Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
Brno 2012
.........................
Brno 20th April 2012 Bc. Eva Machkov
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Acknowledgement
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Abstract
The final thesis is concerned with teaching pronunciation of voiced and
voiceless TH consonants // and //. The objectives of the work are to focus
on teaching secondary school students to produce these sounds correctly.
The thesis deals with a question whether it is possible to achieve faultless
pronunciation of the TH consonants.
The theoretical part enlists features of pronunciation, the importance of
teaching pronunciation and the most problematic sounds for Czech learners.
The factors influencing pronunciation and problematic TH consonants are
overviewed in the part too.
The practical part concentrates on the original teaching of TH
consonants. Activities and methods used for correction of // and // are
summarized in this part. The practical part is based on three recordings of
secondary school students. The recordings are subsequently analysed and
compared so as to answer the initial question whether the students are able
to improve their pronunciation of the TH consonants.
Anotace
Diplomov prce se zabv vukou vslovnosti znlch a neznlch
anglickch souhlsek // a //. Clem diplomov prce je zamen se na
vuku vslovnosti tchto problematick souhlsek u stedokolskch
student. Prce se dle zabv otzkou, zdali je mon u nich doshnout
bezchybn vslovnosti.
Teoretick st je vnovna zkladnm rysm vslovnosti, dleitosti
vuky vslovnosti a aspektm anglick vslovnosti, kter zpsobuj problmy
eskm mluvm. Tato st se tak shrnuje faktory, kter ovlivuj
vslovnost, a vlastnosti znlch a neznlch anglickch souhlsek // a //.
Praktick st se zamuje na samostatnou vuku vslovnosti. Aktivity
a metody, kter jsou zameny na korekci znlch a neznlch anglickch
souhlsek // a //, jsou shrnuty v tto sti. Praktick st je zaloena na
tech nahrvkch stedokolskch student, kter jsou nsledn analyzovny
a srovnny. Na zklad analzy a srovnn nahrvek je v zvru
zhodnoceno, jestli dolo ke zlepen vslovnosti.
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Key words: Pronunciation, voiced and voiceless consonants, problematic
sounds in pronunciation, pronunciation of /, /, International Phonetic Chart.
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Content
1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................7
2 Theoretical Part ........................................................................................................................9
2.1 Features of Pronunciation ...............................................................................................9
2.1.1 The most problematic sounds for Czech learners..............................................11
2.2 Why to teach pronunciation ........................................................................................14
2.2.1 Intelligibility ................................................................................................................16
2.2.2 Model .........................................................................................................................17
2.3 Teaching and learning pronunciation ........................................................................17
2.3.1 Pronunciation teaching ..........................................................................................18
2.3.2 Teachers role ...........................................................................................................20
2.3.3 Students role ............................................................................................................21
2.4 Factors influencing pronunciation learning ...............................................................22
2.4.1 Age factor.................................................................................................................22
2.4.2 The role of the mother tongue ..............................................................................24
2.4.3 Motivation .................................................................................................................25
2.4.3 Learners attitude and sense of identity ..............................................................26
2.5 Consonants ......................................................................................................................27
2.5.1 Production of voiced and unvoiced consonants th .....................................30
2.6 Summary of the theoretical part..................................................................................31
3 Practical Part ..........................................................................................................................33
3.1 Introduction to the Practical Part ................................................................................33
3.2 Activities focused on pronunciation of th sounds .................................................35
3.2.1 Introducing TH fricative consonants .....................................................................35
3.2.2 Minimal pairs .............................................................................................................38
3.2.3 Tongue twisters .........................................................................................................41
3.2.4 Oral reading..............................................................................................................43
3.3 Introduction of the students..........................................................................................45
3.4 Recordings .......................................................................................................................47
3.4.1 Assessing recordings ................................................................................................48
4.4.2 First recording ...........................................................................................................48
3.4.3 Second recording....................................................................................................51
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3.4.3 Third recording..........................................................................................................55
3.4.5 Summary of the recordings ....................................................................................60
4 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................62
5 References..............................................................................................................................64
6 Appendix.................................................................................................................................67
6.1 Appendix 1: reading text...............................................................................................67
6.2 Appendix 2: TH fricative consonatns ...........................................................................68
6.3 Appendix 3: table of consonatnts ...............................................................................69
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1Introduction
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consonants are representatives of the most difficult sounds in English for
Czech speakers.
The practical part of the final thesis deals with a hypothesis, whether
Czech students of English have problems with pronunciation of TH
consonants, and assumptions, if secondary school students are able to
improve their pronunciation of // and //, and whether they can achieve
faultless pronunciation of the sounds. Moreover, the part contains three
recordings of my students which will be analyzed and the findings of the
research will be presented in this part.
First, the findings from the first recording will be demonstrated and the
initial hypothesis will be answered.
Second, the part will focus on reducing the number of mistakes made
during speaking and enhancing students awareness when pronouncing the
voiced and voiceless consonants /, / by providing the students with
pronunciation activities and opportunities to work on their pronunciation.
Third, all three recordings will be compared together in order to find out
whether the number of mistakes was reduced or not and which of the two
consonants was the most problematic for the students.
Finally, the last part of the practical part will comprise a conclusion, in
which the findings, outcomes and answers to the two assumptions will be
presented.
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2TheoreticalPart
In this part of the final thesis the relevant theoretical background will be
viewed.
We will study how and mainly why pronunciation should not be
neglected and should become an inseparable part of a teaching process, and
what the roles and aims of the teacher and students are. We will outline the
importance of learners intelligibility and its affect on understanding during the
process of communication, then a model of pronunciation will be discussed
and also the limitations of speakers e.g. learners first language and culture,
the age of learners and their attitude towards the language; speakers
learning experience, motivation and so on will be outlined. Lastly, we will deal
with the production of the most problematic consonants for Czech Speakers
of English.
2.1FeaturesofPronunciation
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When studying pronunciation we deal with a theoretical context of
phonetics and phonology. Catford describes phonetics as the study of the
physiological, aerodynamic, and acoustic characteristics of speech-sounds.
