LINGUISTICS

BY NIWAHSINEE ADAIKALAM J5

Question

Non-native speakers of English (NNS) often have problems with pronunciation. Discuss the problem areas and suggest ways to overcome these problems identified. Provide relevant examples to illustrate your answer.

Introduction
English spoken by 750 million people

Four major skills

Hardest Skill: Speaking Requires

mastering of pronunciation Problems faced by non-native speakers of English with pronunciation and ways to overcome the problems identified

Problems faced by NNS of English with pronunciation

Consonant phonemes

Vowel phonemes
Intonation

Stress timing
Segmental features of speech

Consonant Phonemes
Own place and manner of articulation

pronouncing the interdental fricative [] and []

the slight difference in terms of the air flow

distinguishes these sounds sounds are relatively rare in the learners own language. Example: some Chinese and Japanese NNS of English confuse between the consonants /l/ and /r/. correct collect

Vowel Phonemes
learners learned knowledge of native

language interrupts his/her learning of new language. Influence of Malay language has resulted in some Malaysians to shorten long vowels. For example, the food is pronounced /fud/ but some Malaysians pronounce it /fud/.

Intonation
lack of knowledge in the intonation rules of

English
most languages do not use intonation the same

way as English does need to be shown that loudness and length should also be used to vary stress Some Indian languages speakers speak Tamil accented English

Stress Timing
English is a stress-timed language as it comprises

words and sentences which have strong and weak parts (Chuang, 2010) most of the worlds major languages are syllable stressed Example: Spanish have an over-even rhythm which can be monotonous Stress aids in shifting and altering meaning

Segmental Features of Speech

comprise assimilation, elision and linking Assimilation: when spoken quickly the

words tend to link smoothly together and sometimes the sounds disappear altogether
Example: credit card /krdik kard/

Segmental Features of Speech

Elision: when a weakly accented syllable undergoes

the process of gradation as in loss of phonemes or obscuration of vowels (Cruttenden, 1994)

Example: satisfactory as /ssfktrI/

Ways to Overcome
Reading out aloud

Watching English movies, television

shows and listening to English songs Speaking English outside classroom Constantly referring to conventional and online dictionaries.

Reading out aloud

By reading out aloud, learners could keep track of

the mistakes they make in pronunciation. divide their speech into intonation phrases by noting the frequency with which sentences and adverbials and the subjects of sentences are given. learners will learn to place the stress on proper syllable. NNS of English read in front of native speakers so that, the native speaker could correct the mistakes and model proper pronunciation, fluency, and intonation (James, 2011).

Watching English movies, television shows and listening to English songs

face difficulties with pronunciation due to their lack

of exposure to English. watching English movies and television shows such as Harry Potter and BBC News. listening to English songs help NNS of English who struggles in understanding segmental featured speeches. songs tend to include assimilated, elision and linked words.

Speaking English outside classroom

bold and willing to speak English outside classroom.

Not necessary for NNS of English to speak Received

Pronunciation (RP) in public. The difference in mother tongue causes non-native speakers to incorporate English into their native accent. acceptable as long as the listeners are able to understand what the speaker is saying with minimal strain as accents reflect ones identity.

Constantly referring to conventional and online dictionaries

very effective and has been in use for ages.

The conventional dictionaries provide both British

and American pronunciation for every word using phonetic symbols. Users can refer to the phonetic symbols in the phonetic section to check their pronunciation Meanwhile, online dictionaries such as MerriamWebster Dictionary, free dictionary.com and Dictionary.com provide the correct pronunciation for each word.

Conclusion
non-native speakers of English face difficulties

with pronunciation due to the distinction between English and their native language. problem could be solved if the NNS of English are willing to explore and experience English children of non-native speakers of English are exposed to English earlier during their childhood

References
Chuang, F. Y. (2010). Pronunciation. Retrieved February 28, 2011, from Warwick

Center for Applied Linguistic: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/learning_english/leap/listeningandspeakin g/pronunciation/ Arnold.

Cruttenden, A. (1994). Gimson's Pronunciation of English. New York: Edward

Deterding, D. H., & Poejosoedarmo, G. R. (1998). Sounds of English . Singapore:

Prentice Hall.

Fennell, B. A. (n.d.). History of English. Retrieved January 16, 2011, from

http://www.ielanguages.com/enghist.html

James, D. (2011, February 2). eHow.com. Retrieved March 4, 2011, from What

Difficulties Do Second Language Learners Face with Learning to Read?: http://www.ehow.com/info_7883338_difficulties-learners-face-learningread.html

References
Loga Mahesan Baskaran. (2005). A Malaysian English Primer. Kuala Lumpur:

University Malaya Press.

Prof. Dr. Imran Ho Abdullah. English Phonetics and Phonology. Kuala

Lumpur: Open University Malaysia.

Taylor, L. (1993). Pronunciation in Action. New York: Prentice Hall.

Vogt, E. V. (2009, November 3). Speaking Habits for Foreign Language

Learners. Retrieved March 11, 2011, from Brighthub.com: http://www.brighthub.com/education/languages/articles/1664.aspx