A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON ADDRESSING MISPRONUNCIATION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS

Chandra Mohan Vasudeva Panicker

Abstract


Mispronunciation is a common problem among second language learners due to both suprasegmental and segmental features. Besides mother tongue interferences, mispronunciation of words is influenced by other factors, as disclosed in this study. Therefore, this paper explores college students’ mispronunciation and seeks ways to address this problem in the shortest time possible. Two English medium magazine articles were used as a platform to accommodate this study. Thirty words from the articles were identified to assess the students’ pronunciation. All these words were read by the students in context, not in isolation. The respondents for this study consist of six college students who are currently pursuing their diplomas at a private university. This study employed a one-group pre-test - post-test design and semi-structured interview. Two different treatments, pronunciation drills and tongue twisters, were used to address the problem. The analysis of the data revealed that the suprasegmental features were more dominant than segmental features in their mispronunciation, and the short treatments had helped in correcting the students’ mispronunciation effectively. The interview also confirms the effectiveness of these treatments in helping students improve their pronunciation.

 

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Keywords


mispronunciation, suprasegmental, segmental, tongue twister, pronunciation drills

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v9i3.5513

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