scholarly journals An Investigation of Factors Causing English Mispronunciation of Students in English for International Communication

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 194-205
Author(s):  
Rommel Valencia Tabula ◽  
Sawitri Suwanaroa ◽  
Sutarat Polerk
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
English Education ◽  
First Language ◽  
International Communication ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Interference Factor ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Thai Students ◽  
Ability Factor

English has been recognized as a lingua franca in different aspects of communication such as international business, academic context, science and technology.  Despite the constant efforts of developing English education in Thailand, studies have shown that the achievement of Thai students was still unsatisfactory. Additionally, previous studies revealed Thai EFL learners faced a number of difficulties in pronunciation and speaking. The purposes of this study were to investigate the levels of the factors and the most and least factors causing in English mispronunciation of 2nd and 3rd year students in EIC at RMUTL Tak campus.  Fifty-one students were purposively selected from EIC of 2nd and 3rd year in 2019. The research instrument included questionnaire and adopted Likert scale for data analysis. The results found that 2nd and 3rd year students in English for International Communication (EIC) Program evaluated the factor causing in English mispronunciation found that 1) the first language interference factor have the highest mean value 2) phonetic ability factor 3) experience in studying English factor and 4) motivation factor have the lowest mean value.

From English to Banglish: Loanwords as opportunities and barriers?

English Today ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-31
Author(s):  
Massrura Mostafa ◽  
Marium Jamila
Keyword(s):  
English Education ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
First Language ◽  
International Communication ◽  
Ruling Class ◽  
Educational Advancement ◽  
British Rule ◽  
The World ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Compulsory Subject

As a mother tongue English is the second most spoken language in the world. Chinese is the first, but English is far more widely spoken around the world. ‘Today English is spoken or written, with varying levels of fluency, by a third of the world's population’ (Crystal, 2010: 8). It has been accepted as the most common means for international communication worldwide. Hence, it occupies a special position as the international language of communication in almost all the countries of the world. Before 1971 in Bangladesh, English was used as a second language. It was first introduced when the country was a part of India when British imperialists mandated the teaching of English in 1835 throughout India. After its introduction in the curriculum, English consolidated its position as the language of the ruling class. It became the most important subject of study in the curriculum. Its dominance increased when it replaced Persian as the official and court language in 1837 and even further in 1844 when Lord Harding announced that Indians who had received an education in English would receive preference in all government appointments. However, towards the end of the British rule, a reaction arose against English education and the use of English generally. With the departure of the British rulers in 1947, English lost its earlier prominence and prestige. During the Pakistan period, when Bangladesh became a part of Pakistan (1947–1971), English retained its position as an essential subject of study. Learning English was still considered indispensable for social, intercultural and international communication, educational advancement, professional success and progress in life. In independent Bangladesh, English occupies the place of being the most important foreign language. It is taught and learned as a compulsory subject alongside Bangla, the first language, from the primary level up to the highest level of study.

scholarly journals EFL LEARNERS’ AND TEACHERS’ POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS LOCAL COMMUNITY BASED INSTRUCTION

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 504
Author(s):  
Budsaba Kanoksilapatham ◽  
Paweena Channuan
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Local Community ◽  
English Education ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Northern Region ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Thai Students ◽  
Based Instruction

The new status of the English language as an international language (EIL) in the age of globalisation has contributed to a cultural change of focus in English language teaching (ELT). Instead of paying attention to cultural aspects of native English speakers as in traditional English instruction, cultural diversity now plays a key role in the teaching of culture in order to enhance leaners‟ intercultural awareness. To fill this need, this study aims to document EFL learners‟ and teachers‟ attitudes towards local community instruction in which young Thai students learned English whilst being encouraged to take pride in their local culture. In this study, a set of local community-integrated lessons for elementary English education were constructed and subsequently implemented in Grade 4 classes at schools in the northern region of Thailand. Questionnaires were then administered to the students, and semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the school English teachers to elicit their attitudes towards the integrated lessons. The results indicated that young Thai students, along with their English teachers, have highly positive attitudes towards the local community based instruction. This lead to significant implications related to integrating aspects of local cultural identity into ELT practices.

scholarly journals CONTEXTUAL REDEFINITION : A TEACHING STRATEGY FOR ENHANCING BEGINNER LEVEL OF READING ACHIEVEMENT

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-118
Author(s):  
Dina Merris Maya Sari
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Education ◽  
Teaching Strategy ◽  
Teaching Reading ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Class Management ◽  
Field Notes

