GuidePedia

0
A+ A-
WRITTEN REPORT OF PHONOLOGY

Phonology course code 5658

VARIETY IN THE PRONUNCIATION OF A WORD MAY PROVE DIFFICULT TO THE LISTENER IN COMPREHENDING THE MESSAGE CONVEYED BY THE SPEAKER(s) AND HENCE MAY LEAD TO CONFUSION.SELECT AT LEAST TEN WORDS THAT HAVE MORE THAN ONE PRONUNCIATION IN PAKISTAN (FOR EXAMPLE: ’TODAY’  IS PRONOUNCED AS / tadel / AS WELL AS / tidal / WHICH CREATES CONFUSION ON THE PART OF THE LISTENER).NOW SELECT CERTAIN PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE AND ASK THEM TO SPEAK OUT THESE WORDS.
FIND OUT:
            i.            WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS PRONUNCIATIONS?
           ii.            THE REASONS OF DIFFERENT PRONUNCIATION.
         iii.         WHAT SHOULD BE THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION IN YOUR VIEW? GIVE REASONS FOR YOUR SOLUTION. PREPARE A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT AND SUBMIT IT TO THE TUTOR.

REPORT IS BEING SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS, ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY ISLAMABAD PAKISTAN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF DIPLOMA OF TEACHING OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (TEFL)
SUBMITTED BY
NAEEM HAIDER YAZDANI
AP 504248
COURSE CODE 5658
DATE OF SUBMISSION
NOVEMBER 01, 2012







DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS, ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY ISLAMABAD PAKISTAN










DEDICATION

This Research Oriented Activity is dedicated to my parents, and teachers.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


First of all I am very thankful to Almighty Allah who is the most beneficent, the most merciful and have the power to create things with one word “Kun”. This project was impossible for me without his divine help.
I am grateful to all the Teachers who shared their knowledge with me throughout Tutorials scheduled for Diploma TEFL program and enabling me to reach this level and to accomplish this Research Oriented Activity. Specially, I am grateful to Mr. Ahmed Sheikh my Teacher for this course whose guidance was continuously with me throughout this whole activity.
I am also gratified to my friend Hafiz Qaiser Hassan for his help during this activity. Thanks to all my friends for their encouragement.


Naeem Haider Yazdani
AP504248
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.             INTRODUCTION.. 1
1.1     OBJECTIVES: 1
1.2     VARIOUS PRONUNCIATIONS OF CERTAIN WORDS WHICH CREATE CONFUSION IN PAKISTANI   BACKGROUND?  2
1.3     EXAMPLES OF VARIOUS PRONUNCIATION OF TEN WORDS. 4
1.4     THE REASONS OF DIFFERENT PRONUNCIATIONS: 5
1.5     CONCLUSION.. 7
1.6     RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 8
A): INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDENT. 10
B): BIBLIOGRAPHY. 10

1.  INTRODUCTION

 

1.1             OBJECTIVES:


In this report we shall focus on the following objectives:                                    
  1. To find out the various pronunciations of certain words which create confusion in Pakistani background?
  2. Selection of at least ten words who have different pronunciations in Pakistan.
  3. To clarify the reasons of different pronunciations.
  4. To find out the ultimate solution.
  5. To clarify reasons for the solution.







