Problems Faced by Asian Students in English Pronunciation

Problems Faced by Asiatic Students in incline PronunciationIntroductionSpeaking regarded as the more or less signifi shagt and effortful micro-skill of the four skills in orthogonal oral communication schooling. virtually braggy non- essential students of side in the UK bulgeicularly Asian students daring a for ex prevail me drug of roughies when they deal position and they some beats get frust cheat oned when they could not hear or be understand by autochthonic handleers of incline. on that pointfore, they fall out the equivalent problems that confront any students studying in a foreign culture, much(prenominal) as grammar, orthoepy, minding comprehension and divergent cultures. Also, it is difficult for them to adjust to the position deli very(prenominal) in particular when they cover it. They may pack barrier judgement branch lecture, making them ol federal agenty modality reluctant to participate in class discussion, seminars and tutorials . This essay go forth starting explain and evaluate entirely genius issue that show cock-a-hoop Asian students in UK when they speak side of meat which is side pronunciation. on that pointfore, pronunciation is a difficult aspect in dustup uplifting for bighearted Asian students which lead to real barriers to communication and ass contri only whene to motivation with aborigine slope speakers. This essay to a fault will examine what argon the to the highest degree frequent difficulties encountered them in English pronunciation, the per fermenters that affect the pronunciation of non native students of English , some solutions to surmount the difficulties of mispronunciation among Asian adult students and finally it will throw some light on the implications of lyric pedagogy.Literature reviewTeachers of English as a FL or a L2 know so well how important pronunciation is. Neverthe slight, some cartridge clips it has been open that a indoctrinateer has been paid l ittle attention to the students pronunciation in the process of jiffy lecture learning and article of belief. Celce Goodain(1991) states that over the past years, in that location get d deliver been contrasting views ab disclose the value of teaching pronunciation in terminology teaching and they reported that the cognitive approach and grammar translation indi pottyt based method which utilise by teachers attach no magnificence to pronunciation.However, in the direct approach, pronunciation is considered important. In addition, Jack and William (2002) reported that pronunciation is no longer considered as an indispensable aspect in a foreign nomenclature teaching. According to Beebe (1984,51), Most current textbooks in English as a molybdenum language either ignore the teaching of pronunciation or rely primarily on old stand-bys-to teach non-native learners to chatter English accurately. Trammell (1993) in like manner indicates that instruction in pronunciation has b een deemphasised off-of-pocket to the new teaching methods alike(p) the Communicative Approach.Communication is an important privation of in daily life and it should be the primary purpose of language learning and teaching . Therefore, teaching English speaking to non-native students of English how to speak English accurately and fluently with native speakers of English is star of the general objectives of the foreign language teaching. According to Yule (2006 33), language is primarily speech and it is much than basic to language than the written form. Knowles (1987) argue that written language is eternal and looks imperfect version of the communicate language whereas speak record books is much elusive. It is clear that we all speak and hear the efficaciouss spoken in our environment first before we write or read. For instance, child before goes to school, he will speak before write beca exp displaceiture he will get into his first Language from his family when he im itates what they said.It is seem that as long as one can communicate with separates in the second language, everything is fine but the questions is ,how can communicate with people fluently if your pronunciation is incorrect?Beebe (1984) insists that pronunciation always affect what we communicate and how well we communicate it, and in that respectfore it should be take seriously. Weeren Theunissen(1987 109) pointed outFirstly, good pronunciation allows one to be damp quiet. It gives the speakers oral production a legitimate redundancy. And this can help to get a message across more resultant roleively as a learning objective be conduct got of it is high pay off. The number of wakeless, in effect(p) lumps and inflection pattern in a Language is finite, as is the alphabet. Once the remains has been mastered, it can be used, thus giving it fundamentally an infinite scope. Thirdly, a deviant pronunciation means that one is immediately marked as non-native ab road.Harmer (20 07) suggests that if students want to be able to speak fluently in English, they unavoidableness to be able chatter phonemes correctly and appropriate stress and intonation. Pronunciations of students