Introduction.
Indonesian curriculum for English teaching framework has arranged all fundamental skills of English, including the productive skills that should take precedence in the classroom. Speaking as a productive skill requires students to have good communicative competence. Communicative competence is considered the primary goal of second or foreign language teaching and learning, and also the object language testers seek to measure via performance tests (Whyte, 2019). With good communicative competence, students can interact in English appropriately and gain mutual understanding with interlocutors. One of the essential variables in speaking that Indonesian students should consider when communicating is pronunciation. Correctly pronounced words enhance successful interaction. However, 90% of the tenth graders in Mamuju, Indonesia, who were involved in Idhar's study (2017) and today’s research, said that pronunciation was their most considerable problem. Many researchers have studied the type of English pronunciation errors, including the components that contribute to the mispronunciation done by Indonesian students. Findings reveal that the L1 phonological structure is a primary factor affecting mispronunciation. Others are caused by a lack of awareness of the correct pronunciation of new and unfamiliar words and imitating the wrong pronunciation resources (Silalahi, 2016).
Additionally, some pronunciation instruction techniques are insufficiently strategic for the learning environment of Indonesian students. Since every strategy has benefits and drawbacks, scholars also conduct various studies to assess how well it has been utilized in the classroom to enhance teachers' roles as educational resources leader. It would also be beneficial to gauge the need for further research in EFL contexts by examining how Indonesian teachers and students perceive pronunciation instruction in Indonesian EFL classrooms. In conclusion, by looking at these issues, English teachers could develop practical solutions for their pronunciation instruction.
I. The nature of Pronunciation
Pronunciation has been emphasized as one of the crucial aspects of learning English since it shows how a word is spoken appropriately. If children cannot enunciate each word or sentence correctly, there will inevitably be an issue in communication or miscommunication between speakers. Students with extensive grammar knowledge can perform well in different fields, such as writing, reading, and listening. Students with difficulty pronouncing words accurately find communicating challenging because they can mislead others. For instance, students who pronounce the word “beach” as /bɪtʃ/ instead of /biːtʃ/, may mistake the word due to the difference in connotation. Speakers should possess clear pronunciation to ensure their message is understood and promote excellent communication. Pronunciation has segmental and suprasegmental features (Ramelan in Anugrah 2019. p.9). Segmental feature includes vowels, diphthongs, and consonant. Firstly, vowels in English are classified into long vowels, which consist of /i:/, /ɜː/, /a:/, /u:/, /ɔː/, and short vowels that consist of /ɪ/, /e/, /æ/, /ә/, /ʌ /, /ʊ/, /ɔ/. In addition, a diphthong, a combination of two vowel sounds, also holds an important role in English words. Many English words have diphthongs, for example,/aI/ in /kraɪ/. There are fewer words with diphthongs like /main/ in Bahasa Indonesia than in English. Moreover, 24 consonants in English are classified into voiced and unvoiced based on the production. Voiced consonants are / b, d, dʒ, g, j, l, m, n, r, v, ð,y, z, ʒ, ŋ/, and unvoiced consonants are /f, p, t, ʧ, k, θ, s, ʃ/. Bahasa Indonesia has only 5 vowels, 21 consonants, and three diphthongs. The second feature is suprasegmental properties, which include stress, length, intonation, pitch, and other characteristics always present when segmental is produced. The style utilized in words or sentences is an example of suprasegmental qualities. It's crucial to use all of these characteristics when determining whether a word is uttered correctly or not. Unlike English, Bahasa Indonesia does not have a complex suprasegmental structure. Thus, it may be difficult for Indonesian students to adjust to uncommon phonological features.
II. The impact of L1 Phonological structure on students’ pronunciations
A student's first language (L1) may have an impact on their ability to learn a foreign language by either serving as a source for the learner to understand the language's structure when the two languages are similar (transfer) or by interfering with their ability to learn the language if the two are very dissimilar. (Romero et al, 2017). Indonesian students will likely carry their Bahasa Indonesia language structural practices to the target language. For instance, Bahasa Indonesia phonological system does not recognize the /ʃ/ or "sh" sound. The result may be that students speak words like "Shark" as "sark." Additionally, the plosive labials /p/ and /b/ are missing in Bahasa Indonesia. Students typically pronounce words like "pack" with /pek/. Additionally, no system in place in Indonesian converts the singular form to the plural or adds the /s/ sound to verbs (Saputra 2020). It can be challenging for Indonesian students to pronounce -s and -es suffixes adequately. Students are usually perplexed by such rules. As a result, these variances provide a significant barrier for Indonesian EFL learners to speak effectively. One of the biggest obstacles to learning a foreign language is interference from the mother tongue.
