ANALYSIS OF VOWELS AND CONSONANTS ERROR OF AN EFL

LEARNERS UTTERANCES

Composed to fulfill English Phonology and Phonetics Final Assignment

By:
Yusron Arfiansyah
130210401090

ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

LANGUAGE AND ARTS DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
JEMBER UNIVERSITY
2016

INTRODUCTION
Language is essential to every aspect and interaction in our everyday lives. Language
is used as a tool to inform people around us of what we feel, what we desire, and question or
understand the world around us. People communicate effectively with their words, gestures,
and tone of voice in a multitude of situation.
English is one of the languages that commonly use to communicate. English has an
important role in this world, moreover, for scientific. Many people learn English in this
world. As an English teacher to be, the writer should know, guide and provide students to be
able to use English properly.
As an EFL learners, Many factors can be affected in their English. one of the
factors is first language. First language takes an important role in producing the target
language sounds. Even that, first language has both positive and negative interference to the
target language. Interference implies a re-arrangement of patterns that result from the
introduction of foreign elements into more highly structured syntax, as well as some areas of
vocabulary culture and discourse (Alabi, 2001:85). These many factors is used by the
majority of English foreign language teachers and students to ignore the necessity to practice
how to produce the correct pronunciation of vowels and consonants. Whereas, it is actually
one of the important aspects of language. Most students make a mistake in producing the
correct pronunciation of vowels and consonants, especially when they are reading.
In this paper, the writer provides the result of the analysis on phonological aspects
focusing on segmental aspects of pronunciation of an EFL (English as Foreign Language)
learners utterances. The writer analyzed what mispronounced words appear and the
inference of the first language to English pronunciation as the target language is. The subject
of the writers analysis is utterances of a 25 years old student of TV and Films Study
Program in Jember University named Caesar Ragil Nugraha in reading a short paragraph.

DISCUSSION
2.1 Biodata of The Respondent
The respondent of the analysis is Caesar Ragil Nugrahanto, a student of TV and
Films Program Study in Jember University. He was born on Mei 17th 1991. It means that
he is 25 years old now. He has learned English for about 15 years. Unfortunately, he is a
passive English learner. He is actually good in English at junior high school, but since he
had registered in Vocational school, he lost his ability in produce English. Moreover,
there is no partner beside him to practice English outside the class. His mother tongue is
Javanese, although he mostly speaks Indonesian. He also knows madurese but as a
passive speaker.
2.2 Paragraph
English as a language that used in most countries in the world has an important
role, moreover, for scientific. This language grows in a row of globalization era. That is
why English is one of the major foreign language that has to be taught to students. For
those who are interested in specialized science disciplines, English should be taught
based on their needs. For example, some vocational students would like to learn English
regarding their realms as follows: tourism, economics, medicine, law, politics, secretary,
engineering, agriculture and etc.
Phonetic Transcription :
The Phonetic Transcription of the Respondents Utterances
/gl z lgwz t juz most kontriz n wrld hz n mprtnt rl:,
mrovr, fr santfk./ /slgwz gro n ro ov globlzen r./ /t z
wa gl z wn ov mer fri lgwz t hz tu bi.tgt tu studnts./
/fr z hu r ntrst n splst sans dsplnz, gl d bi tgt bes n e nidz./
/fr smpl, sm.vokenl studnts hu lak tu lrn gl rgrd e rilmz z
flo: trsm, konomks,.md.sin, la, pltks, skrteri, nnr gr
kultur end kstr./
The Correct Phonetic Transcription
/gl z lgw t juzd n most kntriz n wrld hz n mp;r.tnt rol,
mrovr, fr santfk./ /s lgw.groz n ro v globlzen r./ /t
z wa gl z wn v mer frn lgw t hz t bi tt t studnts./ /fr
oz hu r ntrstd n spelazd sans dsplnz, gl d bi tt best n r nidz./
/fr gzmpl, sm vokenlstudnts wd lak tu lrn gl rgrd r rlmz z
floz: trzm, knmks, mdsn, l, pltks, skrtri, nnr, gr
klr nd tstr./