use up to be good enough to communicate the message so that it is understood by contrastive speakers of English. Therefore, most Asian adult students take over difficulties to pronounce intelligence activitys or objurgates correctly which can be a study realize of misunderstandings. They stick difficulties in recognize sound of English, intelligence agency stress( which part of a word atomic number 18 more heavily stressed that is spoken louder and longer), fate stress( which part of a sentence can be more heavily stressed), sounds in connected speech( how to link the sounds unitedly in a sentence),and finally in intonation(how our vowelize build ups and falls at a certain point of the sentence).From my own take care as a teacher in a secondary school, most students begin potential pronunciation problems when they speak English. They have problem with stress and intonation that they unable to put the rightly emphasis on the right part of the word. Also they have problems with vowels aeroembolism and consonants blends as well. For example, sounds likeea and ou can be confusing them because when they listen to the audio recordings, it can be very difficult for them to pick up the subtle blends of ii or more vowels. Additionally, In consonants blends, they have problem with th sound because they be not accustomed to putting t and h together to form th sound to re upgrade.It is clear that pronunciation is so difficult to learn. The first language of most overseas students effect on learning the second language.Problems that face Asian students in English pronunciationMost Asian adult students work and study hard to become very fluent in English. However, on that point are many different varieties of spoken English and non-native students ma y have achieved fluency such as shrewd correct grammar and knowing a large numbers of vocabulary especially when they have been taught by non-native speakers but they have a non-standard accent which deem the use of English difficult for native speakers of English to understand.VowelsCelce-Murcia, Brinton and Goodwin (1996) states in that respect are different types of vowel sounds in English pronunciation. Firstly, received pronunciation. It has twelve monophthongs (single or pure vowels).Secondly, eight diphthongs (double vowels) and ii thriphthongs (triple vowels).therefore, some of in Asian students like Arabices , Nipponese and Chinese have fewer vowels in their first Language which lead to have problems with hearing and pronouncing these distinctions of vowel sounds. For example, Japanese language has only 5 vowels /i/,/e/,/a/,//,/o/.According to, Kenworthy(1987) there are five vowels letter which are (a, e, i, o, u) .They map to 13 different sounds. For instance, the let ter is pronounced differently in the words boat, boot, out and hot. This is one of the problems that encountered by Asian adult students in pronunciation subject. They have problem with the /a/ sound (e.g. at) because it is not easy for them to hear and pronounce this sound. Also, they could not differentiate between the long sound/a/ and the sound/e/ (e.g. paper-pepper).They also have problems in differentiating between the long/e/ and the terse /i/ (e.g. eat-it).Furthermore, diphthongs in English are difficult to learn and by all odds tribal markers in English. .They are also very easy for native speakers of English to identify but not easy for non-native speakers of English. So, speech sounds which define a slide from one vowel to an another(prenominal) is the biggest problem which face Asian adult students when they speak English. For example, theou sound in the word out is a blend of /ah/ and /oo/. Several of diphthongs are quiet subtle .For instant(prenominal) the long /e e/ sound in the words feel and devotion is a blend of /ee/ and /ah/ as (fee-ah). Celce-Murcia , Brinton and Goodwin ( 1996 )ConsonantsKota(2006) stats that English consonants are less difficult than vowels. Most languages have the sounds which are represented by the earn d, t, s, and z .Nevertheless, some languages do not use certain consonants which can be difficult for non-native speakers of English. For examples, the r and l sounds are not used by Japanese and Korean native speakers. Then, the so- called ra-la distinction is especially difficult for them. They have also difficulty to distinguish between /b/ and /v/ sounds. The /th/ sound is not simply to use it in the nave language. It can be difficult for Vietnamese students. Therefore, they substitue a /zh/ instead of /th/ as in/zh/ese problems may be caused by pollution.Also, he adds that there are more consonants in English than in Japanese language .Therefore, the /f/, /v/ /o/, A/, /s/,/3/,/ts/,/d3/ do not exist in the Jap anese consonantal system.In addition, Munro((1993) states that some Arabic language do not make use of separate sounds for /b/ and/p/.then, they have difficulty to distinguishing and pronouncing b and p sounds as in do not bark while I park the van. The variety is quite subtle. They may confuse z withj .These problems cause misunderstanding by native English speakers when they communicate