BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUẢN LÝ VÀ CÔNG NGHỆ HẢI PHÒNG
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ISO 9001:2015
KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP
NGÀNH : NGÔN NGỮ ANH
Sinh viên : Nguyễn Phúc Tiến
Giảng viên hướng dẫn: ThS.Nguyễn Thị Hoa
HẢI PHÒNG 07– 2020
BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUẢN LÝ VÀ CÔNG NGHỆ HẢI PHÒNG
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A STUDY ON SOME COMMON ERRORS MADE BY
THE FIRST YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS IN THEIR
DAILY CONVERSATION IN ENGLISH AND SOME
SUGGESTIONS AT HAI PHONG TECHNOLOGY AND
MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY
KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP ĐẠI HỌC HỆ CHÍNH QUY
NGÀNH: NGÔN NGỮ ANH
Sinh viên : Nguyễn Phúc Tiến
Giảng viên hướng dẫn: ThS. Nguyễn Thị Hoa
HẢI PHÒNG 07 – 2020
BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUẢN LÝ VÀ CÔNG NGHỆ HẢI PHÒNG
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NHIỆM VỤ ĐỀ TÀI TỐT NGHIỆP
Sinh viên: Nguyễn Phúc Tiến
Mã SV: 1612763018
Lớp : NA2001
Ngành : Ngôn Ngữ Anh
Tên đề tài: A study on some common errors made by the first year
English majors in their daily conversation in English and some suggestions
at Hai Phong Technology and Management University.
NHIỆM VỤ ĐỀ TÀI
1. Nội dung và các yêu cầu cần giải quyết trong nhiệm vụ đề tài tốt
nghiệp
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2. Các tài liệu, số liệu cần thiết
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3. Địa điểm thực tập tốt nghiệp
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CÁN BỘ HƯỚNG DẪN ĐỀ TÀI TỐT NGHIỆP
Họ và tên : Nguyễn Thị Hoa
Học hàm, học vị : Thạc Sỹ
Cơ quan công tác : Trường Đại học Quản lý và Công nghệ Hải Phòng
Nội dung hướng dẫn: A study on some common errors made by the first
year English majors in their daily conversation in English and some
suggestions at Hai Phong Technology and Management University.
Đề tài tốt nghiệp được giao ngày 30 tháng 03 năm 2020
Yêu cầu phải hoàn thành xong trước ngày 30 tháng 06 năm 2020
Đã nhận nhiệm vụ ĐTTN Đã giao nhiệm vụ ĐTTN
Sinh viên
Giảng viên hướng dẫn
Hải Phòng, ngày 01 tháng 07 năm 2020
HIỆU TRƯỞNG
CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM
Độc lập – Tự do – Hạnh phúc
PHIẾU NHẬN XÉT CỦA GIẢNG VIÊN HƯỚNG DẪN TỐT NGHIỆP
Họ và tên giảng viên: ………………………………………………………………………………………
Đơn vị công tác:
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Họ và tên sinh viên:
…………………………………… Chuyên ngành: ………………………….
Nội dung hướng dẫn: …………………………………………………. ………………………………….
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Tinh thần thái độ của sinh viên trong quá trình làm đề tài tốt nghiệp
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1. Đánh giá chất lượng của đồ án/khóa luận (so với nội dung yêu cầu đã đề
ra trong nhiệm vụ Đ.T. T.N trên các mặt lý luận, thực tiễn, tính toán số
liệu…)
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3. Ý kiến của giảng viên hướng dẫn tốt nghiệp
Được bảo vệ
Không được bảo vệ
Điểm hướng dẫn
Hải Phòng, ngày … tháng … năm ……
Giảng viên hướng dẫn
(Ký và ghi rõ họ tên)
QC20-B18
CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM
Độc lập – Tự do – Hạnh phúc
PHIẾU NHẬN XÉT CỦA GIẢNG VIÊN CHẤM PHẢN BIỆN
Họ và tên giảng viên: ………………………………………………………………………………….
