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Module: Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Module Code: TE4025 Student: Risn Flynn Student I.

D: 10128379 Course: Applied Languages Course Code: LM044 Lecturer: Angela Farrell Assignment: Phonetics Project Date of Submission: 26/04/2013

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Phonetics Project
Every language is unique in the set of phonemes that belong to it and the phonetic rules that govern its pronunciation. As such, it is necessary to take this into consideration with foreign language learners, especially those whose native language (L1) is in no way similar to that of the foreign language they wish to acquire (Haussamen et. al, 2003 pg. 50-51). In learning a new language it is natural that there may be some interference from the L1 and it is these interferences which help to mark the as a non-native (Karaka, 2012). No matter how fluent or competent they may be in the language if they cannot pronounce it correctly then this may lead to incomprehensibility amongst others and result in a loss of overall communication. It is important so, to aid foreign language learners in not only their grammatical skills but also in their pronunciation. For the sake of this project, the foreign language that is being learnt is English and the EFL student taking part in the study is a native French speaker. The project will include both written and recorded material and will be divided into 4 sections as follows: 1. Profile of the EFL Learner detailing their age, gender, proficiency level in English, educational backround, reasons for studying English and the aspects they find easiest and most difficult in their learning of English. 2. Research into the Typical Problems faced by French Native Speakers when speaking English as a Foreign Language (L2). 3. Examination into the Specific Pronunciation Errors of the Individual EFL Speaker in the L2. 4. Recommendations on How to Improve the Individuals Pronunciation. As mentioned above the project will include recorded material, involving a 30 minute interview with the EFL student (see Appendix 1 & 2) which will then be examined in 2|Page

order to discover the specific mistakes the learner makes when speaking English and whether these mistakes are related to the speakers nationality or unique to the individual.

Profile of EFL Learner


The research undertaken involves a 19 year old, male EFL learner from Aix en Province in the South of France. As such, his native/primary language (L1) is noted as being French, and it is also noted that he has previously been graded at an intermediate level (B1) in his secondary language (L2), i.e. English, on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The student has been learning English on an on-going basis from a very young age, having stated his first introduction to the language as being as a kid in primary school. English is taught as a compulsory subject in all French schools and so while the original motivation for learning the language stemmed from mere academic obligation, the student states that he acquired a greater interest in the English language and a desire to study it further. This is reflected in his choice of undergraduate degree, as he is currently studying Applied Languages with Business. It is noted that the students only exposure to English Language Learning has been through the State Educational System, and that he has never attended any intensive English course or private schools to aid his learning of the language. Other clear motivations for his enthusiasm to learn English include the idea of English as a global language and thus something which is indispensable and beneficial for future career purposes. Being able to speak English is important not only for career purposes but also for travel, as the student was given the opportunity to study in Ireland based on his knowledge of the language and also expresses his 3|Page

desire to visit other English-speaking countries, such as Australia, Canada, America and Britain, in the future. The aspect that the learner finds easiest about learning English is grammar. He feels that there are less irregular verbs in the English language, in comparison with his L1 which he believes to be a lot more complicated and difficult to learn due to the high level of irregularity in its grammatical structures. Aspects that the learner finds most difficult about learning English range from vocabulary to pronunciation. He believes that it is more difficult to learn vocabulary in English than other European languages, as unlike his L1 and many other European languages including Spanish and Italian, English is not a Latin-based language. Therefore, with the exception of direct borrowing, English has a completely different set of vocabulary and there is minimal overlapping of words spelt in a similar manner which have common meanings. In relation to his field of study, he felt that there was a lot of specific and technical vocabulary necessary for his business modules, and while initially this presented a challenge, he found a lot of repetition and use of the same words and similar vocabulary throughout different texts, meaning that it has since become one of the easier aspects of learning and understanding the language. Finally, he finds that there is a difference between the pronunciation of IrishEnglish and other forms of English. He draws a direct comparison against IrishEnglish and American-English, and states that he feels that the American accent is easier to understand. He credits this accessibility to the widespread influence of Hollywood and the American media throughout the world, for example in television programmes and movies.

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Typical Errors of Native French-Speakers


This section will examine the phonetic differences between French and English, in an attempt to understand where native speakers of French may have difficulties in their pronunciation of English, and will be divided as follows: Vowel Sounds Individual and Diphthongs Consonant Sounds Individual and Clusters Rhythm Intonation and Stress Pattern

All the following information regarding the phonetic differences between English and French, unless otherwise stated, has been sourced from Learner English (2001).

