The Pronunciation of Two Different English Consonant Sounds Namely Voiceless Inter-Dental Fricative and Alveolar Liquid Among Two Groups of Chinese Speakers
Universiti Utara Malaysia
ABSTRACT
This study aims to investigate the pronunciation of two different English consonant sounds namely voiceless inter-dental fricative [θ] and alveolar liquid [r] among two groups of Chinese speakers. These two groups of Chinese speakers are differentiated based on their nationality. The first group of speakers is the Malaysian Chinese from Malaysia while the second group of speakers is the China Chinese from the mainland of China. To make sure the validity and reliability of the result, the research sample from both groups of speakers will be chosen from beginner level of English learners. In details, the Malaysian Chinese speakers of English are chosen from students who sit for English Communication 1 course (the first core English course for UUM students, MUET band 1-2) while the China Chinese speakers of English are selected from students who sit for Intensive English course (course provided for UUM international students who failed their ELPT test). The two groups of speakers will be asked to read English words containing the two analyzed English sounds in two different formats. Firstly, they are tested with a word list in which the words are treated as separate items and out of context. Then, they were asked to read a connected text namely a poem. The data then analyzed quantitatively. Based on the result, it is believed that the nationality and background of a speaker might affect their English pronunciation.
KEYWORDS
Consonant sounds, fricative, alveolar liquid, pronunciation