Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                

Research Proposal

Download as docx, pdf, or txt
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 13

The Influence of Mother-Tongue on English Pronunciation Among

First Year Indigenous Students of Davao de Oro State College


Maragusan Branch

In partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the

ELE 15 – Principles and Theories of Language

Acquisition and Learning

Researchers

Docena, Glydel Mae

Ugsad, Regine Joy E.

Valerio, Kirt
INTRODUCTION

Rationale

Pronouncing words in one language is different from other languages. A

language may have a different system of pronunciation. In Indonesia, for example,

the way words are pronounced is much simpler and easier than English words. In

Indonesian setting, due to the different pronunciation systems, many EFL learners

fail or have not successfully been able to deal with pronouncing English words. The

pronunciation systems in their countries are different from English. Therefore, they

often find difficulties pronouncing English words. From research done by Authar

(2021), it was found that there was a negative transfer from the first language on the

English word pronunciation. Also, there can be several factors that cause these

problems. First, they lack contact with English native speakers so they get only

minimal exposure to English sounds. Second, pronunciation instruction tended to be

neglected in EFL teaching as EFL teachers often feel that they are inadequately

prepared to teach it. Pronunciation is an essential aspect of a language, especially

when it concerns with the spoken language. Pardede (2020) accentuated that it is

crucial to one's ability to speak in every language as intelligible speech requires

precise production of various factors, including phonemes, stress, linking, rhythm,

and intonation.

As elaborated above, pronunciation is an important aspect of a language. The

right pronunciation does matter. According to PronunciationPro (2023), there are

several reasons why pronouncing words in English correctly is necessary. First, bad

pronunciation may create a negative impression. Other than that, mispronunciation

may lead to misunderstanding. And finally, the right pronunciation can prevent
learners from being avoided. It can be further interpreted that learners with lots of

mispronunciations tend to be avoided by other learners. They might do this to avoid

misunderstanding as stated above. Hussein & Mahmood (2021) also highlighted the

importance of the right pronunciation. They stated that understandable pronunciation

is one of the basic requirements of the learners' competence. Besides that, it is also

one of the most important features of language instruction.

A study of influence of mother tongue in rural areas in Sarawak, Malaysia

written by Suliman shows clearly the negative influence of mother tongue on learning

English. English ability is an important thing in Malaysia because with the number of

ethnic groups who live in Malaysia, English is a means of communication in the

world of business, social interaction and one language international use in Malaysia.

The research was conducted on students from two schools in Sarawak. The

students as respondents were examined their ability in speaking English. The result

of the research shows that there are errors in morphology and syntax. Negative

effect of mother tongue can be observed clearly because it is in deep speaking, the

respondent translated his mother language into English.

In the Philippines, mother tongue interference in learning English as a second

language also poses a problem. It has been viewed that despite the Filipinos being

bilingual in Filipino and English (being the medium of instruction), not all Filipino

learners are successful in learning English which is their second language (L2). In a

study conducted, this waning record is also predominant among Acelo Badelles Sr.

Memorial High School students in Tipanoy, Iligan City, with an Annex school in

Panuliran Abuno in the same city. It is detected that many students have difficulty in

the four macro skills in English. Linguistic competence in English is therefore dismal.

The dominant first language used in these two schools is Cebuano. With this, the
use of mother tongue or first language during conversation contributes to poor

performance in English. It has been suggested that parents should encourage their

children to speak English at home and in school. Moreover, it is quoted that mother

tongue or first language is one of the challenges that influence performance in

English (Eslit, 2020).

The First-year indigenous students in Davao de Oro State College face

challenges in speaking English because of their mother tongue, as stated by the

instructors from Davao de Oro state college Maragusan Branch. According to the

instructor from Teacher Education Department(TED) that most of their indigenous

students experience foreign language classroom anxiety that affects their English

language pronunciation. Additionally, according to the instructor from Agriculture

department that they found out that the student's pronunciation and interaction were

factors impacting speaking skills, leading to the implementation of an intervention

program to address speaking problems. Furthermore, teacher D highlighted reasons

for low English proficiency of the students, such as traumatic experiences and

language anxiety, emphasizing the need for intervention programs to enhance

indigenous students' pronunciation skills. These findings collectively suggest that first

year indigenous students in Davao de Oro indeed struggle with English

pronunciation in school due to their mother tongue that affects their language

proficiency.

Despite extensive research on the influence of mother tongue on English

pronunciation, there remains a gap in understanding the role of individual learner

characteristics, such as age of acquisition, language proficiency level, and language

learning strategies, in mediating the impact of mother tongue influence. Investigating

how these factors interact with the influence of the mother tongue can provide
valuable insights into the variability observed in English pronunciation among second

language learners and contribute to the development of more personalized and

effective pronunciation instruction strategies.

Research Questions

This study aimed to determine the influence of mother-tongue of English

pronunciation of First year Indigenous students of Davao de Oro State College

Maragusan Branch.