Words

Phonetic Transcription of

Correct Phonetic

The Respondents
English
Language
Role
moreover
Of
foreign
Thought
those
interested
example
realms
follows
tourism
economic
medicine
law
Secretary
engineering
Agriculture
and
etc

Utterances
/gl/
/lgwz/
/rl:/
/mrovr/
/ov/
/fri /
/tgt/
/ z /
/ntrst /
/ smpl /
/ rilmz /
/flo/
/trsm /
/ konomks /
/.md.sin /
/ la/
/skrteri/
/nnr /
/grkultur/
/end/
/ kstr/

Transcription
/gl/
/lgw/
/rol/
/mrovr/
/ v /
/frn/
/ tt /
/ oz /
/ntrstd /
/ gzmpl /
/ rlmz /
/ floz/
/ trzm /
/ knmks /
/mdsn /
/l/
/skrtri/
/nnr /
/grklr/
/ nd/
/tstr/

It was discovered that the respondent has problems with most of the sounds which
were not available in his first language and he replaced them with the ones that were found.
Also, he pronounces the letters according to the way how the words were written down just
like as his first language (Indonesian). The main problem of the the respondent is in
articulating the consonant clusters encountered as he deleted some of the consonant sounds.
The focus of the writer her in analyzing segmental aspects of pronunciation which are
consonants and vowels.
2.3 Analysis
Consonants
Mr. Ragil substituted most of the consonants sounds with the one that he found in
Indonesia such as thought that should be pronounced as / tt / to be /tgt/, tourism that
should be pronounced as / trzm / to be /trsm /. Another way he pronounced is by
eliminating the consonants. For example, follows that should be pronounced as / floz/
to be /flo/, interested to be interest. Sometimes he added some consonants words such
as language that should be pronounced as /lgw/ to be /lgwz/ .
In connection with the problems above, the problem of the respondent is less of
practice in English. His study program is very helpful for his English. because he mostly
watched English movie, means that he has to be familiar with the sound. But, he needs
more practice to pronounce the consonants a lot.
In addition, his mother tounge Javanese has some effect on his way to prononce
the word. Beside that, he use a javanese accent in his way to pronounce the English
words.
Vowels

Main problem of the respondent is seen clearly in the vowels sounds. The fiirst
language has a negative interferance in his vowels. For Example English that should be
pronounced as /gl/ becomes /gl/. Here are another examples negative
interferance in the respondents vowels sounds. the interferance of the first in the
recording
Phonetic
Words

English
Role
moreover
Of
foreign
those
interested
example
realms
follows
economic
medicine
law
Secretary
engineering
Agriculture
and
etc

Correct Phonetic

Transcription of

Transcription

The Respondents

/gl/
/rol/
/mrovr/
/ v /
/frn/
/ oz /
/ntrstd /
/ gzmpl /
/ rlmz /
/ floz/
/ knmks /
/mdsn /
/l/
/skrtri/
/nnr /
/grklr/
/ nd/
/tstr/

Becomes >

Utterances
/gl/
/rl:/
/mrovr/
/ov/
/fri /
/ z /
/ntrst /
/ smpl /
/ rilmz /
/flo/
/ konomks /
/.md.sin /
/ la/
/skrteri/
/nnr /
/grkultur/
/end/
/ kstr/

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, EFL speakers or learners may face difficulties in learning the
foreign language which is English. The respondent influenced by the interference from the
mother tongue and their competence in applying the knowledge about English. The
interferance can be happen in different level of morphological, phonological and syntactic.
The respondents error is caused by lack of competence of knowledge. The less amount of
English learning also takes important in the way how the respondent pronounce the word in
English. Knowing the result of the analysis, teacher take an important role in the students
English learning, moreover in how they pronounce the English sounds. Thus, it is crucial for
EFL teachers to be to learn English Phonology and Phonetics in order to guide and provide
students to be able to use English properly.