Whereas phonology studies how sounds are organized into systems and
utilized in languages (1992: 187).
If we want to study the functions of language and the pronunciation
itself we have to break down the constituent units. There are two main
features of pronunciation- the segmental and suprasegmental features. This
thesis will deal with the segmental features only.
Segmental features are sets of distinctive sounds of particular language
and the suprasemental features are related to intonation; stress and change
of sounds in connected speech (Kelly 2002).
Catford states that phonemes are the minimal sequential contrastive
unites of the phonology of language (1992: 198). The contrastive function of
phonemes is that there are the bits of sounds that differentiate one word from
the other e.g. pin is differentiated from bin by the distinctive initial consonants
/p/ and /b/. The sequential function means that the phonological form of a
word consists of a sequence of phonemes, and that every phoneme consists
of a set of (simultaneous) distinctive features (1992: 201). The minimal
function of phonemes means that phonemes are the smallest units which
cannot be further divided (Roach 1992). Phonemes can be divided into two
main categories, vowels, which are subdivided into monophthongs and
diphthongs, and consonants, which are subdivided into voiced and unvoiced.
The following table presents English phonemes.
The following table demonstrates the most problematic vowel sounds for
Czech learners of English. The first column presents the vowels that are
frequently mispronounced and the second column provides information about
which vowels are used instead.
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// as in the word ship The short vowel does occur in Czech
but it is frequently mixed with long
vowel /i:/ as in the word sheep.
// as in the word bull Although the short vowel is used in
Czech it is often pronounced as long
vowel /u:/ as in the word boot.
/:/ as in the word bird The vowel does not exist in Czech
and it is frequently mispronounced by
inexperienced Czech learners as / /
as in the word cup or /:/ as in the
word heart.
// as in the word camera Schwa is not presented in Czech and
it is usually pronounced as the
spelling of the word.
/e/ as in the word tail It is commonly pronounced as /e/ as
in the word pen.
/ / as in the word phone The common error made by Czech
learners is that they do not distinguish
between written and spoken form and
therefore it is pronounced as // as in
the word clock.
Figure 2: The most problematic vowels (Cambridge university press)
The following table demonstrates the most problematic consonant sounds for
Czech learners of English. The first column provides the consonants that are
frequently mispronounced and the second column presents information about
which consonants are used instead.
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/w/ as in the word water Inexperienced learners usually
replaced it with /v/ as in the word van,
because the letter w is pronounced as
/v/ in Czech.
// as in the word thin There is no sound similar to this
consonant in Czech, and therefore it
is often pronounced as /t/ or /s/
because of a close place of
articulation.
// as in the word mother There is no representation of the
consonant in Czech and therefore it is
pronounced as /d/ or /z/ because of a
close place of articulation.
// as in the word think Although the consonant does exist in
Czech, Czech learners usually
replace it with /nk/ or /ng/.
/d / as in the word jar The common error made by Czech
learners is that they do not distinguish
between written and spoken form and
therefore it is usually confused with /j/
or / t/.
/k:r / as in the word car It is usually pronounced fully no
matter where it occurs in a word,
because there is no weak form of r in
Czech.
/z/ as in the word maze In Czech language a rule of
assimilation of end consonants is
applied, which means that a voiced
consonant becomes a voiceless when
it occurs in a final position, therefore
the voiced consonant is pronounced
as voiceless /s/ if it is in a final
position
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/g/ as in the word frog Czech learners use a rule of
assimilation of final consonants;
therefore the voiced consonant
becomes voiceless /k/ in a final
position.
/b/ as in the word cab In Czech language a rule of
assimilation of final consonants is
used therefore, the voiced consonant
is changed into voiceless /p/ in a final
position.
/v/ as in the word brave In Czech learners apply a rule of
assimilation of end consonants;
therefore The voiced consonant is
transformed into voiceless /f/ in a final
position.
Figure 3: The most problematic consonants (Cambridge university press)
The tables outlined the typical mistakes that are made by the Czech
speakers. All the aspect set in the tables should be considered when
teaching and learning pronunciation because being aware of the sound
system of the target language helps speakers in communication with other
speakers.
2.2Whytoteachpronunciation
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uncertain about it than about grammar and lexis, worried that they dont have
enough technical knowledge to help students appropriately (2005: 284).
It is widely recognized that acquiring good pronunciation is very
important because bad pronunciation habits are not easily corrected. Kelly
states that a learner who consistently mispronounces a range of phonemes
can be extremely difficult for a speaker from another language community to
understand. This can be very frustrating for the learner who may have a good
command of grammar and lexis but have difficulty in understanding and
being understood by a native speaker (2002: 11).
In my opinion pronunciation is still neglected at schools. When teaching
pronunciation it is difficult to create a lesson that would be only focused on
pronunciation practice because pronunciation is taken as an additional
practise in all course books. Another problem can be caused by the fact that
emphasis is frequently given on individual sounds or distinguishing sounds
from each other. According to Gilbert there are two main reasons why
pronunciation is neglected in classes. First, teachers do not have enough
time in their lessons, which would be dedicated to pronunciation, and if there
is time attention is usually given to drills which lead to discouraged students
and teachers who both want to avoid learning and teaching pronunciation.
Second, psychological factor plays a relevant role in learning pronunciation
because students are not as sure about their pronunciation as they are about
their knowledge of grammar and lexis. Gilbert claims that the most basic
elements of speaking are deeply personal and our sense of community is
bound up in the speech rhythms of our first language (2008: 1). These
psychological barriers are usually unconscious but they prevent speakers
from improving the intelligibility (ibid.). To be able to overcome the fears of
speaking, teachers should set at the outset that the aim of pronunciation
improvement is not to achieve a perfect imitation of a native accent, but
simply to get the learner to pronounce accurately enough to be easily and
comfortably comprehensible to other speakers (Ur 1984: 52).
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2.2.1 Intelligibility
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may have greater prominence on intelligibility regardless a learners mother
tongue.