III. Teachers’ and students’ beliefs on pronunciation instruction
For many years, researchers in second language acquisition have debated the need and value of pronunciation training for students of English as a foreign language. According to Baker (2014), few research and surveys explore the perspectives of language instructors and students. The results of these investigations have shown that some instructors may not be interested in teaching pronunciation. There are several causes for this. According to Baker's (2014) research, the 'over routinization' brought on by the layout of the course's textbooks and the course itself may dull teaching pronunciation. Gilakjani et al. (2019), in a study conducted to investigate teachers’ attitudes toward computer pronunciation software, suggested that teachers had perfect sentiments about Pronunciation Power 2 and recognized its value as a tool for teaching pronunciation. The findings also indicated that training should be provided for teachers to use this software responsibly and effectively.
Furthermore, due to the misconception that non-native teachers cannot serve as reliable resources for pronunciation instruction in the EFL context, they may find it challenging to teach pronunciation. However, being a NNEST or NEST, according to study by Levis et al. (2014) on native and nonnative instructors of L2 pronunciation, may not be a significant criterion for judging a teacher's competence. NESTs are not likely to work because they are native, and NNESTs are not likely to work because they are non-native. Both NNESTs and NESTs are capable of teaching pronunciation just as they are of teaching any other language ability (Levis et al., 2016, p. 918). Additionally, Ustunbas's (2018) research on how EFL learners and teachers view pronunciation in language learning and teaching and whether they prefer explicit or implicit instruction in light of background variables found that learners and teachers regarded pronunciation as a crucial language skill. They tended to prefer teaching/learning it implicitly. Background factors like gender, learning, teaching, and pronunciation were considered when determining whether they chose explicit or implicit instruction.
IV. Students’ pronunciation errors
Making pronunciation mistakes when learning a language is considered natural. Using PRAAT 6.0.06, Silalahi (2016) utilized the terms examined in his research to identify students' mispronunciations. The result reveals that out of 600 words assessed, pupils mispronounced 176. The findings demonstrate that the respondents can accurately pronounce basic words with British or American accents, including lite, fin, fine, finite, ice, dice, vice, face, sign, and design. Due to the responders' frequent usage of the terms, they may be correctly pronounced. However, the pronunciation of other complex words is impacted by this straightforward word spelling. The responders pronounce other words using basic word pronunciation. The emphasis is often placed on the syllables spelled similarly to the core words by the respondents. The voiced palate-alveolar consonant /ʤ/being changed to one of the Indonesian consonants, which is the consonant /j/, the palate-alveolar consonant /ʤ/ being altered to the velar consonant /g/, and turning the consonant /ʧ/ into the consonant /ʃ/ are all examples of interlingual errors of English pronunciation made by Indonesian students, according to Sayogia (2022). When L2 learners fail to employ the majority of the minimal pair of consonants, they also fail to meet the phonological awareness requirement, which calls for users of the language to be able to distinguish between vowels, consonants, and diphthongs. Another typical pronunciation mistake in English is omitting the -s and -es suffixes for plural nouns.
No -s and -es indicate a noun's plurality in Bahasa Indonesia. Reduplication is common in Bahasa Indonesia, such as the term "anak-anak" for children. The simple present tense verbs likewise lack the final -s and -es in the same manner. In a study assessing these mistakes, Saputra et al. (2020) recommend two strategies and exercises that have worked well for students who want to address the issue. These techniques include the use of minimum pairings and audio-visual assistance. The author found the two methods helpful in helping pupils with their pronunciation while teaching English pronunciation. They provide a solid foundation for creating future pronunciation instruction techniques that might be interactive and even more successful.