Vowel Sounds While English and French share many of the same vowel sounds, there are a number of which that may cause difficulty for the French EFL student. Individual vowel sounds, or monophthongs, that may cause problems include: 1. /i/ and // - Within the French language, there is no distinction between the two phonemes, as such the speaker may find it difficult to differentiate the pronunciation of words such as leave and live. 2. // - Often pronounced as // so that words such as must are pronounced as mirch. 3. // and /u/ - Within the French language, there is no distinction between the two phonemes, as such the speaker may find it difficult to differentiate the pronunciation of words such as pool(pul) and pull (pl). 4. // - Can cause problems in pronouncing words like bank (bnk) as bunk (bnk); hand (hnd) as hahnd (hnd) and pat (pt) as pet (pet).

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Diphthongs, or also known as gliding vowels, involve two vowel sounds and the movement from one vowel sound to another within the same syllable, by a process called gliding. Diphthongs that may cause problems for French EFL students include: 1. /e/ - Often pronounced as /e/ so that words such as paper (pepr) are pronounced like pepper (ppr).

Consonant Sounds While English and French share many of the same consonant sounds, there are a number of which that may cause difficulty for the French EFL student. Individual consonant sounds that may cause problems include: 1. // and // - Both these sounds are equivalent to th in English spelling and pronunciation. These phonemes do not exist within the French language and as such may be realized as /s/, /z/, /f/, /v/, /t/ and /d/, e.g. think (k) may be pronounced as sink (sk) and that(t) may be pronounced as zat (zt) 2. /h/ - This phoneme does not exist in French and so is often omitted/dropped in the French EFL learners pronunciation of English, e.g. here (h) is pronounced as ere (). 3. /t/ - Equivilant to ch and j in English spelling and pronunciation. Often realised as //, /d/ and //, e.g. church (tt) is pronounced as shursh (), while joke (dk) is pronounced as zhoke (k). Consonant clusters (CC) are a group of two or more consonants that come before (onset), after (coda), or between (medial), a vowel (nucleus). CCs which may cause a problem for French EFL students include:

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1. /z/ - It is not common to find /z/ at the end of words in French, therefore they will often omit this sound when using English plurals, e.g. two tin instead of two tins. 2. /le/ - The French speaker may interpret this as /el/, thus pronouncing words such as terrible like terribull (emphasizing the last syllable).

Rhythm While French is considered a syllable-timed language, English is considered a stressedtimed language and as such this affects where the speaker will place stress within a word and/or in a sentence and is one of the areas where difficulties arise for the French EFL student in acquiring a more native like and natural accent in English. The stress pattern1 in English is outlined below:

80% of two-syllable nouns have the stress on the first syllable. TEAcher, STUdent, DOCtor, RUler, COffee, ANgel, PEOple, PAper, PENcil, SUgar, ORange Conversely, most two-syllable verbs have the stress on the second syllable. enJOY, beLIEVE, surPRISE, deLAY, emPLOY, reLAX, conSERVE, emBRACE, suPPORT For words longer than two syllables, sorry, you are on your own.

HOspital, TRIangle vs. baNAna, poSItion vs. tangeRINE, engineer

Taken from article English is a Stress-Based Language: a Tool for Learners of English as a Second Language - Judy M. Thompson. Sourced online at: http://www.thompsonlanguagecenter.com/pdfs/English%20is%20a%20Stress-based%20Language.pdf

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French speakers have the tendency to pronounce multisyllabic words by placing the stress on the final syllable; however it is important to note that often by placing the stress on the wrong syllable you can change the meaning of the word entirely, as outlined below1:

PROduce is a noun meaning fruit and vegetables, and proDUCE is a verb that means to manufacture. CONtent is a noun for what is inside something and conTENT means happy.

Specific Pronunciation Errors of EFL Student


This section will also be divided according to whether the errors in pronunciation that the student made were errors concerning vowel sounds, consonants or placing stress on the wrong syllable. I will also examine one area where perceived problems were expected but did not arise.

Vowel Based Problems Line 50/300/302: law The student pronounces the word as /l/ rather than /l/. This can cause confusion as within English /l/ corresponds to the word low and /l/ corresponds to the word law. Despite correction, he continues to pronounce the word incorrectly.