2.2.2 Model
2.3Teachingandlearningpronunciation
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2.3.1 Pronunciation teaching
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approach and analytic-linguistic approach. Intuitive-imitative approach
conveys the learners ability to listen and imitate the rhythms and sounds of
the target language without the intervention of any explicit information (1996:
2). Analytic-linguistic approach, on the other hand, utilizes information and
tools such as phonetic alphabet, articulatory descriptions, chart of vocal
apparatus, contrastive information, and other aids to supplement listening,
imitation, and production. It explicitly informs the learner of and focuses
attention on the sounds and rhythms of the target language (1996: 2).
Obviously, the approaches presented above can be combined in any
way, but it is vital to set which approach or a combination of approaches is
the most suitable for our language purposes.
When teaching pronunciation teachers need to bear in minds that
pronunciation in comparison with the other aspects of learning will be always
marked with personal attitudes towards the target language, learners abilities
and so on; therefore there can never be a one-to-one relationship between
what is taught and what is learnt (Dalton and Seidlhofer 1994: 72).
Because of above mentioned facts, we should pay certain attention to
teachabilitylearnability (ibid.) presenting aspects of pronunciation that are
teachable e.g. individual sounds and segments, and others such as
intonation that are bound to certain circumstances and therefore extremely
problematic to teach. Roach states that the complexity of the total set of
sequential and prosodic components of intonation and of paralinguistic
features makes it a very difficult to teach. ... The attitudinal use of intonation
is something that is best acquired through talking with and listening to
English speakers (1992: 168-169).
Dalton and Seidlhofer point out that intonation as a part of pronunciation
teaching-learning is problematic, individual sound segments are on the other
hand fairly easy to be taught but not so important for communication.
However, stress was identified as an area with maximum overlap of
communicative importance and teachability, therefore is the most convenient
focal point for any course in pronunciation (1994: 73).
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2.3.2 Teachers role
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providing students with feedback could mean that students make
wrong assumptions about pronunciation.
Pointing out whats going on
As speaking is unconsciously controlled, students can miss
important features of conversation, and therefore teachers
should always highlight the key features.
Establishing priorities
Learners themselves are aware that their pronunciation is in
some ways different in comparison with native speakers, but
what they are unaware of is whether it is relevant or not. Here
teachers guide them which features they should focus on and
which not.
Devising activities
When choosing the most suitable activities that offer the best
opportunities for practise teachers need to also take into
consideration students learning styles as the effectors of their
progress.
Assessing progress
Assessing progress is not an easy task for any teacher but
providing students with information about their progress is
essential for further motivation.
The primarily learners roles are not only to pay attention to what they
are doing in the classes or to be active participants of the learning process
but also they need to be able to observe their progress. In other words, what
all learners need to do is respond (Kenworthy 1990: 2) to the teacher
otherwise no progress or slight improvement will become evident. Therefore,
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there is no doubt that ultimately success in pronunciation will depend on how
much effort the learner puts into it and whether the student is willing to take
responsibility for his or her own learning (Kenworthy 1990: 2).
Learners willingness to be responsible for their own learning and to
take action goes hand in hand with factors influencing learners pronunciation
learning. These factors will be tackled in the following subchapter.
2.4Factorsinfluencingpronunciationlearning
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biologically determined period of life during which maximal conditions for
language acquisition exist (Celce-Murcia, Brinton and Goodwin 1996: 15).
Scovel and Krashen claim that it is nearly impossible for learners, who start
learning foreign language after this critical period, to achieve natural
pronunciation since the brain losses its plasticity (qtd. in Celce-Murcia,
Brinton and Goodwin). This means that during the critical period a second
language is acquired naturally and more easily since the brain is more
flexible. The fact that the critical period lasts till puberty explains why
adolescents and adults find pronunciation learning so problematic and need
explanations how to produce different sounds in order to be able to
pronounce them.
Kenwothty outlines several researches concerning age related limits. In
the first survey Oyama concludes that the younger the person learning a
target language is the more native-like he/she will sound. In other words, it is
very unlikely for adult learners to attain comprehensible pronunciation (qtd. in
Kenworthy). In the second study aimed at the age factor, researchers found
out that if people start before the age of 11 their accent is rare, when they
begin learning between 11 and 15 their accent is uncommon, but if they start
after they are 15 their accent is virtually universal (qtd. in Kenworthy 1990: 5).
However, the third research, carried by Snow and Hoefnagel-Hhle,
concluded that older British English speakers learning Dutch in Holland were
better than younger speakers in the initial part of the research since they
quickly mastered syntactic and morphological structures of the target
language, but by 4 or 5 months the difference vanished and after a year the
younger learners began to excel (qtd. in Kenworthy).
The finding suggested by Hoefnagel-Hhle can be supported by
Florezs findings. She claims that adults find pronunciation more difficult that
children do and that they will probably not achieve native-like pronunciation.
Yet experiences with language learning and the ability to self monitor, which
come with the age, can offset these limitations to some degree (1998: 2).
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2.4.2 The role of the mother tongue
24
2.4.3 Motivation
25
2.4.3 Learners attitude and sense of identity
26
speaking countries, they can be applied on Czech learners of English too,
mainly students of secondary schools. Since if learners do not like the target
language for any reason, they subconsciously build up negative attitudes
towards the language, as they are describe by Schuman, which subsequently
prevent them not only to achieve comprehensible pronunciation but also to
learn the language itself.
2.5Consonants
When talking about the manner of articulation they way how to produce
sounds in the vocal tract is referred to. The vocal tract can either be
obstructed and the air is unable to go through the throat or another possibility
can be when a closing movement of the lips, tongue or throat take place and
27
it is possible to hear the sound caused by the air that is passing through
(Kelly).
According to the manner of articulation consonants can be divided into six
categories:
Plosives
Plosives are produced when a complete stricture is created
somewhere in the vocal tract and the soft palate is raised at the
same moment. After forming the closure and having compressed
the air behind it the sound released making the sound of plosion
e.g. /k/, /g/ (Roach).
Fricatives
When fricatives are created the air that goes through a small
passage in the vocal tract produces a hissing sound e.g. /s/, /f/
(Roach).
Affricatives
Affricatives begin as plosive consonants but they finish as
fricative e.g. /t/ (Roach).