V. Pronunciation Instruction and its drawbacks
Many pronunciation strategies have been introduced and practiced in the classroom for a long time, as pronunciation instruction is crucial to supporting Indonesian students' speaking ability and communicative competence. The audio-lingual approach is one of them. According to the audio-lingual method, language comprises several structures, including phonemes, morphemes, and grammar, whose patterns may be found by listening to native speakers' speech. The audiolingual curriculum is built on these language structures, shown through dialogues and pattern exercises. Samawiyah (2016) found that the students were encouraged to recognize spoken words based on phonetic symbols in her Phonetic research Symbols Using Audiolingual Method to Improve the Students' Listening Skill. They could distinguish between distinct phonetic signals, which enabled them to recognize words in spoken text. Although she concentrated on listening skills, the students' pronunciation input had a positive effect. Students will be able to mimic and pronounce the words correctly, even the unfamiliar ones, by listening to real materials demonstrating how English words are spoken and being exposed to this understandable information. However, the output and communication ability is not given as much attention since the strategy focuses on comprehensible input. Therefore, it is vital to prioritize pronunciation exercises during roleplay and classroom discussions to encourage students to become comfortable speaking and pronouncing words.
Samir (2017) also studied how to teach command word pronunciation using the total physical response (TPR) method in the second year of MTSN 408 Binamu Jeneponto. Total Physical Response (TPR) is a pronunciation training technique that might help pupils pronounce the command words. Because it allows students to practice communicating using various command words and in various social physical responses, TPR is one of the most effective methods for teaching the pronunciation of command words. The use of the TPR (Total Physical Response) Method increases students' command word pronunciation, according to the study's findings, which revealed that after receiving therapy in the experimental class using the TPR Method, students' scores were higher. In various research undertaken by Indonesian academics, another intriguing strategy, such as employing English songs to increase students' understanding of English pronunciation, is also applied. Songs may be used as a teaching technique to assist students in learning how to pronounce words correctly, according to Sumantri (2011), who organized research to enhance students' pronunciation using English songs.
Nevertheless, Sumantri highlighted that the songs should be chosen with the theme in mind. The songs should be relevant to the students' environment, and instructors may utilize easy terms to teach children difficult words so they can learn new vocabulary and how to pronounce it. Not only audio-lingual, TPR, songs, and authentic resources of English pronunciation but also the use of YouTube-based video media is strongly believed to improve students’ pronunciation skills. The study conducted by Mulyani et al. (2019) showed a significant improvement from the pre-test to the post-test on students' ability in English pronunciation through the use of YouTube-based video media where the Sig or P-Value is 0,000 <0.05.
VI. Recommendations for educators and future research
One of the most critical components of using English to communicate with people is pronunciation since there are variances between the sign and their sounds, which differs from Bahasa Indonesia. Inevitably, substantial vocabulary and crystal-clear pronunciation are essential for efficient communication. Thus, teaching pronunciation is necessary. Because English and Bahasa Indonesian differ from one another, Indonesian students find it challenging to pronounce English words correctly; for instance, when asked to say the term "diaper" /ˈdaɪ(ə)pɚ/, they could say "diaper." because Bahasa Indonesia has the same pronunciation as how a word is spelled. How difficult learning will be depends on how different the two languages are.
For students to discern the implementation in speaking performance, instructors and students must think about improving English phonological awareness. Other than that, several techniques for teaching pronunciation may be used in the classroom as long as the instructors are aware of students’ needs. Thus, student perceptions can measure an approach's effectiveness. Teachers may continually assess the compatibility between the learning result and the teaching tactics since we know each approach has benefits and drawbacks. In this way, teaching for all parties becomes more flexible and strategic.
In Indonesia, the methods for teaching English place a greater emphasis on grammatical mastery than practical abilities like speaking. It is important to remember that pronunciation is a crucial component of speaking for pupils. Hence, the curriculum should focus more on this matter. Moreover, pronunciation training might begin very early to encourage fossilization. Other than that, researchers have not yet agreed on the best method of teaching pronunciation. Therefore, various studies in the future of the SLA field and their findings might help answer these questions for language learners.
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https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8961836
Cheers | G. April
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