Đơn vị công tác:
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Họ và tên sinh viên:
……………………………….. Chuyên ngành: …………………………
Đề tài tốt nghiệp:
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1. Phần nhận xét của giáo viên chấm phản biện
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2. Những mặt còn hạn chế
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3. Ý kiến của giảng viênchấm phản biện
Được bảo vệ
Không được bảo vệ
Điểm phản biện
Hải Phòng, ngày … tháng … năm ……
Giảng viên chấm phản biện
(Ký và ghi rõ họ tên)
QC20-B19
Table of contents
PART 1: INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………… 1
1. Rationale …………………………………………………………………………………………… 1
2. Aim of the study
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3. Research questions ……………………………………………………………………………….. 2
4. Scope of the study ………………………………………………………………………………… 2
5. Design of the study
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PART 2: DEVELOPMENT
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CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ………………………………………. 4
1.1.Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
1.1.1.Theory of communication …………………………………………………………………. 4
1.2.Pronunciation …………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
1.2.1. Definition ………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
1.2.2. The importance of pronunciation. ……………………………………………………… 5
1.3. What is English pronunciation error? …………………………………………………… 5
1.4. Consonants ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
1.4.1. Definition ………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
1.4.2. Classification and description of consonants ………………………………………. 6
1.5. English ending sounds
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1.5.1. Definition ………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
1.5.2. Ending sound errors ………………………………………………………………………… 8
1.6. Grammatical errors
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1.6.1. Definition of grammar
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1.6.2. Grammatical errors classification ……………………………………………………… 9
1.7. Lexical errors
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1.7.1. Definition of lexis………………………………………………………………………….. 10
1.7.2. Lexical errors classification ……………………………………………………………. 10
1.7.2.1. Synonym errors ………………………………………………………………………….. 10
1.7.2.2. Stylistic errors ……………………………………………………………………………. 10
1.7.2.3. Collocation errors
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1.8. Intonation ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 11
1.8.1. Definition …………………………………………………………………………………….. 11
1.8.2. The roles of intonation …………………………………………………………………… 11
CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY ……………………………………………………………………. 12
2.1. Participants and purposes of the survey questionnaire. …………………………. 12
2.2. Findings and discussion. …………………………………………………………………… 12
2.2.1. Data analysis. ……………………………………………………………………………….. 12
2.2.1.1 Student’s attitudes in daily communication. ……………………………………. 12
2.2.1.2 Student’s interest in pronunciation and their frequency of making
pronunciation mistakes.
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2.2.1.3. Student’s ending sound errors.
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2.2.1.4. Student’s grammatical and lexical errors.
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3.2. Solution to grammatical errors.
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3.2.1. Mastering basic knowledge of grammar
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3.2.2.Reading books and newspapers ……………………………………………………….. 30
3.2.3.Translation
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3.2.4.Error checking ……………………………………………………………………………….. 31
3.2.5.Speak in English with another person ……………………………………………….. 31
3.3. Solution to lexical errors. ………………………………………………………………….. 33
3.3.1.Read Every Day …………………………………………………………………………….. 33
3.3.2.Learn Roots …………………………………………………………………………………… 34
3.3.3.Learn New Words Every Day ………………………………………………………….. 34
3.3.4.Look up Words You Don’t Know
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3.3.5. Diversify Your Reading List
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3.3.6.Try Word Board Games ………………………………………………………………….. 34
3.4. Solution to intonation. ………………………………………………………………………. 39
3.4.1.Asking questions ……………………………………………………………………………. 39
3.4.2.Making statements………………………………………………………………………….. 39
3.4.3.Listing things
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3.4.4.Expressing feelings ………………………………………………………………………… 39
3.4.5.Stressing the importance of something ……………………………………………… 39
3.4.6.Contrasting between things ……………………………………………………………… 40
3.4.7.Using tag questions ………………………………………………………………………… 40
PART 3: CONCLUSION
………………………………………………………………………… 44
APPENDIX : SURVEY QUESTIONAIRES …………………………………………….. 44
REFERENCES
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1
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
In recent years, English has become a very popular language in the world
and in Vietnam as well. People use English for communication, travel, for
culture and trade exchanges and so many other fields in life. Vietnam is one of
the countries which use English as the second language and as a result, English
has been adopted as one of the most important subjects in many schools in
Vietnam. Four English skills are essential for every English learners of all ages,
nonetheless, learners seem to focus on reading and writing rather than speaking.
They spend a lot of time on learning grammar for weekly tests and examination
in each semester, meanwhile they are quite afraid of speaking English. At high
school, speaking English seems to be less paid attention than the others. They do
not spend much time practising speaking in class and that is the main reason
why they get difficulties with speaking. Moreover, many students are weak at
grammar and vocabulary and/so feel so awkward when communicating in
English.
In fact, there are many other factors that affect speaking English such as
intonation, grammar, links, rhythms, context, etc. And all these factors are
important in everyday communication. In the stages of speaking in class and
speaking test, the reality shows that many students have trouble with these
issues, especially beginners to learn English. After a long time of observation
and investigation, I have realized some common mistakes in daily
communication in English of freshmen at Hai Phong Technology and
Management University .