Nasals
When nasals are formed air passes through the lowered soft
palate and nose since the lips make a closure e.g. /m/, /n/
(Roach).
Lateral
The tip of the tongue causes a partial closure against the alveolar
ridge and therefore the air passes along the sides of the tongue
e.g. /l/ (Roach).
Approximants
During the production of the consonant the articulators do not
approach enough to create a complete consonant e.g. /w/, /r/
(Roach).
28
Bilabial
The lips are almost or totally pressed together e.g. /p/, /m/
(Kelly).
Labiodentals
The lower lip is in contact with the upper teeth /f/, /v/ (Kelly).
Dental
The tongue touches the teeth e.g. //, // (Kelly).
Alveolar
The tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge e.g. /t/, /s/
(Kelly).
Palate-alveolar
The tip of the tongue is pressed behind the alveolar ridge e.g. /t/
(Kelly).
Palatal
The tongue is in the middle raised against the palate e.g. /j/
(Kelly).
Velar
The back of the tongue is raised against the soft palate e.g. /k/
(Kelly).
Glottal
A gap between the vocal folds is used to produce audible friction
e.g. /h/ (Kelly).
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Figure 4: English Consonats
Figure 5: Fricative th
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The interdental fricative consonants are very frequently mispronounced
by Czech students. The problem is caused by the fact that there are no
dental fricatives in Czech language and therefore inexperienced students
pronounce them as other fricatives which have a very close place of
articulation e.g. voiced // is often pronounced as /d/, /z/ or /dz/ and voiceless
// usually becomes /t/, /s/ or /f/. Another important aspect of these sounds is
that the consonants belong to a group of phonemes which can change the
meaning of a word when mispronounced e.g. when the word think is not
pronounced as /k/ but as /sk/ students intelligibility is disrupted
completely.
Since the consonants do not exist in Czech language and their
mispronunciation may influence learners intelligibility teachers need to focus
on the explanation how to produce them. Kelly suggests teachers to ask
students to put the front of your tongue against the back of your teeth. Let the
air pass through as you breathe out. Dont use your voice. Hold the sound
and, add your voice (2002: 55).
Another technique that may help learners to pronounce the sounds is to
put a finger against the lips and try to make the finger touch the tip of the
tongue and then breathe out (Kelly). These two suggested ways of practice
may help learners to acquire correct pronunciation of the consonants.
2.6Summaryofthetheoreticalpart
31
All the pieces of information serve as a basis for the practical part.
32
3PracticalPart
3.1IntroductiontothePracticalPart
The aim of the practical part of the final thesis is to apply theoretical
knowledge concerning pronunciation and mainly pronunciation of th
sounds.
Since I teach at a secondary school I work with students from different
age groups, ranging from 14 to 21, with different abilities, learning styles and
pronunciation levels. During my teaching practice I have encountered both
students with excellent pronunciation and students whose pronunciation was
terrible and made their speech unintelligible. Maybe, this is caused by the
fact that teachers usually focus on making their students to study grammar
and lexis, practise situational dialogues and get them to become good at
listening and reading comprehension. Yet they do not try to teach
pronunciation may be because of their fear of dealing with the pronunciation
features, they are not sure about, and an idea that grammar and vocabulary
are more important elements and pronunciation teaching would impede them
in their lessons. Another reason for not incorporating pronunciation into
lessons can be teachers thought that students will pick it up naturally, but the
fact that some students are able to acquire reasonable pronunciation without
over pronunciation teaching should not blind us to the benefits of a focus on
pronunciation in our lessons (Harmer 2007: 248). It may be concluded that
teachers need to teach pronunciation because it not only influences students
awareness of sounds and other pronunciation features, but also
pronunciation has a positive influence on students speaking comprehension
and intelligibility.
Kenworthy claims that pronunciation learning is not an easy but very
difficult and complex task. She compares the process of pronunciation
learning with practice tennis is learnt, one component of tennis is learning
how to serve. Serving can be divided into: (1) how to hold the racket; (2)
33
tossing up the ball; (3) striking the ball; (4) placing the ball; (5)varying the
speed and direction of the ball, and so on (1990: 27). In other words,
teachers must start with the basic features of pronunciation in order to be
able to move to the stress, intonation and so on.
The hypothesis for the practical part is that students have difficulties
with pronunciation of th sounds as they are no similar sounds in their native
language system. In the thesis I would like to answer questions, whether
adolescent students can improve their production of TH sounds and whether
perfect pronunciation can be achieved.
In the first part I decided to do a survey on this issue in order to
support my assumption. The research is based on a small-scale classroom
study.
First, I chose a group of 11 students who were in the third year of their
studies at a secondary school. Next, I found a suitable text and adjusted it so
as to meet my criteria of th sound position occurrence. All positions initial,
middle and final are presented in the text (see appendix 1). Third, the
students were asked to read the text while being recorded. Finally, I
attempted to analyze the recordings. During the analysis the attention was
paid to the initial, middle and final positions of the th consonants and the
way the students pronounced them. I wanted to find out whether they are
read correctly or substituted with other consonants.
The second part of the research concentrates on two sets of activities
concerning the subject of the thesis. The activities were designed to practise
the pronunciation of the chosen consonants. After completion of the activities
students were recorded again and the first and the second recording were
compared together so as to establish whether students improved their
pronunciation.
The next part of the research deals with other two sets of activities
which help to eliminate mispronunciation of th consonants. The final stage
of the research was to record the students and subsequently evaluate all
three recordings together. I attempted to compare the recordings so as to
chase up whether adolescent students are able to improve or even achieve
perfect pronunciation of th sounds.
34
As I tried to base the thesis on my own experience, I described only
those activities that were really used in my lessons. The conclusion of the
practical part refers to the survey outcomes and the initial assumptions.
3.2Activitiesfocusedonpronunciationofthsounds
This chapter of the practical part will deal with activities that were used
for teaching pronunciation of th consonants.
