scholarly journals Native or Non-native-speaking Teaching for L2 Pronunciation Teaching?—An Investigation on Their Teaching Effect and Students’ Preferences

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Li ◽  
Gouzhi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Spoken English ◽  
Test Information ◽  
English Majors ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Post Test ◽  
L2 Pronunciation ◽  
Native Speaking Teachers

<p>This study investigated L2 leaners’ preferences between native-speaking teachers (NST) and non-native-speaking teachers (NNST) as their English pronunciation teacher, and examined the participants’ accentedness and comprehensibility in L2-English pronunciation after being taught by a NST and a NNST. The participants were 30 undergraduates who were doing non-English majors at a university in China. They went through 4-month English pronunciation classes. In the first 2 months, they were taught by a NST. From the 3rd to the 4th month, they were taught by a NNST. Their accentedness and comprehensibility of spoken English were tested at the beginning of the programme (pre-test), at the end of the 2nd month (middle test), and at the end of the 4th month (post-test). Information on their evaluation of the NST and NNST as a pronunciation teacher was collected with questionnaires at the end of the experiment. According to the results, (1) compared with that in pre-test, the participants’ accentedness and comprehensibility both improved slightly in middle test; (2) compared with that in middle test, the participants received significant improvement both in comprehensibility and accentedness; (3) the majority of the participants prefer a NST to a NNST to be their English pronunciation teacher.</p>

scholarly journals THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTUITIVE-IMITATIVE APPROACH FOR TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION IN INDONESIA VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Annisa Shofa Tsuraya
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Test Score ◽  
Vocational High School ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Sentence Stress ◽  
Casual Speech ◽  
Teaching Pronunciation

Pronunciation involves far more than individual sounds. Word stress, sentence stress, intonation, and word linking all influence the sound of spoken English, not to mention the way we often slur words and phrases together in casual speech. English pronunciation involves too many complexities for learners to strive for a complete elimination of accent, but improving pronunciation will boost self-esteem, facilitate communication, and possibly lead to a better job or least much respect in the workplace. This research aimed at investigating the effect of Intuitive-Imitative Approach in teaching pronunciation. The participants of this research were the second-year students of Indonesia Vocational High School in amount of 40 students. This research applied pre-experimental method. The instruments of this research were pre-test and post-test in oral test. The result of this research finally showed that the students’ pronunciation of post-test score was higher than the students’ pre-test score. Meanwhile, the result of t­-test showed that the difference was significant where value of the t-test was greater than the value of the t-table (20.17 ≥ 2.069). Thus, it can be concluded that the use of Intuitive-Imitative Approach is effective to use in teaching pronunciation. So that, by applying this method in learning pronunciation, the teacher are hoped to be more creative to enrich their selected word by choosing the unique words to stimulate students and present them an enjoyable, relax, and understandable way in learning process. 

A Study on the Differences in Middle School English Pronunciation Teaching in Underdeveloped and Developed Areas in China and Their Impact

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1753
Author(s):  
Wen Gu ◽  
Qiaobei Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Teaching Faculty ◽  
Underdeveloped Areas ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Middle School English

Spoken English is one of the most important parts in English learning. And the footstone of Spoken English is pronunciation, which should have taken pride of educational place in the courses of secondary education anywhere. Differences of pronunciation teaching in middle school exist in the English pronunciation teaching between underdeveloped areas and developed areas, which effects students’ further English study. By the methods of interviewing and questionnaire, this paper makes a comparison of current situation of English teaching in middle schools from underdeveloped areas and developed areas in China. This thesis analyzes the causes of differences from teaching idea, teaching contents and teaching faculty, and the impact on the students from students’ listening and speaking abilities in the university. Finally, the author presents some constructive suggestions.

scholarly journals The Implementation of Online Accent Reduction Software to Improve Pronunciation of English and Arabic Department Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
pp. 26-37
Author(s):  
Nur Asmawati ◽  
Fitriningsih Fitriningsih
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Approach ◽  
English Department ◽  
Language Background ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Arabic Students ◽  
Accent Reduction

