹ sử dụng vào mục đích nghiên cứu Khơng thông tin cá nhân thầy/cô bị tiết lộ Theo thầy/cô, việc dạy mặt chuỗi lời nói đóng vai trị việc nâng cao khả giao tiếp học sinh?  Rất quan trọng  Quan trọng  Khá quan trọng  Không quan trọng Thầy/cô giới thiệu mặt chuỗi lời nói cho học sinh chưa?  Có Xin nói rõ cách thức …………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………  Chưa (bỏ qua câu 4) Học sinh thầy/cơ có hứng thú tham gia lớp học mặt chuỗi lời nói hay không?  Rất hứng thú  Khá hứng thú  Bình thường  Chán nản Thầy/cơ sử dụng hoạt động sau để dạy mặt chuỗi lời nói?  Mở đĩa, học sinh đọc theo 88  Mở số video, cho học sinh đọc theo  Thầy/cô đọc trước, học sinh đọc theo  Cách khác Hãy nói rõ: …………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… Hoạt động dạy thầy/cô cho tốt dạy mặt chuỗi lời nói?  Mở đĩa, video cho học sinh đọc theo  Cho học sinh nghe đĩa, xem video, sau phân tíc giảng giải đọc theo  Thầy/cô đọc trước, học sinh đọc theo  Cách khác Hãy nói rõ: …………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… Theo thầy/cô mặt số mặt chuỗi lời nói la quan trọng học sinh phổ thơng? (Có thể chọn đáp án)  Linking  Asimilation  Rhythm  Elision Xin giải thích lựa chọn thầy/cơ: Học sinh thầy/ cô thấy mặt số mặt chuỗi lời nói khó tiếp thu nhất?  Linking  Asimilation  Rhythm  Elision Thầy có tin tưởng kiến thức mặt chuỗi lời nói giúp học sinh cải thiện khả giao tiếp?  Có, nhiều  Có, nhiều  Có, khơng đáng kể  Khơng cải thiện Xin cho biết lý 89 Theo thầy/cơ, ngun nhân dẫn đến khó khăn học sinh gặp phải học mặt chuỗi lời nói?  Thiếu động lực học Xin giải thích  Trình độ tiếng Anh thấp Xin giải thích  Kiến thức q khó Xin giải thích  Nguyên nhân khác Xin cho biết 10 Thầy/cơ làm để giúp học sinh vượt qua khó khăn tiếp thu mặt chuỗi lời nói? Xin cho biết Xin cảm ơn cộng tác, giúp đỡ nhiệt tình q thầy/cơ 90 APPENDIX Teachers’ questionnaire (in English) Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted, Binh Dinh QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS Dear teachers, Please take your time and answer the questions in this questionnaire by putting a tick beside your choice (more than one option is acceptable) For questions that require further explanation, please state the reasons for your choices in the dotted blank Your responses to these survey questions provide crucial data and are of a vital role to the success of my M.A thesis Also, it is hereby guaranteed that all the items in this questionnaire are employed solely for the research purposes and kept unknown to the public In your opinion, how important is the teaching of ACS to students if communicative competence is one of the targets?  Very important  Important  Fairly important  Not important at all Have you ever introduced your students to ACS?  Yes How have you introduced? ……………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………  No (Leave out Question 4) Are the students interested in these classes?  Yes, very much  Uninterested  Quite interested  Bored What activities have you used to teach ACS to the students?  Repeat after recording or tape  Repeat after the voices in the clips  Repeat after the teacher  Others Please specify ……… ………………………………………………………………………………… What you think are the best activities for teaching ACS?  Listen and repeat  Listen to the tape and the teacher’s explanation and then repeat 91  Others Please specify: What you think are the most important aspects of ACS and should be introduced to the students?  Linking  Asimilation  Rhythm  Elision Explain your choices: What aspect of ACS your students find most difficult to acquire?  Linking  Asimilation  Rhythm  Elision Do you believe in the value of ACS in improving your students’ communication skills?  Yes, Please specify the extent:  No, Please specify the reason: What are the causes of the difficulties your students face in learning ACS?  Lack of motivation Please specify:  Students’ low level of English Please specify:  The difficulty level of ACS Please specify: 10 What have you done to help your students improve their use of ACS in spoken English? …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… Many thanks for your kind cooporation! 