The most important part of teaching-learning process is to highlight
how phonemes are pronounced since people tend to hear the sounds of a
new language in terms of the sounds their mother tongue (Kenworthy 1990:
45). Doff (qtd. in Dalton and Seidlhofer 1994: 130) outlines steps that are
necessary to follow when new sounds are introduced to students:
Say the sound alone.
Say the sound in a word.
Contrast it with other sounds.
Write the word on a board.
Explain how to make the sound.
Get students to repeat the sound in chorus.
Get individual students to repeat the sound.
Kenworthy adds that when introducing new sounds students need to hear
them together with familiar sounds occurring in their mother tongue.
Aims
: to focus students attention to the production of th consonants
35
: to increase students awareness about the way they are pronounced
: to provide students with opportunity to practise the production of the sounds
Aids
: a mirror, a picture of speech tract (see appendix 2)
Timing
: 30 minutes
Procedure
Step 1
Teacher prepares a picture of speech tract when the th fricatives are
pronounced. Students bring mirrors and chewing gums. Teaching activities
used in this lesson plan are inspire by Kenworthys teaching tips described in
her book Teaching English Pronunciation and by Kellys learners-friendly
explanations outlined in his book How to Teach Pronunciation.
Step 2
The teacher introduces the topic to students by showing the picture.
He/she explains where the tongue is placed during the production of the
sounds and demonstrates it.
Step 3
First, the teacher asks students to prepare mirrors and chewing gums.
Second, he/she invites students to put the tip of the tongue between the
upper and lower front teeth and to either gently bite the tip of the tongue or to
put the index finger against the lips so that it touches the tip of the tongue.
Third, students are asked to breathe out and make a hissing sound resulting
in production of voiceless //, as in the word think. For production of the
voiced sound //, as in then, students are invited to breathe out and produce
a buzzing noise. When producing the sounds students are constantly looking
into the mirrors in order to see what is happening with the tongue and teeth.
36
First, students are given a small piece of a chewing gum, after a short period
of chewing it they are told to stick it against the back of the upper front teeth.
Second, they are asked to touch the chewing gum with the tip of the tongue,
breathe out and produce a hissing or buzzing noise.
Step 4
After the introductory stage of producing the isolated hissing and
buzzing sounds students are encouraged to pronounce words containing th
consonants.
//: The-Then-There-Therefore-That-This
//: Thank-Than-Thick-Thief-Think-Thin
Comments
This teaching method focuses students attention to the production of
th consonant sounds. The main goals of this activity are to provide learners
with an opportunity to practise the sounds in isolation, help them to fix the
pronunciation and gain a control over the production. Moreover, students are
given an opportunity to practise pronunciation of the problematic sounds.
Since the activities are playful and entertaining students were actively
involved from the very beginning and moreover, these activities help them to
breakdown the initial fear of pronunciation. The only problem some students
had was occasional substitution of // and // with /s/, /z/, /t/ or /d/. In this
case I followed the tip with the chewing gum suggested by Kenworthy I told
my students to position the gum on the roof of the mouth immediately behind
the upper front teeth; for s/, /z/, /t/ and /d/ the must touch the gum; for th
they must avoid it (1990: 75). I found her idea with a chewing gum extremely
helpful as it offers an aid suitable for acquiring the postures needed for
pronunciation of // and //. After the introductory lesson the students felt
more relaxed and familiar with the form and production of the sounds.
37
3.2.2 Minimal pairs
/f/ //
first thirst He has got a first/thirst.
fin thin A fin/thin soup, please.
half hearth Id like a half/hearth.
/t/ //
tree three Its a big tree/three.
tanks thanks The President sends his tanks/thanks.
sheet sheath The knife was hidden in a sheet/sheath.
3Baker, Ann. Ship or Sheep? An internation Pronuciation Course. London: Collins, 1981. p. 162-
165.
38
Voiceless // minimal pairs and sentences handouts 4
/d/ //
Dan than Smith is bigger Dan/than Jones.
day they Day/They arrived.
dare there Jim dares/theres his friend.
doze those Doze/Those after lunch.
Ida either I dont know her sister Ida/either.
/z/ //
close clothes The shop sign said Closing/Clothing.
breeze breathe Breeze/Breathe means air moving.
boos booth The boos/booth echoed loudly.
size scythe Thats a large size/scythe.
Timing
: 30 minutes per lesson plan (2 lessons together)
Procedure
Step 1
Teacher prepares two handouts focused on the practice of minima
pairs. The first handout will deal with the difference between // and /s/, //
and /f/ and // and /t/. The second handout will concentrate on // and /d/ and
on // and /z/. The lesson plans are based on Barkers book Ship or Sheep?
An international Pronunciation Course.
Step 2
Teacher introduces the topic of the lesson with revision of th
consonants pronunciation by producing the hissing and buzzing noises.
4Baker, Ann. Ship or Sheep? An internation Pronuciation Course. London: Collins, 1981. p. 165-
167.
39
Step 3
First, students are provided with the handouts with minimal pairs
focused on discrimination of two sounds, and are asked to read the pairs for
themselves. Second, the teacher plays the CD with the recordings of the
pairs. Third, students are asked to repeat the words in chorus. Fourth, they
practise the pairs in groups and the teacher monitors them and helps if
necessary.
Step 4
Students are given second handout with simple sentences containing
the words that were already practised. First, they are played the recording
with the sentences and then they are asked to practise the sentences by
themselves. Second, each student reads one sentence and the rest of the
class guesses which word was pronounced, whether a word containing a th
sound or the non-problematic sounds with a close place of articulation.
Comments
These teaching sequences are examples of drill pronunciation activities.
They are used to raise learners awareness of pronunciation and
discrimination of // and // and the consonants with a near place of
articulation.
During the second stage students revised the problematic consonants
// and // in order to establish accurate pronunciation and focus on them.
The third stage served for realizing the difference between //, // and
consonants with a near place of articulation. The students did not have any
major problems during any stage; although the last step was more complex
they did not face up any difficulties and were able to distinguish the words
correctly. The goals of these activities are to provide students with as much
practice as possible in order to help them improve their pronunciation and
show them how intelligibility is important during communication because
mispronunciation of th sounds can lead into misunderstanding between a
speaker and a listener.