1.2         VARIOUS PRONUNCIATIONS OF CERTAIN WORDS WHICH CREATE CONFUSION IN PAKISTANI   BACKGROUND?


 Proper pronunciation means reproducing the sound of the word through speech in such a way that any fluent speaker of the language would effortlessly know and understand the message. Improper pronunciation causes a breakdown in communication and requires more effort to understand. The meaning between the words like effect and affect are easily confused if the pronunciation is not clear. Result of this study will be significant for all stake holders of Education such as students, teachers, and curriculum developers they will know different causes of poor pronunciation in English language and measures for improving the English pronunciation.
 Since Pakistani Society is Multilingual society and all of us are forced from our early childhood to learn many languages namely, Punjabi, Pushtoo, Sindhi, Balochi as mother tongue and after that we are introduced to Arabic as Religious language and then afterwards Urdu and English to cope with the world in which the learning of these languages is assumed as the key to success.
Pakistani English is heavily influenced by Pakistan's languages as well as the English of other nations. Many words or terms from Urdu, such as 'cummerbund', have entered the global language and are also found in Pakistan. In addition the area which is now Pakistan was home to the largest garrisons of the British Indian Army (such as Rawalpindi and Peshawar) and this, combined with the post-partition influence of the Pakistan Military, has ensured that many military terms have entered the local terminology.
The type of English taught (and preferred) is British English. The heavy influence and penetration of American culture through television, films and other media has brought in great influences of American English.
Following are the selected ten words that have more than one pronunciation in Pakistan, which creates confusion on the part of the listener and after listening such pronunciation it is difficult to understand the factual spellings of such words.
1.    Vehicle – Although there is an H in the word, to pronounce it is to sound hicky. Say /VEE-IKL/, not /vee-Hikl/.
2.    Pronunciation – This word is a noun. It comes from the verb pronounce, BUT it is not pronounced like the verb. Say /PRO-NUN-CI-A-TION/, not /pro-nounce-i-a-tion/.
3.    Old-fashioned – This adjective is formed from a past-participle: “fashioned.” Don’t leave off the ED. Say /OLD-FASHIOND/, not /old-fashion/.
4.    Library – Notice where the R comes in the word. Say /LI-BRAR-Y/, not /li-ber-ry/.
5.    Jewelry – The word has three syllables. Say /JEW-EL-RY/, not /jew-el-er-y/. The pronunciation /jewl-ry/ is common but not correct, as it removes one syllable from the word.
6.    Hierarchy – The word has four syllables. Say /HI -ER-AR-KY,/ not /hi-ar-ky/.
7.    Accessory – the first C has a “hard” sound. Say /AK-SESS-OR-Y/, not /ass-ess-or-y/.
  1. RISK- Many people say /Ri-ks/ although we should say it /Risk/.
  1.  Candidate – Notice the first d. Say /KAN-DI-DATE/, not /kan-i-date/.
10.   Anyway – The problem with this word is not so much pronunciation as the addition of an unnecessary sound. Don’t add an “s” to make it “anyways.” The word is /ANYWAY/.
In addition to above mentioned words there is long list of such words with variety of pronunciation in practice in Pakistan.

1.3        EXAMPLES OF VARIOUS PRONUNCIATION OF TEN WORDS

I have given these above mentioned words to different races of people belonging to the different profession and the I have collected following different pronunciations from them which are written as under:
1.   Vehicle – was pronounced by a shopkeeper by saying /vehee-kl/, a student of 10th class pronounced this word in following manner /vahi-kil/, a laborer said this word like /vehi-kul/ and a teacher correctly said           /ˈviːəkəl/.
2.    Pronunciation:  was pronounced by a shopkeeper by saying /pro-nounce-ation/,a student of 10th class pronounced this word in following manner /pro-nounce-i-a-tion/, a laborer said this word like / pro-nouncee-i-a-tion / and a teacher correctly said/ prəˌnənsiːˈeɪʃən/.
3.    Old-fashioned: was pronounced by a shopkeeper by saying /ould-pha-shun/,a student of 10th class pronounced this word in following manner /old-fae-shun-d/, a laborer said this word like /old-pha-shun/ and a teacher correctly said / [Old-fashioned] /.
4.     Library: was pronounced by a shopkeeper by saying /lay-bray-re/,a student of 10th class pronounced this word in following manner /lae-bray-ri/, a labourer said this word like /lub-ray-ree/ and a teacher correctly said / laɪˌbreri /
5.    Jewelry – was pronounced by a shopkeeper by saying /jeo-lary/,a student of 10th class pronounced this word in following manner /jew-el-ry/, a laborer said this word like /juo-lry/ and a teacher correctly said / ˈdʒuːəlri /
6.    Hierarchy was pronounced by a shopkeeper by saying /hi-rar-ki/,a student of 10th class pronounced this word in following manner /hi-rar-chi/, a laborer said this word like /hi-rur-chy/ and a teacher correctly said / ˈhaɪˌrɑrki /
7.    Accessory: was pronounced by a shopkeeper by saying /ak-ses-ri/,a student of 10th class pronounced this word in following manner /aces-ry/, a laborer said this word like /auk-sis-ree/ and a teacher correctly said      / ɪkˈsesəri /.
8.   RISK: was pronounced by a shopkeeper by saying /raes-k/,a student of 10th class pronounced this word in following manner /ris-k/, a laborer said this word like /riks/ and a teacher correctly said /ˈrɪsk:/
9.   Candidate:  was pronounced by a shopkeeper by saying /kani-day-t/,a student of 10th class pronounced this word in following manner /cani-date/, a laborer said this word like /kuni-day/ and a teacher correctly said ˈ/kændəˌdeɪt/
10.  Anyway: was pronounced by a shopkeeper by saying / ay--ni-way/, a student of 10th class pronounced this word in following manner /ae-ne-way/,a laborer said this word like /ay-ni-ways/ and a teacher correctly said/ [anyway]/.