It can be seen that if students want to speak English correctly and fluently,
they need to pay attention to those errors. Therefore, to study this issue deeply,
the author conducted a study called: ” A study on some common errors made by
the first year English majors in their daily conversation in English and some
suggestions at Hai Phong Technology and Management University. ” Hopefully,
2
this research will help students gain insights into issues they haven’t previously
noticed and recommend some solutions to solve problems and help them
improve.
2. Aim of the study
This study is to help first year students at Hai Phong Technology and
Management University recognize their mistakes. It also helps students to be
aware of problems in daily communication and give some suggestions. This
study will focus on two issues. The first is to find common mistakes in daily
conversation . The second is about some solutions to such problems.
3. Research questions
These followings are two research questions of this study:
What is the most common pronunciation , grammartical , lexical and
intonation mistake that first year students at HPU tend to make when
speaking English?
What are solutions to help students avoid some mistakes and solve their
problems?
4. Scope of the study
There are many mistakes of English that first years students encounter when
speaking. Grammar and vocabulary are ranked as the main and difficult aspects
of communication. Intonation is a large theme because every country has its own
language and ofcourse, every language has it own intonation. And some
pronunciation errors must be mentioned as consonant sound, ending sound
errors . However, due to the limited knowledge and time in this article, the
author could not find a deep understanding of each of these issues. But the
author will say the most general way possible about the definition and the
common mistakes in communication. The author hopes this study will be a
useful material for every student who concern this issue and help to get rid of
those problems.
5. Design of the study
This study consists of three parts:
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Part 1: Introduction
In this part, rationale, aims, methods, scope and design of the study were
provided to introduce and to become basis for next chapters. The theoretical
basis of errors will be presented in part two.
Part 2: Development
This part will consist of three chapters:
Chapter 1: Theoretical background provides definitions of errors such as
pronunciation, the importance of pronunciation, consonants, ending sounds,
grammartical , lexical (classification) and intonation.
Chapter 2: Studying students’ attitudes in communication and common causes
that students often suffer in daily conversation.
Chapter 3: Give some suggestions for students to avoid making mistakes in
daily conversation.
Part 3: Conclusion.
4
PART 2: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1.1.Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to consider the theoretical background
regarding errors in daily conversation in English. Basic knowledge will be
provided to help students consolidate their knowledge and understand deeper
definition issues.
1.1.1.Theory of communication
Communication (from Latin communicare, meaning “to share”) is the act
of conveying meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of
mutually understood signs, symbols, and semiotic rules.
Human communication is unique for its extensive use of abstract
language. Development of civilization has been closely linked with progress in
telecommunication.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication)
1.2.Pronunciation
1.2.1. Definition
Pronunciation is “the way a word or a language is spoken, or the manner
in which someone utters a word. If one is said to have “correct pronunciation”,
then it refers to both within a particular dialect”, according to Wikipedia.
Besides, pronunciation was also put as “the way in which a language is
spoken” (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Encyclopedic, 1992:718). The Oxford
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 8th end (2008) makes clear pronunciation is
“the way in which a language or a particular word or sound pronounced”.
There are so many different definitions of pronunciation, this one from
Oxford Dictionary seems to be easier to understand: “ pronunciation is the
way in which a word is pronounced”.
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1.2.2. The importance of pronunciation.
Pronunciation is very important in speaking. Many people ignore
pronunciation when speaking English, especially students. They take further
notice of word meanings while pronunciation is considered as the most
important factor in speaking. The others can not understand if words were
pronounced wrong. Therefore, in order to speak English correctly, pronunciation
should be paid more attention to. Furthermore, right pronunciation can help with
the process of acquiring new vocabulary. Pronouncing words is often a part of
memorizing them in second-language learning, so getting a strong, basic
foundation in correct pronunciation early on will equate to more effective
learning overall.
1.3. What is English pronunciation error?
When learning any language, making mistakes in pronunciation is
unavoidable, especially for new English learners. In the research written by
Pham Cam Chi, she gave out the definition of pronunciation basing on the
definition of Jenkins (2006:36) in Nguyen (2007), “pronunciation errors are
variants of pronunciation which prevent one communicator from understanding
the propositional content of the other’s utterances”. Error can be defined “the
flawed side of learner speech or writing”, which “deviates from some selected
norm of mature language performance” by Dulay, Burt and Krashen
(1982:138).
(https://dichgiacamchi.wordpress.com/2014/03/23/my-thesis-2009-errors-
vietnamese-people-make-with-ending-sounds/)
1.4. Consonants
1.4.1. Definition
According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Encyclopedic (1992:192),
consonants are “speech sounds made by completely or partly stopping the flow
of air breathed out through the mouth”.