40
3.2.3 Tongue twisters
Aims
: to provide students with enjoyable activities aimed at pronunciation practice
: to provide students with opportunities to practise the th sounds
Aids
: tongue twisters handout, mp3 recordings of the tongue twisters,
headphones
5 Tongue twisters: tongue twister with TH. Downloaded from this webpage
http://www.heathermeloche.com/AP%20Tongue%20Twisters.htm
41
Room Three Hundred Thirty-Three on the third floor rents for thirty-three
dollars and thirty-three cents every third Thursday.
Three free throws. Three free throws. Three free throws.
Timing
: 20 minutes
Procedure
Step 1
The teacher prepares the tongue twisters handout and the mp3
recordings of the sentences, which were downloaded from a webpage.
Step 2
Students are given the handouts, mp3 recordings and headphones.
First, they are asked to listen to the recordings and try to read the sentences
by themselves. Teacher monitors and helps if necessary.
Step 3
First, students practise saying the tongue twisters in pairs. Second, they
are asked to memorize them and then say them correctly aloud in front of the
whole class.
Comments
Tongue twisters concentrate on accurate production and help students
to improve their pronunciation skills. The second step gave students an
opportunity to hear the sentences over and over so that they could fix the
correct pronunciation of th consonants. As far as the third step is
concerned, students had to focus on faultless pronunciation. Since the texts
do not only contain th consonants but also consonants with a near place of
articulation and therefore the meaning of them would be changed completely.
The objective of the tongue twisters is to help the students to realize how
important accurate pronunciation is through enjoyable activities.
42
3.2.4 Oral reading
Aims
: to sustain correct pronunciation of th consonants
: to provide students with pronunciation prastice
Aids
: two reading texts and a vocabulary list of the th sounds
If you think you're safe from thievery, think again. Most thefts occur within three
miles of the victim's home. People often venture into the streets without giving their
valuables a second thought. They leave things out in the open, where thieves can
easily spot them. Items worth thousands of dollars can be stolen in a tenth of a
second. So be thoughtful. Only you can thwart this terrible crime. Watch your things
carefully. Thieves do.
6The voiceless TH sounds. ESL: English study and Learning Materials! Downloaded from
http://www.eslgold.com/pronunciation/voiceless_sound_th.html
7The voiced TH sounds. ESL: English study and Learning Materials! Downloaded from
http://www.eslgold.com/pronunciation/voiced_sound_th.html
43
there's only a thirty per cent chance of rain, and the next thing you know, it's
pouring. They predict snow, and there's nothing for another five days. Then, there's
a blizzard. So rather than trust my father's weather forecasts, I use a more
reasonable approach. I ask my mother.
Timing
: 20 minutes per lesson plan
Procedure
Step 1
Teacher prepares a reading text together with a vocabulary list; the
words in the list are taken from the text. The text was downloaded from the
internet focused on studying materials.
Step 2
First, teacher writes the vocabulary on the board, then reads the
vocabulary from the list and students repeat them in chorus. Second,
students are divided into pairs and are given the whole text. In the pairs they
work on the pronunciation of the whole text, the teacher monitors and helps if
necessary.
Step 3
Each student reads the text and the teacher gives him/her a feedback.
Comments
This activity is rather complex and therefore I decided to use it as the
last activity before the third recording. The reading text gave students the
opportunity to work on their pronunciation as a whole because the texts do
not only contain the target th sounds but also other consonants with a near
place of articulation and therefore mispronunciation of // and // would make
them unintelligible. At this stage it is extremely important to provide students
with an appropriate and constructive feedback. Since as stated in the
theoretical part, students are not able to assess their pronunciation. The
inability to assess their pronunciation can lead to wrong assumptions about
44
their pronunciation. These wrong assumptions can make their speech
unintelligible for a listener. The main aims of the activity are to revise
pronunciation of the target th consonants and get used to their production.
3.3Introductionofthestudents
45
English language is the main foreign language taught at the school
and students have four compulsory general English lessons and two
compulsory conversational lessons in the third and fourth year. Students
studying at the school are divided into two groups according to their level of
English. The group I worked with is an advanced group and their level of
English ranged from lower-intermediate to upper-intermediate.
Course books that are used at the school are New English Files by
Oxford University Press. The researched group used New English File
intermediate during their third year. The course book includes activities
focused on extending knowledge of grammar and vocabularies, practising
speaking, reading, writing, listening and pronunciation skills, but
pronunciation activities used in the textbook tend to have a same pattern and
therefore students try to avoid them.
Apart from the textbooks various supplementary materials are used
during lessons e.g. grammar, speaking and vocabulary photocopiable
exercises. Students are also exposed to different listening activities ranging
from songs, films to different listening tests, but to tell the truth no specially
designed pronunciation exercises are included and students are not forced to
work on their pronunciation intelligibility. On the basis of above mentioned
fact I decided to incorporate pronunciation activities into my lessons. The
pronunciation exercises do not only pay attention to pronunciation of th
sounds but also attention is paid to other pronunciation features, but
pronunciation activities concerning th sounds will be presented as they
correspond with the topic of my thesis.
To be able to find out whether students are able to make
improvements in their pronunciation or even attain prefect pronunciation, I
decided to record my students speech. The students were recorded three
times so as to pinpoint if activities dealing with th consonants can help them
to be more intelligible.
The following table provides information about the students level of
English. Their level of English was detected by annual tests that students
must sit for at the beginning and end of each school year.
46
Student Sex Level of English
Student 1 JP Male Lower-intermediate
Student 2 PH Male Intermediate
Student 3 DK Female Lower-intermediate
Student 4 JS Male Intermediate
Student 5 MS Male Intermediate
Student 6 ZT Male Lower-intermediate
Student 7 ID Male Upper-intermediate
Student 8 JH Male Upper intermediate
Student 9 IM Female Intermediate
Student 10 MK Male Lower-intermediate
Student 11 OZ Male Upper-intermediate
Figure 6: Level of English
The results of the table show that the group consists of students with
mixed abilities and the average level of English is intermediate, but no
general statements about their pronunciation cannot be based on the finding
from the chart.