Reading is the most important skill for both English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners especially in academic context, because the students need to comprehend and deal with al reading aspects and diffculties. Departing from those needs, so it takes a strategy in teaching reading, especially basic reading. Contextual  Redefinition is a strategyof  teaching that helps students learn the significance of  context  clues  in  understanding  the  meaning  of  a  word  or  concept. This research design is classroom action research. This study purposes to determine the extent to which the Contextual Redefinition strategy can improve students' vocabulary mastery and to find out factors of increasing students' vocabulary mastery. The subjects of this study were 26 English Education students of first semester. The research instruments were vocabulary tests, observation checklists and field notes, and questionnaire. Based on the results of the vocabulary test, there was an increase in students' vocabulary mastery from 30.77% at the beginning of the data to 42.30% in cycle 1 and 65.38% in cycle 2. The factors that increased students' vocabulary mastery were educator factors (class management) and students' factors (interests, enthusiasm, participation, and attention).

Getting EFL Learners to Speak: Obstacles and Solutions

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (01) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Eulis Rahmawati
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Education ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Education Department ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Research Problems ◽  
English Competence ◽  
Academic Year

This research investigates how process of speaking instruction takes place at IAIN SMH Banten. There are three main issues in the research problems: the process of teaching speaking, obstacles found in the teaching and learning process, and what efforts do they make to solve the obstacles in speaking. The process of teaching speaking discusses materials, preparation, procedures or steps in teaching speaking while obstacles and solutions discuss the speaking barriers that the students faced in speaking class and how they minimize the barriers. By applying descriptive qualitative research design to students of fourth semester in academic year 2014/2015, the result shows that the focus of speaking instruction at the fourth semester of English education department of IAIN SMH Banten seemed to let the students speak, without any language skills discussion as the feedback. At the same time, during the process of speaking instruction there are some problems faced by students. The first is  problem of limited English Competence dealt with students poor of vocabulary and the second is problems of psychological factors.

Assessing the Role of Selective Fossilization Hypothesis in Determining Fossilizable Phonetic Errors in Tunisian EFL Learners’ Oral Output

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Aicha Rahal ◽  
Chokri Smaoui
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
First Language ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Phonetic Errors ◽  
Linguistic Phenomenon

Fossilization is said to be a distinctive characteristic of second language (L2) learning (Selinker, 1972, 1996; Han, 2004). It is the most pervasive among adult L2 learners (Han and Odlin, 2006). This linguistic phenomenon has been characterized by cessation of learning, even though the learner is exposed to frequent input. Based on the findings of the MA dissertation of the first researcher which is about ‘phonetic fossilization’ and where she conducted a longitudinal study, Han’s Selective Fossilization Hypothesis (SFL) is used to analyze the obtained fossilized phonetic errors in relation to L1 markedness and L2 robustness with a particular focus on fossilized vowel sounds. This is an analytical model for identifying both acquisitional and fossilizable linguistic features based on learners’ first language (L1) markedness and second language (L2) robustness. The article first gives an overview of the theory of Interlanguage and the phenomenon of fossilization. Then, it introduces SFL. This is an attempt to study fossilization scientifically. In other words, it tests the predictive power of a developed L1 Markedness and L2 Robustness rating scale based on Han’s (2009) model. The present study has pedagogic implications; it is an opportunity to raise teachers’ awareness on this common linguistic phenomenon.

Metaphoric proverbs in efl learners’ translation

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadia Belkhir
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Experimental Study ◽  
First Language ◽  
Source Text ◽  
Close Attention ◽  
Semantic Equivalence ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Literal Translation ◽  
Adequate Method

Abstract Metaphoric proverbs represent interesting cultural instances of conventional metaphors (Belkhir 2014, 2012). The ubiquity of metaphoric proverbs in language and the problems this phenomenon causes in translation is an issue that requires close attention. Translation aims at providing semantic equivalence between two languages. According to Vinay and Darbelnet (1995), equivalence constitutes the adequate method that should be used by translators when dealing with proverbs. However, no translator can provide perfect translation of a source text due to cultural specificities. The present paper offers a modest report of an experimental study conducted with a group of efl students who have been taught translation as a subject in a higher education context (Mouloud Mammeri University). A set of English proverbs has been collected to build up the experiment that was administered to the subjects who were asked to translate them into Arabic, then into their first language, Kabyle. The question raised is whether these students are able to translate the proverbs appropriately. The study aims (1) to investigate translation strategies used by efl learners; and (2) to show how leaners’ L1 (Kabyle) and L2 (Arabic) interfere in the translation of English proverbs. The results showed that the more the students were acquainted with proverbs, the more they used equivalence in their translation. Similarly, the lesser they were acquainted with proverbs, the more they used literal translation or paraphrase. In addition, some translations provided by the participants revealed the presence of language interference.

