An Analysis of Pronunciation Errors of Iranian EFL Learners
الموضوعات : Research in English Language PedagogyMahmood Hashemian 1 , Kamal Heidari Soureshjani 2
1 - Shahrekord University
2 - Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, Shahrekord, Iran
الکلمات المفتاحية: pronunciation errors, speed of reading, Phonology,
ملخص المقالة :
As oral skills are increasingly seen as a high priority, phonology and pronunciation teaching are occupying a central position in the teaching and learning of other languages. The present study is an attempt to shed some light on identifying and exploring the difficulties of Iranian EFL learners in phonology and pronunciation. To achieve this goal, 3 male language learners (elementary, intermediate, and advanced) were randomly selected and were required to articulate 3 different types of material. Having analyzed the data, the study revealed that, first, pronouncing /ɪə/ as /eə/, /æ/ as /e/, /ɑ:/ as /ɔ:/, /ʊ/ as /u:/, /aɪ/ as /ɔɪ/, /ɪ/ as /i:/, /əʊ/ as /ɔ:/, /w/ as /v/, /ð/ as /d/ or /z/, /θ/ as /t/ or /s/ and /ŋ/ as /ng/ and mispronouncing /ɒ/, /ʌ/, /ɜ:/, /ə/, /ɔɪ/, /eə/, /r/ and /aʊ/ are the most frequent errors among Persian-speaking learners. Second, the study indicated that the speed of reading was inappropriate for all the beginning, intermediate, and advanced learners.
Avery, P., & Ehrlich, S. (1992). Teaching American English pronunciation. Oxford University Press.
Davis, C. (1999). Will the use of videos designed for the purpose of teaching English pronunciation improve the learners’ production of discrete sounds by at least over a 12-week period? The English Teacher, 27, 70-89.
Evans, J. S. B. T., Newstead, S. E., & Byrne, R.
M. J. (1993). Human reasoning: The psychology of deduction. Psychology Press, Hove, UK.
Farsinet (n.d.). Farsi-Persian Language. Retrieved March 20, 2007, from http:// www.farsinet.com/farsi/
Florez, M. C. (1998). Improving adult ESL learners’ pronunciation skills. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from www.cal.org/ caela/digests/pronun.htm
Fraser, H. (2000a), Coordinating improvements in pronunciation teaching for adult learners of English as a second language. Retrieved April 31, 2011, from http://www- personal.une.edu.au/~hfraser
Fraser, H. (2000b). Literacy vs. oral communication skills for ESL learners. In Literacy Link, Newsletter of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy.
Hall, S. (1997). Integrating pronunciation for fluency in presentation skills. Retrieved October 31, 2004, from http://www-personal.une.edu.au/~hfraser/docs/ HF Change Challenge Opp.pdf
Hinofotis, F., & Bailey, K. (1981). American undergraduates’ reactions to the communication skills of foreign teaching assistants. In J. Fisher, M. Clarke, & J. Schachter (Eds.), On TESOL ‘80: Building bridges: Research and practice in teaching English as a second language. Selected papers from the Fourteenth Annual Convention of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Washington, DC: TESOL.
Lambacher, S. (1999). A CALL tool for improving second language acquisition of English consonants by Japanese learners. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 12(2), 137-156.
McCarthy, M. (1991). Discourse analysis for language teachers. London: Cam- bridge University Press.
Morley, J. (1991). Pronunciation component in teaching English to speakers of other languages. TESOL Quarterly, 25(3), 481-520.
Murphy, J. (1991). Oral communication in TESOL: Integrating speaking, listening and pronunciation. TESOL Quarterly, 25, 1, 51-75.
Samareh, Y. (2000). The arrangement of segmental phonemes in Farsi. Tehran University Press.
Sousa, A. D. (2005). How the brain learns to read. California: Crowin Press.
Swan, M., & Smith, B. (1987). Learner English: A teacher’s guide to interference and other problems. Cambridge University Press.
Windfuhr, G. L. (1979). Persian. In B. Comrie (Ed.), The world’s major languages. Oxford University Press.
Wong, R. (1987). Teaching pronunciation. Prentice Hall.