The objective of this study is to implement accent reduction software in English pronunciation teaching. This study employed an experimental approach. There were forty students recruited from the English and Arabic departments. The students were split into two classes, with one class being treated as an experimental class and another class as a controlled class. Each class consisted of twenty students, ten English department students, and the other ten Arabic department students. We administered an experimental class with twelve meeting treatments using the Elsa accent reduction software to teach English pronunciation. Meanwhile, the controlled class was not given any treatments.  The results show that there was a significant difference between the result of the pre-test and post-test of the students' pronunciations that were taught with the accent reduction software. It was found that the mean score of the experimental class was significantly improved from 53.12 to 85.44 after they were given the treatment. Meanwhile, the control group's mean score was also improved, but it was not significant from 49.33 to 59.11. Our study highlighted that the use of accent reduction software in teaching English pronunciations could help students to improve their English pronunciations. The students were able to imitate an English sound from the software. The limitation of this study is that we did not compare the results of English and Arabic students’ ability in pronunciations after the use of the software. Future studies are recommended to compare pronunciations between English and Arabic students through the use of the software to understand language background might affect the treatment.

scholarly journals A Cognitive Approach to the Instruction of Phrasal Verbs: Rudzka-Ostyn’s Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 10-25
Author(s):  
Ghuzayyil Mohammed Al-Otaibi
Keyword(s):  
Control Group ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Phrasal Verbs ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Common ◽  
Mind Maps ◽  
Experimental Group

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners find some phrasal verbs problematic because of their idiomatic and polysemous nature. They are frequently used in spoken English and textbooks suggest an arbitrary way in teaching them. Cognitive linguists proposed that the particle plays a major role in determining the meaning of such phrasal verbs. This study investigated the effectiveness of a cognitive approach (i.e., Rudzka-Ostyn’s Model) in teaching taught and new phrasal verbs including metaphorical ones. Using a list of frequent phrasal verbs, a quasi-experimental design was used in which an experimental group was required to create mind maps of the common meanings of each particle with example phrasal verbs. The control group, on the other hand, was asked to memorize the frequent senses of the most frequent phrasal verbs along with their translations. The experimental group did not outperform the control group on the post-test. This was attributed to a number of problems such as the fact that some senses given by some particles are not outlined in Rudzka-Ostyn’s Model. Further, the analytical procedure followed by students to cognitively understand phrasal verbs should be made explicit and address the interaction between the verb and the particle. Additionally, following a cognitive approach, instructors should focus more on the particles up and out since they have many senses and contribute a lot to phrasal-verb formation.

Whose Standard, Which Model? Towards the Definition of a Standard Nigerian Spoken English for Teaching, Learning and Testing in Nigerian Schools

1990 ◽  
Vol 89-90 ◽  
pp. 91-106
Author(s):  
V.O. Awonusi
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
Standard Form ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Social Variation ◽  
Local Standard ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Teaching Learning

Abstract The adoption of RP as a model of teaching in non-native speaker English societies such as Nigeria seems to have come to say. However, the accent of English that emerged in Nigeria, over the years, (to some linguists) is anything but RP (although some hold the view that there are a few RP speakers in Nigeria). We are, therefore, forced to ask the question: What is RP?; or better still: what are its defining characteristics, particularly in relation to non-native varieties of English? Consequently, were are motivated to search for, and identify alternative local (standard) accents for teaching purposes. This paper attempts to identify the Nigerian standard accent of English that is appropriate for adoption as a model for teaching English pronunciation. It examines the problems associated with the identification of a standard form in the light of variables such as international intelligibility local acceptability, a real and social variation, in native and non-native speaker communities alike. On the basis of socio-linguistic realities it recommends an accent for teaching, learning and testing in Nigerian schools.

scholarly journals Good English Pronunciation Users and Their Pronunciation Learning Strategies

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Szyszka
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Efl Teacher ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
First Contact ◽  
Question Formats ◽  
Teacher Training Students ◽  
L2 Pronunciation