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1.4.2. Classification and description of consonants
Marianne, Donna and Janet (1996:42,43) presented that the consonants
system was classified according to place and manner of articulation.
Diagram of the vocal tract showing the places of articulation
According to place of articulation, consonants are classified into 9 types:
Bilabials: are the sounds made with the two lips pressed together or
coming together. /b, p, w, m/
Labia-dentals: are the sounds which are produced with the lower lip
touching the upper front teeth. /f, v/
Dentals: are the sounds which are produced with the tip or blade of the
tongue touching the upper front teeth. / θ, ð/
Alveolar: are the sounds which are produced with the tip or blade of the
tongue touching or approaching the alveolar ridge. /t, d, s, z, n, l/
Retroflex: is the sound which is produced with the tip of the tongue
curling back towards the back of the alveolar ridge. /r/
Palate – alveolar: are the sounds which are produced with the tongue tip
or blade coming close to the area between the back of the alveolar ridge
and the front of the hard palate. /ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/
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Palatal: is the sound which is produced with the front of the tongue
coming close to the hard palate. /j/
Velars: are the sounds which are produced with the back of the tongue
touching the soft palate. /k, g, ŋ/
Glottal: are the sounds which are produced without the active use of the
tongue and other parts of the mouth. /h/
According to manner of articulation, consonants include 6 types:
Nasals: they are produced with the air- stream being stopped in the oral
cavity but the soft palate is down so that the air can go out through the
nose. /m, n, ŋ/
Plosives: are the sounds which are produced with the air-stream being
stopped in the oral cavity and the soft palate is raised blocking off the
nasal cavity. Then the two articulators come apart quickly and the air
escapes through the oral tract. /p, b, t, d, k, g/
Fricatives: are the sounds in the production of which two articulators
come close together but there is still a small opening between them so the
airstream is partially obstructed and an audible friction noise is produced.
/f, v, ʃ, ʒ, θ, ð, s, z, h/
Affricates: are the sounds which are produced when a stop is immediately
followed by a fricative. /tʃ , dʒ/
Lateral: is the sound which is made when the air-stream is obstructed at a
point along the centre of the oral tract, with incomplete closure between
one or both sides of the tongue and the roof of the mouth. /l/
Approximants: are the sounds in the production of which two articulators
come close together but without the vocal tract being narrowed to such
an extent that a friction noise is produced. /r, w, j/
8
Classification of English consonants (Cawley, 1996)
1.5. English ending sounds
1.5.1. Definition
To understand easily, “ending sounds” are sounds that occur at the end of
the word. It refers to the consonant sounds as the word can end with one or more
consonant sounds (consonant clusters). Ending sounds are called Codas: “The
coda is the final consonant or consonant cluster.” (Barbara and Brian, 1997).
According to Rachael-Anne Knight, 2003, University of Surrey– Roehampton
(Understanding English Variation, Week 3).
1.5.2. Ending sound errors
According to Mark (2008), ending sound errors can be defined as “the
inaccurate pronunciation of the final consonant in a word”.
1.6. Grammatical errors
1.6.1. Definition of grammar
In linguistics, grammar (from Ancient Greek γραμματική) is the set of
structural rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases and words in a
natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules and this field
includes phonology, morphology and syntax, often complemented by phonetics,
semantics and pragmatics.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammar)
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1.6.2. Grammatical errors classification
1.6.2.1.Subject-verb agreement: The verb does not agree with the subject.
Eg : Error: A computer give us access to important information.
Correction: A computer gives us access to important information.
1.6.2.2. Subject omission: The subject is missing in the sentence.
Eg : Error: She visited the doctor because had a terrible headache.
Correction: She visited the doctor because she had a terrible headache.
1.6.2.3.Adjective / Adverb: An adjective form has been used instead of an
adverb or vice versa.
Eg 2: Error: My grandfather drives very careful.
Correction: My grandfather drives carefully.
1.6.2.4.Verb form : An incorrect form of the verb has been used.
Eg : Error: Have you ever imagine today‟s society without computers?
Correction: Have you ever imagined today‟s society without computers.
1.6.2.5.Verb tense: An incorrect verb tense has been used.
Eg 2: Error: She get pregnant when she was in high school.
Correction: She got pregnant when she was in high school.
1.6.2.6.Pronoun: The wrong pronoun has been used or the reference is not
clear.
Eg : Error: When my grandparents got married, them did not have any
money.
Correction: When my grandparents got married, they did not have any money.
1.6.2.7.Comparative: The comparative form is not correct
Eg : Error: My brother grew more stronger than my cousin.