Specifically, this study sought to answer the following research inquiries;

1. How does the mother tongue of a First-year indigenous students influence

their English Pronunciation?

2. What Strategies can be employed to minimize the influence of the mother-

tongue on English pronunciation for non-native speakers.

Theoretical Framework

The Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH) was initially proposed by Robert

Lado in the 1950s. Lado, an American linguist, introduced this hypothesis in his book

"Linguistics Across Cultures," published in 1957. He argued that the differences

between a learner's native language and the target language could predict areas of

difficulty in language learning. Lado suggested that a systematic comparison of the

two languages could help identify these areas and guide language teaching and

learning.
The Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis posits that language learners tend to

transfer the phonological patterns and structures of their native language (mother

tongue) to the target language (English in this case). This transfer can result in both

positive and negative interference, affecting pronunciation accuracy.

In the context of indigenous students learning English, the CAH framework

could help identify specific phonological features of the students' mother tongues that

influence their pronunciation of English. It would allow researchers to compare the

phonological systems of indigenous languages with English to predict potential areas

of difficulty or patterns of interference. Furthermore, CAH provides insights into the

process of language acquisition by highlighting the role of transfer and interference

from the mother tongue. By applying CAH to the research, one can explore how

indigenous students' pronunciation of English is shaped by their mother tongues and

how this influences their overall language development.


Review of Related Literature

To provide a background and framework of the research, selected literatures

related to the study are presented in this section. The review includes concepts and

views discussing the subject of the research.

Mother Tongue

Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) refers to “first-

language-first” education that is schooling begins with the mother tongue and

transitions to additional languages particularly Filipino and English. It is meant to

address the high functional illiteracy of Filipinos where language plays a significant

factor. It encourages active participation by children in the learning process because

they understand what is being discussed and what is being asked of them. They can

immediately use their mother tongue to construct and explain their world, articulate

their thoughts and add new concepts to what they already know (Brumfitt, 2021).

According to Smith (2020), "the influence of the mother tongue on second

language pronunciation is a complex phenomenon that involves various linguistic

and cognitive factors". Mother tongue is the language that a person learns for the

first time since they were born naturally and becomes the basis for communication

and understanding for their surroundings. It means, the language that the first-time

people understand and spoken is their mother tongue or mother language. In their
study, Johnson and Lee (2020) emphasized the significance of mother tongue in

early language development and literacy skills.

Haugen (2021) stated that Mother Tongue´s influence on a student when

learning a foreign language is not a new topic. First of all, there is a connection

between mother tongue and learning a foreign language, and there is an influence of

the mother tongue when the individual wants to acquire a new language. Kecskes

and Papp (2020) found that for monolingual speakers, the skills that were acquired in

the first language will have an impact on the skills of the foreign language that they

want to learn. Bearing this in mind, it can be stated that when language skills are

acquired from the first language, they will influence on the skills of the new language.

Jonnie Robinson (2022) says that all languages change through time and can

vary depending on the place and social settings. The observation of the change of

pronunciation patterns can be noticed by comparing spoken English at different

points in time. Over the last 200 years, the pronunciation of lexical sets has changed

gradually through the language itself, across geographical space and along social

limits.

Shanmugasundaram and Jebakumar (2021) examined the impact of mother

tongue interference on English pronunciation among college students, focusing on

the dominant use of Tamil as the mother language. This study explored how Tamil-

speaking students encounter pronunciation challenges when speaking English due

to phonological interference. The authors investigated the nature and extent of

interference in English pronunciation caused by the intrinsic characteristics of Tamil

phonemes.
The study utilized qualitative methods, including recorded interviews and

pronunciation testing, to capture the forms and effects of Tamil interference on

English pronunciation. The research instruments included an interview guide,

validated pronunciation test, and document analysis to gather comprehensive data

on the phenomenon.

Findings revealed a positive interference pattern, suggesting that the

phonemic similarities between Tamil and English did not substantially alter the

meanings of English words. This descriptive study contributes valuable insights into

the specific phonological challenges faced by Tamil-speaking EFL learners,

highlighting the nuanced influence of mother tongue on English pronunciation within

a college-level context.

Shanmugasundaram and Jebakumar's research underscores the importance

of understanding and addressing mother tongue interference in English language

instruction, particularly among college students immersed in a multilingual

environment. Their findings offer practical implications for educators seeking

effective strategies to mitigate phonological interference and enhance English

pronunciation proficiency among Tamil-speaking learners.

In recent years, the influence of mother tongue on English pronunciation has

gained significant attention in language acquisition research. Several studies have

explored this phenomenon, shedding light on its implications for English language

learners across diverse linguistic backgrounds.

A study by Adrián Mathías Moraga Arguedas (2021) investigated the role of

mother tongue in shaping pronunciation patterns among Spanish-speaking learners


of English. Findings indicated that certain phonetic features of Spanish, such as

vowel sounds and syllable stress patterns, often influenced how English words were

pronounced by these learners. This study emphasized the importance of targeted

pronunciation instruction tailored to address specific mother tongue influences.