The study investigates pronunciation learning strategies (PLS) deployed by those with good English pronunciation, as well as their beliefs concerning the variables that affect pronunciation competence. In order to collect data for analysis this study surveyed 61 participants who had learned English as a foreign language. They comprised 28 higher education teachers and scholars specialising in English phonetics and phonology, who were defined as good pronunciation users (GPU), and 33 EFL teacher training students, viewed as average pronunciation learners (APL). This cohort responded to a survey on pronunciation learning strategies and expressed their views on several aspects affecting the L2 pronunciation learning process. These aspects were: age of the first contact with L2 (age of onset), motivation, exposure to the target language, the teacher’s pronunciation model, and learning strategies. The study used both open- and close-ended question formats to collect data from both GPU and APL. The analyses of the data helped to create a tentative profile of a successful L2 pronunciation learner.

scholarly journals IDENTIFYING AND OVERCOMING CHALLENGES IN TEACHING AND LEARNING PRONUNCIATION IN AN EFL CLASS: AN EXPERIENCE FROM CAMEROON

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-48
Author(s):  
Azane Abimnui
Keyword(s):  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Data Representation ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Post Test

Purpose: There are still gaps in knowledge with regard to reliable research-based information on what works and what does not work in pronunciation teaching. This gap can be filled by increased academic research on this topic, especially from other teachers’ experiences and practices. This paper investigates some factors hindering the English as a Foreign Language learner (EFL) learners’ acquisition of English pronunciation and reviews issues with English pronunciation instruction from a teacher’s perceived challenges. Methodology: The setting that defines the EFL learner is presented in a case study of an institution of Higher learning, Prepavogt in Yaounde. The participants are 51 students who are in the first year of their studies in a Management and Finance department. Data was collected through observation and analyses of audio tape recordings of students’ oral productions as part of a pre-test and post-test TOEFL examination preparation during the 2020/2021 academic year.  Textual data representation is favored as the objective was to supplement qualitative statements with some data. Findings: The findings reveal the factors that affect the students ease of learning pronunciation. These emanated from factors such as the novelty in exposure to the practice of phonetics, the influence of mother tongue, and lack of interest. Segmental features; such as vowels, consonants and suprasegmental features like intonation and stress were all identified as posing serious problems that affected intelligibility. From the pre-test to the post-test, observed individual student improvement are indicators that the teaching strategies, coupled with the supporting audio-visual material, were successful in arousing students’ interest, and developing improved pronunciation.   Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: With the popular decry of how pronunciation skills training are done in secondary schools, which have been proven to be unhelpful, this study demonstrates that appropriate target and focused teaching with supporting equipment, and teacher motivation is needed to train for effective and intelligible standard pronunciation in English among the Cameroonian EFL learners.

scholarly journals English Pronunciation Standards Based on Multimodal Acoustic Sensors

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Lingyi Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Feature Extraction ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Error Detection ◽  
Video Frame ◽  
Detection Accuracy ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Error Detection And Correction ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Opening And Closing ◽  
Gradient Enhancement

In recent years, economic globalization is the trend, and communication between countries is getting closer and closer; more and more people begin to pay attention to learning spoken English. The development of computer-aided language learning makes it more convenient for people to learn spoken English; however, the detection and correction of incorrect English pronunciation, which is its core, are still inadequate. In this paper, we propose a multimodal end-to-end English pronunciation error detection and correction model based on audio and video, which does not require phoneme forced alignment of the English pronunciation video signal to be processed, and uses rich audio and video features for English pronunciation error detection, which improves the error detection accuracy to a great extent especially in noisy environments. To address the shortcomings of the current lip feature extraction algorithm which is too complicated and not enough characterization ability, a feature extraction scheme based on the lip opening and closing angle is proposed. The lip syllable frames are obtained by video frame splitting, the syllables are denoised, the key point information of the lips is obtained using a gradient enhancement-based regression tree algorithm, the effects of speaker tilt and movement are removed by scale normalization, and finally, the lip opening and closing angles are calculated using mathematical geometry, and the lip feature values are generated by combining the angle changes.

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