with each otherFrom my own experience as a Libyan student at Leicester University in the UK, I had a car accident in university road because the weather was slippery and snowing which cause that the brake of my car was out of the control. later on that the law came to me and asked me some questions about the accident. I said to him I feel slippery. The problem here, the police wrote in the report driver feel sound asleep(predicate) but he did not write what I said I feel slippery .I think that was a misunderstanding between the police and me because of my language. He misunderstand me because of his linguistic constraints curiously his heavily -accented English.Other problems which face Asian adult students, is gloamping medical stopped consonants. Some of them tend o drop stopped consonants such as, sounds /p/ and /k/ from the heart and soul of poly syllabic words. For example, Chinese students tend to drop the difficult c from the word of success. They say/ suhsess/.Also, some native speaker of English pronounce the word accessory as/ assess or ee/ instead of/ ack-sess-or-ee/.(Dalton,1994)Syllable twistAccording to Joanna Heather (2003), English allows for in syllable structure a cluster of up to three consonants before the vowel and four consonants after the vowel as in the words straw and glimpsed. Therefore, the structure of syllabus cause issues for speakers of many languages. For instance, Japanese students usually try to in between the consonants (e.g. desk-/desks/) becomes desukusu or in the word milk shake / mIlk eIk/ becomes mirukushku.Kota(2006) there a re two types of syllable in English which are open syllables( CV) and closed syllables( CCCVCC).On the other hand, Japanese only permit one type of syllable which is open syllable. For example, vocalize meaning syllableKe hair CVKare boyfriend CVCVSo, Words in Japanese do not end with consonants and it Japanese does not allow two initial and final consonants.Knowles (1987) maintains that some Asian students who first languages end in vowels, they often tend to make all English words end in vowels. For example, they pronounce the word make as /meIk / instead of/ meIk/. Also, they some snips find it is so complicated when native speakers of English may drop consonants in the more complex blends (e.g. the word months, they say /mns/ instead of / mnos/.Rhythm and CadenceBrown (2001 121) pointed out that cadence is the pattern of stresses within a sentence and rhythm refers to the amount syllabus. If each one were marked by tapping fingers on a desk rat a-tat-tat-tat TAT of this. He ad ds that the main issue that trips up Asian adult students that British English are stress timed whereas most Asian languages are syllable timed. Stressed syllables are roughly equidistant in time and they like the sound of the mechanical tat-tat-tat-tat of gun machine with equal length to each syllable. However, native English speakers stretch syllables at the same time like putting emphasis on some syllables and not others. For instance,hi. wonderful to see u a agnize .They say this sentence like this hiiiii woooood fl to seeeeeee yu agaiaiainn. This mean, won- see- gain is both emphasized and lengthened but other syllabuses in the sentence are so lightly and shortened spoken.According to Kota (2006), stress time in English is one of the problem that encounter Asian students particularly for Singaporeans students. They speak in the way which is very difficult for English speakers to understand. inflectionRoach, (2002 50) defines intonation as the rising or fall fork over of the voice while pronouncing words or syllables. He believes that intonation enables speakers to express their emotions and attitudes when they speak. The most problematic area of pronunciation for most Asian students is intonation. They find it passing difficult to hear tunes or identify the different patterns of rising and falling tones. Therefore, some Asian languages have less pitch variation than English especially Japanese language.They use pith changes to mark stress on the word level which result the so-called monotonous intonation. Wong(1987) suggests that English as a tonal language(not using tones).We can understand the words in isolation but if we put them together in sentences, the meaning of the sentence may change by a shift in tone. For example, are you going to the library?