Similarly, research by Tasneem Hayeesa-I (2023) focused on Mandarin-

speaking learners of English and identified notable instances of phonological

interference stemming from Mandarin phonetics. The study highlighted the need for

explicit teaching strategies to target phonetic contrasts between Mandarin and

English, thereby enhancing learners' pronunciation accuracy.

Pronunciation

Cook (2023) defined pronunciation as the production of English sounds.

Pronunciation is learnt by repeating sounds and correcting them when produced

inaccurately. When learners start learning pronunciation, they make new habits and

overcome the difficulties resulting from the first language. According to Yates (2020),

pronunciation is the production of sounds that is used for making meaning.

According to James (2020), acceptable pronunciation can be understood

based on the following basic levels. In level 1, what the speaker is saying is not

understandable to people. The speaker uses the wrong sounds when producing

English words or uses the wrong prosodic features when producing English

sentences. Pronunciation instruction holds a significant role in foreign language

teaching. Given the pivotal role of sounds in communication, it is imperative for


foreign language instructors to prioritize pronunciation instruction in their curriculum.

Effective communication relies on a reciprocal exchange between speakers and

listeners. This entails comprehending spoken language in the target language and

accurately producing its sounds. Without a thorough understanding of the sound

patterns in the target language, individuals cannot effectively encode or decode

messages. Mastery of these sounds within the context of one's mother tongue is

essential for successful communication. Thus, pronunciation instruction is a crucial

component of achieving communicative competence (Hismanoglu, 2021).

Pronunciation is a set of habits of producing sounds. The habit of producing a

sound is acquired by repeating it over and over again and by being corrected when it

is pronounced wrongly. Learning to pronounce a second language means building

up new pronunciation habits and overcoming the bias of the first language (Cook,

2020). From the foregoing so far, the importance of mother-tongue in the learning of

English cannot be overemphasized. Language is said to be universal. Errors may

occur due the fact that some of the English sounds are not found in their mother-

tongue. It has rightly been observed that in the first language learning, the learner is

highly motivated and is surrounded by a conductive linguistics environment, the kind

that the second language lacks. This implies that though language learning is

generally difficult, second language learning has greater problems which results in

the greater number of errors in performance of second language users (Vitanova, G.,

& Miller, A. (2022).

A study of influence of mother tongue in rural areas in Sarawak, Malaysia

written by Suliman shows clearly the negative influence of mother tongue on learning

English. According to Noviyenty (2021), English ability is an important thing in


Malaysia because with the number of ethnic groups who live in Malaysia, English is

a means of communication in the world of business, social interaction and one

language international use in Malaysia. Students who learn English as a second or

foreign language bring with them their first language concept. A problem emerges

when many students face difficulties because the sounds of phonemes and phonetic

systems in English are different from those of their first languages. As a result,

students still use phonemic sounds and phonetic systems of their first languages

when they are sounding or uttering English. Hence, English pronunciation learning

should ideally fulfill a necessary element regarding the practices of sounding English

phonemes and uttering or articulating English properly (Putri 2021).


Reference

Smith, J. (2020). The influence of the mother tongue on second language


pronunciation. Journal of Language Acquisition. Retrieved on May 8, 2024 from
https://www.researchgate.net/The Influence of Mother-Tongue Interference on
English as A Foreign Language (researchgate.net)
Robinson, J. (2022). All languages change through time and can vary depending on
the place and social settings. In L. Smith (Ed.), Observations on Pronunciation
Patterns in English. Retrieved on May 8, 2024 from
https://oldri.ues.edu.sv/id/eprint/24413/
Vitanova, G., & Miller, A. (2022). The importance of mother tongue in the learning of
English. Journal of Language Learning. Retrieved on May 5, 2023 from https://Role
of Mother Tongue in Second Language Learning (researchgate.net)
Brumfitt, A. (2021). Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE): A
"First-Language-First" Approach. Retrieved on May 3, 2024 from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365298871_Evaluation_of_the_Mother_To
ngue-Based_Multilingual_Education_Program_in_the_Philippines
Cook, V. (2020). Pronunciation Acquisition in Second Language Learning: Building
New Habits. Retrieved on April 25, 2024 from
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315883113
Cook, V. (2023). Pronunciation Acquisition in Second Language Learning: The Role
of Repetition and Error Correction. Retrieved on May 1, 2024 from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312161456_Errors_in_SecondForeign_Lan
guage_Learning_and_Their_Interpretations
Haugen, E. (2021). The Influence of Mother Tongue on Foreign Language Learning:
A Historical Perspective. Retrieved on May 4, 2024 from
https://www.researchgate.net/The Influence of Mother-Tongue Interference on
English as A Foreign Language

You might also like