scholarly journals EXPLORING ENGLISH LISTENING PROBLEMS AMONG EFL STUDENTS AT IAIN KUDUS

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Azizah Maulina Erzad
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
English Education ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Education Department ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Listening Process

Listening comprehension becomes one of the most difficult skills for most of English learners especially EFL learners. As a foreign language, English is rarely used in communication by EFL learners in their daily life. Therefore, the learners or students always face some difficulties/problems in listening comprehension. It can be seen from the results of their tests. The purpose of this study is to investigate the problems occur in listening class of EFL students at IAIN Kudus and the solutions to overcome those problems. The EFL students in this study refer to the English Education Department students of IAIN Kudus. The participants of this study are the second semester of English Education Department students. This study is a qualitative research. Observation, interview and documentation were conducted to collect the data. By conducting this study, several problems in listening comprehension can be revealed. The listening problems encountered by the EFL students are the pronunciation (accents), speedy delivery and length of the listening, physical conditions, unfamiliar vocabularies and terminologies, and limited facility for listening. Some actions should be done to overcome these obstacles occurred during listening process. The solutions to overcome the problems are students should be focus, practice more in listening English, memorize vocabularies, and prepare a language laboratory.

scholarly journals “How the Furby Coming is…”: Interference of First Language and Culture in Thai EFL Learners’ Paragraph Writing

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Sakulrat Worathumrong
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Target Language ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Low Exposure ◽  
Analysis Models

This study investigated features of first language and cultural interference in Thai EFL learners’ English paragraph writing on popular culture. Drawing from theoretical grounds of interlanguage, language interference, and rhetorical interference, the sample of 30 English paragraphs of Thai EFL undergraduate learners was examined quantitatively and qualitatively. The English writing included 15 paragraphs from the Thai learners with high exposure to English language (TEH) group, and 15 paragraphs from those with the low exposure to English language (TEL) group. Using analysis models of metadiscourse markers and topical progressions, the findings revealed the preference of both groups in the use of interactive and interactional devices as well as SP, PP, and EPP types of topical progressions. The preference highlights the feature of oral-based, inductive, or reader-responsible writing orientation with a possibility of writing development, especially among the TEHs to reach expectation of the target language readers. The findings encourage assessing the Thai EFL learners’ writing as a process and raising frequent awareness of both language and rhetorical interferences when writing English texts. As the introductory stage during COVID-19 remote learning, writing to express learners’ interests could be used as an effective communication strategy for a positive instructor-learner relationship which assists the learners to further engage in the class in a more meaningful way. 

scholarly journals Pronunciation Of The English Voiceless Postalveolar Affricate /tʃ/ In Yemeni EFL Learners’ Production

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Najah Ahmad Khamis ◽  
Rohaiza Jupri
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Final Word ◽  
Sound System ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Case Study Design ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Quantitative Case Study

<p>Achieving a near-native speaker’s pronunciation is so essential for EFL learners. However, many factors contribute to the challenges faced by EFL learners, mainly due to the difference in the sound system of English Language and that of their first language. For this reason, Arab learners of English Language may mispronounce some English sounds. This paper analyzed one of the few problematic sounds to the Arab Yemeni EFL learners - the pronunciation of the English voiceless postalveolar affricate /ʧ/. The study which has a quantitative case study design uses four Yemeni EFL postgraduate students as its participants. The participants’ pronunciations of /tʃ/ sound in the initial, middle and final word-positions were analyzed using Praat phonetic software. The findings of the study showed that Yemeni EFL learners have difficulties in producing the /tʃ/ sound, especially in the initial and final positions, and deaffrication of /tʃ/  occurred in the  pronunciation of the four participants. The current study is expected to be of value, particularly for EFL learners, teachers, as well as material writers.</p><p> </p>

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