3.4Recordings
47
containing 12 th consonants. Each student was given 10 minutes for
preparation so that they could get familiar with the text. After the period of 10
minutes I asked the students to come individually into the class. I wanted
them to come individually because I did not think that they would have been
fully concentrated on the text and moreover, they would have been distracted
by the other students. While the students were reading the text I was
recording them.
At the end of November the students were recorded again. They were
provided with exactly the same text and the conditions remained the same as
they were during the first recording.
In January 2011 they were recorded for the last time. The text,
conditions and the process of recording remained completely the same as
they were during the previous two recordings.
During the period between first and second recording, and the period
between second and third recording the students were exposed to various
pronunciation activities. The activities that were devoted to the practice of //
and // consonants were introduced in the chapter 3.2.
48
consonants as there are no similar sounds in their mother tongue, is right or
not. Second, I wanted to ascertain if the students substitute the th sounds
with other consonants with a near place of articulation. Lastly, the first
recording functioned as an indicator of the initial conditions of the students
pronunciation of th consonants. The results of each student are transformed
into tables and the overall findings are presented in a graph demonstrating
percentage rate of correct production.
Student 1
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /s/ /s/ /s/ /t/ /f/
Student 2
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /s/ /s/ /s/ /s/ /s/
Student 3
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /s/ /s/ /t/ /f/
/ t/
Student 4
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /dz/ /t/ /z/ /s/ /s/ /t/ /f/
Student 5
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /d/ /dz/ /t/ /s/ /f/ /t/ /t/
49
Student 6
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /s/ /t/ /f/
Taking the results of the first recording as a whole my initial hypothesis was
proven right. In nearly all cases students substituted th consonants with
consonants of a near place of articulation and in one case the student 3
pronounced the word without as /w t at/.
In conclusion, there were five students missing during the first
recording, but the outcomes seem to be clear and support my initial
assumption. Students have real problems with the th consonants and
voiced consonants no matter where they occur are usually pronounced as /t/
or /d/. As far as the voiceless consonants are concerned, they are frequently
replaced with /s/ or /f/.
50
3.4.3 Second recording
During the period between the first and second recording the students
got familiar with th consonant production and were exposed to several
activities that were devoted to pronunciation practise of th sounds.
First, they were explained how th consonants are produced. Then they
were provided with opportunities to practise their production. The aims of the
activity were to raise students awareness about the ways the consonants are
produced and to focus their attention to their production.
Second, students were working with minimal pair practice activities.
These activities helped them with discrimination of th sounds from other
consonants with a near place of articulation. The objectives of these
exercises were to assist students with realization of the differences in
pronunciation of th consonants and other consonants, to raise their
awareness of th sounds production and to provide them with opportunities
to practise the sounds. Moreover, both activities demonstrated how
intelligibility is important during communication process.
Student 1
// //
Recording they the that There other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /s/ /s/ /s/ /t/ /f/
2 /d/ /d/ /dz/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /z/ /t/ /t/ /f/
51
Student 2
// //
Recording they The that There other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /s/ /s/ /s/ /s/ /s/
2 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /s/
Student 3
// //
Recording they the that There other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /s/ /s/ /t/ /f/
/ t/
2 /dz/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /f/ /t/
Student 4
// //
Recording they the that There other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /dz/ /t/ /z/ /s/ /s/ /t/ /f/
2 /d/ /d/ /dz/ /d/ /s/ /s/ /f/
Student 5
// //
Recording they the that There other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /d/ /dz/ /t/ /s/ /f/ /t/ /t/
2 /dz/ /d/ /d/ /dz/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /t/ /f/
Student 7
// //
Recording they the that There Other than this without with something thought nothing
1 - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /f/
52
Student 8
// //
Recording they the that There Other than this without with something thought nothing
1 - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 /d/ /s/ /s/ /s/
Student 9
// //
Recording they The that There Other than this without with something thought nothing
1 - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 /d/ /d/ /d/ /dz/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /f/
Student 10
// //
Recording they The that There other than this without with something thought nothing
1 - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 /t/ /t/ /t/ /dz/ /d/ /t/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /t/ /f/
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
Wrong
40%
Correct
30%
20%
10%
0%
53
Student 1:
Taking the results from the table we can say that his pronunciation was
not improved. There are only two th consonants that were pronounced
correctly. The words pronounced correctly were other and something, both
with a middle position of a th consonant.
Student 2:
Based on the results from the table his pronunciation improved only by
a third. He improved the pronunciation of th sounds in the words other,
they, something and thought.
Student 3:
When considering the results we may say that she slightly improved her
pronunciation; she did not have difficulties with pronunciation of the voiced
sound in the middle position in the word other and she also pronounced
thought and something without any problems.
Student 4:
Taking the results from the two recordings it is clear that his
pronunciation has improved. He no longer has problems with correct
pronunciation in the words they, other, than, thought and nothing.
Student 5:
The results of the second recording show that he has more or less the
same problems as the student 3.
Students 7-10:
Since the students were absent during the first recording their results
from the second recording will be overview as initial conditions.
54
In general, although the majority of the students improved their
pronunciation they still substitute some th voiced sounds with /d/ or /t/ and
the voiceless are pronounced with /s/ rather than //.
The period between the second and third recording was filled up with
activities aimed at correction of th consonants.
The first set of activities was devoted to tongue twisters. The objectives
of using the tongue twisters were to provide the students with funny and
enjoyable drilling exercises in order to practise pronunciation of the target
sounds.
The second set was aimed at oral reading text. During these activities
the students were exposed to two reading texts containing not only th
consonants but also consonants with a near place of articulation. The main
focus was paid to sustaining correct pronunciation and to demonstrate how
unintelligible pronunciation can change the meaning of the texts.