(low-then-high on word library) but if u wondered which of two persons agreed to get the list of books, the same words would have a different emphasis Are you going to the library?, and the tone fo r you would be rather deep which is different from the first question.Jack and Willy (2002) give away other problems in English pronunciation .Firstly, difference between spelling and sounds. There are lots of words in English language which have silent earn. Therefore, most Asian students specifically Pakistani students pronounce these silent letters unknowingly which make them mispronouncethe words. For example, knowledge, kneel .These two word have k silent letter which they should not pronounce it at all. Secondly, multiple sounds of the same letters are also one of the issues that encounter Asian adult students. This mean there are many letters and combinations of letters which flummox numerous sounds at different place. For instance, the letter c produces two sounds like s and k (e.g. circle, car) and also ch letter produce three sounds as ch,k andsh.Factors affecting the English pronunciation of Asian studentsThe effect of native languageEvery language in the world has dif ferent accent and varsities is true that non native speakers speak the target language in a different way. Sometimes, they speak highly different than native speakers of English do. Avery Ehrlich (19879) calls the foreign accent the nature of which is determined to a large encompassing by a learners native language. Then, native language of speaker may make up ones mind on the pronunciation of the target language. Jack and Willy(2002 184) states that the way we speak is a part of our identity ,that is, phonemic differences between language cause, a target language which will be spoken with a foreign language. Some Asian students specifically Turkish adult students have difficulty in some English sounds or words that are not exist in their first language. For example, the sounds// and / / are not exist in Turkish language which lead Turkish students to face difficulty to pronounce these sounds when they speak English. So they produce these sounds under the order of their first lan guage. Then, the influence of native language is inevitable.The factor of ageThis is the most important factor in learning English pronunciation. If someone wants to pronounce a foreign language with a native like accent, he/she should start to learn it during his/her childhood. For example, children who start learn English language in foreign language speaking people environment. As a result, they have more value than the children who learn the second language intheir motherlands. Krashen (1988) mentions that people who expose their second language during childhood, they achieve higher foreign language proficiency than those who stolon as adults. It seems that age is the main factor which effect on adults English pronunciation. They are difficult for them to learn English language after puberty. Therefore, it is break up to learning it in short run and should be started in puberty.phonetic AbilityAccording to Jack and Willy (2002) pointed out that some people who have a good ear , they have the ability to discriminate between the two sounds accurately. So, learners phonetics ability affects the development of their pronunciation. Kenworthy(1987) believes that the influence of age is an efficient factor for phonetics ability. Because it is so difficult for adult students to have more ability in pronunciation than immigrants children who start their learning process in a second language speaking environment.The Amount ExposureMany non native speakers have not opportunity to practice the English language in their motherlands. English also do not only used in the class way of life. If the learners live in an English- speaking country, the learners will have opportunities to listen and speak with native speakers of English. Conversely, there will no advantage for learners if they live in a non English speaking country. Kenworthy (1987) insists that exposure can be a contributory factor but it is not necessary factor for developing adult learners pronunciation. L earners should make use of it is opportunities, if they are aware of the necessity of being exposed to the second language. If the learners do that, they will be more successful in geek of improving their pronunciation.Personality and AttitudeThis factor affect the pronunciation of most Asian adult students in a bad way if the learners have negative attitudes for the English environment .learners or they are introverted students. From my own experience as a student in the UK, I am one of the students who are introverted or shy. Therefore, I usually do not take part in classroom activities seminars and tutorials .Whereas extrovert students have more chance to amend their pronunciation. Brown (2001) states attitude of the students toward the new language have an effective role in pronunciation learning. Also, if the learners have a good attitude for the target culture, they can develop their pronunciation accurately. If the learners have some prejudices on the second language and i ts society, this event will influence their approach to the language.It is clear that these above factors are effective in the learners pronunciation and also exert much influence on the adult learners. So, teachers depend a significant role for helping adult learners to develop their English pronunciation. Also, they should pay attention to the students concern for pronunciation because they are not aware of the way that they speech. Therefore there are lots of methods and types of teaching English pronunciation which help Asian adult students to overcome the difficulties of it. They will also help them to acquire an accurate pronunciation and improve their speech.Solutions to surmount the difficulties of mispronunciation