Line 57: spoken The student pronounces the word as /spkn/ rather than /spkn/, thus shortening the vowel sound, similar to that in the word sock (/sk/) instead of the necessary sound which is similar to that used in the word old (/ld/).

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Line 178: groceries The student pronounces the word as /grsrz/ rather than /rsrz/. Similar to the previous error in that the student has effectively shortened the vowel sound from a diphthong to a monophthong.

Line 267: live The student pronounces the word as /liv/ rather than /lv/. This can cause confusion as in English /liv/ corresponds to the word leave and /lv/ corresponds to the word live.

Consonant Based Problems Line 162: father The student pronounces the word as /fd/ rather than /f/. As the French find it difficult to pronounce the th sound in English, the student has replaced the sound with a softer d sound, so as to say fader instead of father.

Line 290: three/thousand The student pronounces the word as /tri/ rather than /ri/. This can cause confusion as in English /tri/ corresponds to the word tree and /ri/ corresponds to the word/number three. Similarily, the student pronounces the word thousand as /taznd/ rather than /aznd/, thus replacing the th sound with a t sound.

Stress Based Problems Line 50/230/302: economics The student places the stress on the wrong syllable. He places the stress on the second syllable eCONomics instead of the third syllable econOMics.

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Line 247: Killarney The student places the stress on the wrong syllable. He places the stress on the first or the last syllable KILLarney or killarNEY instead of the second syllable killARney.

Surprisingly, while it is noted that French speakers often have difficulty pronouncing the English h, this particular student had no problems in doing so, as can be seen from his pronunciation of the word handball in line 205. It would be expected that the student would pronounce the word as / ndbl/ instead of /hndbl/ however he does the latter and as such has correct pronunciation.

Recommendations
Based on the errors produced by the EFL student in their pronunciation of English throughout this study, a set of recommendations to help improve the students pronunciation and prevent fossilisation, i.e. when incorrect linguistic features become a permanent part of the way a person speaks or writes a language (Han, 2003, pg. 19) of incorrect pronunciation, will be outlined below.

1. Many student workbooks for EFL students contain valuable tools to aid learners not only with their grammar but also with their pronunciation. An example of which has been taken from Ship or Sheep (see Appendix 3) which the learner can use independently at home. 2. Included in every major dictionary is not only the correct orthography of every word but also the correct pronunciation (see Appendix 4). As such, if the EFL student familiarises themselves with the International Phonetics Alphabet (I.P.A.), see Appendix 3, then they will be able to use this tool to aid correct 10 | P a g e

pronunciation. A specific website developed by linguist Peter Ladefoged2, allows you to view this chart and click on specific phonetic symbols to hear how they are pronounced (see Appendix 5). 3. Online translators, such as Google Translate, often provide an option to listen to the pronunciation of individual words and/or sentences (see Appendix 6). This can allow the student to hear the correct pronunciation and if they record their own pronunciation they can compare and contrast both. 4. Finally, following on from the previous recommendation, the student could consider using a spectrographic display (see Appendix 7) to show a recording of both the correct pronunciation and the students incorrect pronunciation, so that the student can visually see how their pronunciation differs from that of a native speaker.

http://www.phonetics.ucla.edu/course/chapter1/chapter1.html

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Bibliography Brock Haussamen, Amy Benjamen, Martha Kolln, Rebecca S. Wheeler & Members of the NCTEs Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar, Grammar Alive! A Guide for Teachers, 2003, Online, Available at: http://wac.colostate.edu/books/grammar/alive.pdf (Accessed: 25/03/2013)

Ali Karaka, Foreign Accent Problem of Non-native Teachers of English, 2012, Online, Available at: http://www.academia.edu/1954351/Foreign_Accent_Problem_of_Nonnative_Teachers_of_English (Accessed: 25/03/2013)

Michael Swan & Bernard Smith, Learner English: A Teachers Guide To Interference and Other Problems, 2nd Edition, 2001, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

ZhaoHong Han, Fossilization in Adult Second Language Acquisition, 2003, Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Ann Baker, Ship or Sheep: An Intermediate Pronunciation Course, 3rd Edition, 2007, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Dorothy M. Chun, Teaching Tone and Intonation with Microcomputers, 1989, University of Texas at Austin, CALICO Journal, Volume 7, Number 1. Online Available at: https://calico.org/memberBrowse.php?action=article&id=432 (Accessed: 25/03/2013)

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