1.4       THE REASONS OF DIFFERENT PRONUNCIATIONS:

All the above examples clearly show following various reasons on the part of Pakistani Society:
1.  LACK OF EDUCATION: In all the above examples we can see that normally less educated and illiterate people mispronounced these words and those who are literate they correctly pronounced the words.
2.    PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: In all the above examples people are from different professional background. They have Knowledge of English Language according to their profession. Here we can see that the person who are related to the Educational Background have comparatively better knowledge of pronunciation in English.
3.   INFREQUENT LISTENING HABITS:  All the above examples shows inadequate listening habits of our people who don’t listen English news and therefore their pronunciation possess various kinds of colors.
4.   LACK OF SPEAKING PRACTICE: All the participants who were asked to pronounce different words did not have any practice of English speaking, hardly some of them some words in their daily life.
5.  ENVIRONMENT/SURROUNDINGS: Surroundings play vital role in learning of speaking skills of a language, if all the people use same language although with different dialects then anyone who possess another language will have to speak and understand their language, resultantly he will be a good speaker of that particular language in no time.
6.  LOCAL LANGUAGE ACCENTS: We can see the effect of different local language accents on the English pronunciation. The knowledge of L1, plays crucial role in learning the speaking skills of a Foreign language like English. For example sikh people speak English in Punjabi style and our Pakistan people speak English according to their provincial language styles.
7.  OVER EMPHASIS ON  WRITING AND READING OF ENGLISH NOT ON SPEAKING:  According to the results of all above mispronounced examples of the words it can easily be understand that those people have not been provided any opportunity to speak English rather in Pakistan focus has been given only on  reading and writing English language. That’s why people of Pakistan generally mispronounce a lot of words.     



1.5 CONCLUSION

The following conclusion was drawn on the basis of this written report.
1.      The people have no knowledge of phonetics and phonology.
2.      The people of Pakistan do not listen to the BBC, CNN and Voice of America for information and correct pronunciation.
3.      The people do not watch, English drama, films and documentaries for learning English and correct pronunciation.
4.      There are   limited institutions of teaching English as a language in Pakistan.
5.       Audio Visual aids are not used during their English classes.
6.      The people do not use the dictionary of phonetics system for improving their pronunciation.
7.      The people do not pay attention in learning English speaking skills.













1.6     RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS


1.      The people may be given proper training in pronunciation especially in Phonetics and Phonology.
2.      The people may be motivated to listen to the different news channels and to watch English programmes in order to improve their English speaking skills.
3.      Special institutions may be established in the country which teaches English as subject such as NUML.
4.      The people may be encouraged to use different types of AV aids and equipment during their classes.
5.      The people may be encouraged to use different talking and pronunciation dictionaries. 
6.      Like other English language skills or sub skills courses, such as reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary etc., English pronunciation is very important for EFL learners to develop their communicative efficiency. It is one of the basic skills required for the students in their English language learning.
7.      While learning pronunciation in the classroom, the student should be conscious about this important factor. The students may have different competency levels such as learning speed and styles. The teacher should give proper attention to the students and their special needs and problems. The teacher should also conduct a students’ needs analysis regarding pronunciation. According to the needs of the learners, the teacher should develop some appropriate materials and strategies to present in the class to reduce the learners’ problem.
8.      There is a need for the creation of language guidelines for multilingual workplaces, not be implemented by workplace trainers -  not  (emphatically), to teach or assess English as a Second Language (ESL) pronunciation, which should be done by specialists, but to encourage interaction between native and non-native speakers and create opportunities for the informal conversation practice which is such an important component of learning pronunciation.
9.      English teachers need to be provided with courses and materials to help them improve their effectiveness in teaching pronunciation. They also need to be better supported in the context of the many demands that the changing system is placing upon them.
10.  There is a need for high quality, effective materials, especially computer-based materials with audio demonstrations, for learners of English pronunciation, both for self-access and for use in classes where the teacher needs support of this kind.
11.  There is a great need for increased scholarly research on English pronunciation teaching and for a more systematic approach to resolving debates about the relative effectiveness of methods and materials

A): INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDENT


LAST DEGREE OBTAINED:
M.A ENGLISH
ORGANIZATION’S NAME:
PUNJAB FORENSIC SCIENCE AGENCY ,HOME DEPARTMENT THOKER NIAZ BAIG LAHORE
DESIGNATION:
ASSISTANT (ADMIN)
EXPERIENCE:
3 YEARS

B): BIBLIOGRAPHY





Posted by
Share to:

Post a Comment

Emoticon
:) :)) ;(( :-) =)) ;( ;-( :d :-d @-) :p :o :>) (o) [-( :-? (p) :-s (m) 8-) :-t :-b b-( :-# =p~ $-) (b) (f) x-) (k) (h) (c) cheer
Click to see the code!
To insert emoticon you must added at least one space before the code.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
 
Top