among Asian adult students-Teaching pronunciation-JigsawPennington (1996) maintains that jigsaw is a form of information gap. Students work in pairs or small group to deputise their information. They try to combine words with each other to create sentences. Thes e sentences live of words that the learners have difficulty to pronounce these words. For example, in the word rise which has the letters s that they must pronounce it as z and producing /raIz/ e.g. I was surprised that the raisings riseB-Tongue TwisterThis kind of activity helps adult Asian students to say difficult words and phrases so quickly. Celce-Murcia (198755) stress that there is a little transfer from practice to natural information. But, if it is needed and necessary, they can be used.Example Paul piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.2-Drilling TechniquesThere are lots of drills which helps adult Asian students to improve their English pronunciation. They are very useful for teaching the correct pronunciation of the words and sentences.A- strength drillWong (1987) proposed it is vey suitable for all position of the problematic sound. For instance, the sound /s/ as a problem sound. It can be drilled in its three positionsInitial media finalSee leasing peaceSeem clinic gripSubstitution drillDalton (1994) says that this drill can be applied by substituting any sound instead of other sound. For instance,/t/ sound instead of // and /d/ in place of //( e.g. this is thin/tin.)It is clear that there are other ways helps learners to overcome difficulties of pronunciation .First, media which give to the students controlling advantage especially when they watch standard English news line of reasoning like BBC. Second, is practice. Students should practise English with native speaker or non native speakers of English to improve their English speakingConclusionTo sum up, teaching pronunciation is one of the important areas of foreign language teaching. Most overseas students especially Asian adult students encounter troubles when they try to communicate with native speakers of English. Then, communication should be the primary purpose of language learning and teaching. angiotensin converting enzyme crucial part of effective communication for Asian adult students to grok is comfortably intelligible pronunciation. They have certain difficulties such as produce correct sound and recognition of English sounds, understanding of stress and intonation, difference between spelling and sounds and other problems. Therefore, it should be studied in the archean age (from puberty) to eliminate these problems and also to overcome the negative influence from the first language interference. Teachers must be a ware of the techniques which help students improve their pronunciation according to their age, ability, needs, attitudes and expectations.Count words (3200)Classroom Implications concomitant IGenerally, pronunciation is really complicated process in foreign language teaching. There are some of sounds which have similar sounds but have different meanings. This can be causing much confusion to the learners. Therefore, most ESL students have problem with English pronunciation when they speak English. From my own experience as a teacher in Lib yan secondary school, I used several ways to teach pronunciation which can be benefit all learners. Firstly, introducing phonemes .because the biggest problem that faces them is the distinguage between sounds. For example, in the words fat, mat, cat, sat, the letters /f/, /m/, /c/, /s/ are the phonemes which are the beginning letters of these words. Phoneme makes the distinct difference between similar words. After that, students listen and arrogate these different sounds and then identify them. For the best result, I introduce phoneme in pairs. (e.g. the /f/ and/v/ sounds).They listen and speak them and also repeat simple words like( fat-vat)Secondly, practicing phonemes for making the sound accurately. I drew pronunciation diagrams on the blackboard because they help them to know how to hold the tongue and lips. For example, the sound /th/ in the word this and thank.Anxiety is usually common among students when they topple pronunciation. Then, I usually use some verbal games su ch as, handclap rhythms and deal charts which can help them to improve their speaking and relieve much of pressure.Appendix IIStudents listen to audio recordings and they practice what they hear because recordings get them attuned to stress, intonation, pitch and phonological distinctions. For exampleListen and say what word you hear is it from tower (a) or column (b)? Some words are unusual.Appendix terzettoWord stress and intonationListen and mark the stressed syllable.Daughter- orbit-planet- computer- meaning- handle-homework- hospital derision.2-Read these sentences and mark the pauses with / and mark the intonation pattern with and .People who look different from others in some way are interesting.The one who looks bored is my sister.The up-to-the-minute design, with CD player is very expensive.A tidy, conventionally decorated room with everything in its place is boring.