92 APPENDIX 5: Test Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted Name: ……………………… Class: ……………………… Read the following sentences as naturally as possible to your ability Walk down the path to the end of the canal Several experts are to give evidence on the subject Send me the best item you have in stock You have to be punctual Would you mind moving? He is a good boy Perhaps I need some more potatoes It’s a waste of money When he looked back, she had left 10 Please breathe in deeply 11 I saw Ann at the airport 12 I would like to write in blue ink 93 APPENDIX Sample lesson plan LESSON PLAN ASPECTS OF CONNECTED SPEECH: LINKING - Aims: To help sts know how to use RHYTHM in natural speech to improve their oral communication skill Objectives: By the end of the lesson, sts will be able to use RHYTHM in their natural speech Time 5’ Stages & Content Teacher’s activities Sts’ activities I Warm – up: - listen to the Sing together - Play the video of the song “If you’re - plays the video and song and sing happy and you know it” guides sts to sing along along in - The whole class sing along the voice in chorus the video 7’ Set the scene: Teacher draws sts’ - Explain the notion of - listen to the attention to the music of the English rhythm through the teacher language by speaking slowly the lyric of song the song, emphasizing the sentence and word stress Introduce sts to rhythm 94 II Presentation: Theory of rhythm - Stress-timed rhythm - write the rules and - take notes theory on the board Ex: Walk down the path to the end of the 8’ canal - Syllable-timed rhythm Ex: Several experts are to give evidence on the subject - Explain: Content word (stressed): and function word (unstressed) - Let sts watch the video downloaded from youtube and the teacher explains the rules of rhythm III Practice: A Controlled practice - Ask sts to practice in group reading the following sentences Ask them to pay attention to word stress and sentence stress Sentences: 1/ If you are happy and you know it, clap your hands 2/ I’m Ma Baker Put your hands in the air and give me all your money 95 - hand out the card on which there are sentences for practice - Work in groups, reading the sentences on the card, using rhythm 3/ You have saved my life I owe you once - Plays the recording and - Imitate the monitors the voice in the shadowtalking activity recording 4/ I dropped out of university in my second year and began working in my grandpa’s factory 5/ How come you survived such a terrible crash? - Ask sts to the Shadowtalking A panel of three judges are formed with excellent students whose spoken skill is outstanding Teacher plays the recording, and the representative from each group read after the voice The judges will decide the winner B Free practice The sts can search the internet and choose whatever one sentence they like, and recite it to the class and tell the reason he/she likes the saying 96 - Walks around and give suggestion to sts if necessary - Search for the favorite saying on line and recite to the class APPENDIX 7: List of student respondents Class 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 Student’s code S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 S23 S24 S25 S26 S27 S28 S29 S30 S31 S32 S33 S34 S35 S36 S37 Age 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 97 Sexes Male Male Male Male Male Male Male Male Male Male 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 11A2 S38 S39 S40 S41 S42 S43 S44 S45 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 98 APPENDIX 8: Test CD 99 ... School for the Gifted in Binh Dinh Province The school? ??s main targets are to train excellent students for the annual national exams and to teach them toward the university entrance exams so that they...CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled ? ?THE VALUE OF ASPECTS OF CONNECTED SPEECH TO ENGLISH MAJORS? ?? ORAL COMMUNICATION AT LE QUY DON HIGH SCHOOL FOR. .. phenomenon Examples: in- im- inoperative impossible inflexible imbalanced intangible impartial il- ir- illogical irreplaceable illegitimate irresponsible illegible irrational Similar to the regressive