Student 1
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /s/ /s/ /s/ /t/ /f/
2 /d/ /d/ /dz/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /z/ /t/ /t/ /f/
3 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /s/ /f/ /t/ /f/
55
Student 2
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /s/ /s/ /s/ /s/ /s/
2 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /s/
3 /d/ /dz/ /dz/ /dz/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /t/
Student 3
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /s/ /s/ /t/ /f/
/ t/
2 /dz/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /f/ /t/
3 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /t/ /t/ /f/
Student 4
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /dz/ /t/ /z/ /s/ /s/ /t/ /f/
2 /d/ /d/ /dz/ /d/ /s/ /s/ /f/
3 /d/ /d/ /dz/ /t/ /t/ /f/ /f/
Student 5
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /d/ /dz/ /t/ /s/ /f/ /t/ /t/
2 /dz/ /d/ /d/ /dz/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /t/ /f/
3 /dz/ /t/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /t/ /f/ /t/ /t/
56
Student 6
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /s/ /t/ /f/
2 - - - - - - - - - - - -
3 /d/ /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /f/ /t/ /f/
Student 7
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 /d/ /d/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /f/
3 /d/ /dz/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /t/
Student 8
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 /d/ /s/ /s/ /s/
3 /d/ /t/ /s/ /f/
Student 9
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 /d/ /d/ /d/ /dz/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /f/
3 /d/ /z/ /f/
Student 10
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 /t/ /t/ /t/ /dz/ /d/ /t/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /t/ /f/
3 /d/ /d/ /t/ /dz/ /d/ /t/ /s/ /f/ /f/
57
Student 11
// //
Recording they the that there other than this without with something thought nothing
1 - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 - - - - - - - - - - - -
3 /dz/ /t/ /s/ /f/
Student 1:
Based on the results of all recordings his pronunciation was improved
only by a third. He mainly improved the production of voiced th consonants
but on the other hand pronunciation of the voiceless th sounds did not
improved at all.
Student 2:
His pronunciation was slightly improved in both th form sounds with
occasional slips to producing /t/ instead of //.
58
Student 3:
As far as the production of voiced consonant is concerned, some of the
words were pronounced correctly, but she still has big problems with
pronunciation of //, she kept pronouncing it as /t/.
Student 4:
Taking the results from the table we can say that he improved
pronunciation of voiced consonant, but the production of voiceless // still
causes problems to him.
Student 5:
Although he was quite successful with correction of the voiced
consonant as he pronounced a third of the words correctly, he failed with
correction of // completely, since he kept pronouncing it as /t/.
Student 6:
As the student was absent during the second recording only the first
and third results will be compared. He improved pronunciation of voiced th
consonant by a third, but on the other hand he was not able to do so in the
case of the voiceless consonant, // was frequently substituted with /t/ or /f/.
Student 7:
As far as the voiced consonants are concerned, he improved the
production in a half of the words. As far as the voiceless consonant is
concerned, it was corrected in the middle position.
Student 8:
His pronunciation of th voiced consonant was nearly faultless from the
very beginning and since he worked on his pronunciation of the voiceless
sounds as well he corrected a majority of them.
Student 9:
Based on the findings from the table she was able to correct nearly
every voiceless and a majority of voiced th consonants.
Student 10:
The production of voiceless consonant was not improved and the
pronunciation of voiced one was only slightly improved.
59
Student 11:
Although the student was absent during the first and second recording,
he worked on the activities and therefore his results are presented too. The
production of the voiced and voiceless consonant is nearly faultless.
In this part findings of the research will be presented and the initial
questions will be answered:
Are secondary school students able to improve their pronunciation of //
and // consonants?
Can secondary school students achieve faultless pronunciation of //
and // consonants?
60
of //. It was extremely difficult for the students to pronounce the sound
correctly, mainly in the initial position. The production of the sound improved
in only about 30%. In case of mispronunciation the students inclined to
pronounce // as /f/ or /t/.
Based on the findings, we can say that it is very difficult for secondary
school students to improve pronunciation of th consonants and mainly of
//, but on the other hand the students admitted that the consistent and
continual work on the sounds helped them with pronunciation intelligibility
and listening comprehension.
61
4Conclusion
62
consonants are pronounced and if they are mispronounced which
consonants are used instead. After the second recording the students
worked on other pronunciation practice activities and then they were
recorded for the last time. Subsequently, I compared all three recordings
together in order to answer my questions. On the basis of the results from the
analysis of the recordings my assumption whether it is possible for secondary
school students to achieve faultless pronunciation was proved wrong, but on
the other hand the first assumption whether secondary school students are
able to improve their pronunciation of // and // consonants was neither
proved wrong nor right, since the students pronunciation of // was more or
less successfully corrected (in 50%), but in case of // the students results in
production of // were nearly the same they were at the beginning of the
research.
Nevertheless, the findings from the research demonstrate that factors
influencing pronunciation acquisition such as age of the students or the
mother tongue do play an important role in pronunciation learning process.
On the other hand, systematic and continual work on pronunciation can help
learners to become more intelligible.
63
5References
64
16. Baker, Ann. Ship or Sheep? An internation Pronuciation Course.
London: Collins, 1981.
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2009. 30 June 2011.
<http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/docs/fact_sheets/02Pronunciation.pdf>.
3.Sharkey, Rosemary. Facilitating Communicative Competence for Adult
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4.Florez, MaryAnn, Cunningham. Improving Adult ESL Learners
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65
12. The voiceless TH sounds. ESL: English study and Learning
Materials! 15 February 2010. 20 December 2010.
<http://www.eslgold.com/pronunciation/voiceless_sound_th.html>.
13. The voiced TH sounds. ESL: English study and Learning Materials!
15 February 2010. 20 December 2010.
<http://www.eslgold.com/pronunciation/voiced_sound_th.html>.
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6Appendix
6.1Appendix1:readingtext
Adjusted text:
The Hunter's Boldness
When they reached the place, the hunter pointed out a small spot without
trees in the middle of the forest, with something steep rising at one end. The
pilot thought that there was not enough room to land there, but the hunter
said that the other pilot had done so the year before, so down went the plane.
When it came to the rise, it turned right over onto its back. As the hunter
climbed out, he smiled happily and said, Nothing is better than this.
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6.2Appendix2:THfricativeconsonatns
68
6.3Appendix3:tableofconsonatnts
69