Correction: My brother grew stronger than my cousin.
1.6.2.8.Demonstrative adjective: The wrong demonstrative adjective was used.
Eg: Error: These type of beliefs is very common.
Correction: This type of beliefs is very common.
1.6.2.9.Parallelism : In a series of elements, these are not presented in a
parallel form.
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Eg : Error: He enjoys reading, to swim, and visit his friends.
Correction: He enjoys reading, swimming, and visiting his friends.
1.6.2.10.Preposition: The wrong preposition has been used.
Eg : Error: Francisco used to sit in his desk.
Correction: Francisco used to sit at his desk.
1.7. Lexical errors
1.7.1. Definition of lexis
Lexis is a term in linguistics referring to the vocabulary of a language. Lexis is a
Greek term meaning “word” or “speech.” The adjective is lexical. The study of
lexis and the lexicon, or collection of words in a language, is called lexicology.
The process of adding words and word patterns to the lexicon of a language is
called lexicalization. In grammar, the distinction between syntax and
morphology is, by tradition, lexically based. In recent decades, however, this
distinction has been disputed by research in lexicogrammar: lexis and grammar
are now generally perceived as interdependent.
(https://www.thoughtco.com/lexis-vocabulary-term-1691232)
1.7.2. Lexical errors classification
1.7.2.1. Synonym errors
Definition :Two words are synonymous is they have similar meaning and
are often used interchangeably. But look a little closer at common
synonyms, and you’ll realize that the two words aren’t always 100% the
same and interchangeable.
Eg: Beautiful – pretty, lovely, handsome, attractive,etc..
Fast – quick, rapid, speedy, fleet,etc…
1.7.2.2. Stylistic errors
Definition: Stylistics can be by and large described as the study of style
of language usage in different contexts, either linguistic, or situational.
Eg: Last quarter was a difficult one. The new line didn’t move well. This quarter
is starting to show a boost in sales.
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Correction: Last quarter was a difficult one, and the new line didn’t move well;
but this quarter is starting to show a boost in sales.
1.7.2.3. Collocation errors
Definition: Collocation is a familiar grouping of words, especially words
that habitually appear together and thereby convey meaning by
association.
Eg1: The gangsters live by dirty money.
The “dirty money” indicates that money obtained unlawfully or immorally.
Eg2: She had a love affair with her boss in 3 years.
“Love affair” means a romantic or sexual relationship between two people ;
especially, one that is outside marriage.
1.8. Intonation
1.8.1. Definition
In linguistics, intonation is variation in spoken pitch when used, not for
distinguishing words as sememes (a concept known as tone), but, rather, for a
range of other functions such as indicating the attitudes and emotions of the
speaker, signalling the difference between statements and questions, and
between different types of questions, focusing attention on important elements
of the spoken message and also helping to regulate conversational interaction.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intonation_(linguistics))
1.8.2. The roles of intonation
It allows the speaker to convey emotions and attitudes in speech, such as
finality, joy, sadness, etc. Intonation also allows the speaker to stress certain
words. In addition, intonation can help the speaker convey the grammar of the
spoken words by pausing at certain points, for example, or by raising the voice
to ask a question. In addition, intonation can help the speaker convey what he or
she expects of the listener(s) in discourse by, for example, seeming to ask a
question or by conveying when something is new information in contrast to
information the listener already knows.
(https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/function-intonation-142335)
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CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY
2.1. Participants and purposes of the survey questionnaire.
All related data which used to analyse for this study were collected from a
first year English majors class – NA2301, at Haiphong Technology and
Management University by survey questionnaire. All questions will be related to
common mistakes in their daily communication such as pronunciation,
grammar, vocabulary, stress, etc.
2.2. Findings and discussion.
After conducting the survey questionnaire and observation, most students
make some common mistakes in daily communication. For further
understanding the issue, collected data and information will be analyzed and
discussed below.
2.2.1. Data analysis.
2.2.1.1 Student’s attitudes in daily communication.
Question 1: In daily communication, what mistakes do you tend to make?
Figure 1 : common mistakes
The purpose of this question is to find out the most common mistakes
students make in communicating. The results shown in the chart show the fact
that most students make mistakes in pronunciation, accounting for 45%. It is
followed by grammar, accounting for 30%. This proves that the number of
45%
30%
15%
10%
pronunciation
grammar
intonation
vocabulary
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students often make mistakes in pronunciation and grammar in communication.
As for intonation (15%) and vocabulary (10%), the students should not worry.
2.2.1.2 Student’s interest in pronunciation and their frequency of making
pronunciation mistakes.
Question 2: How do you like learning pronunciation?
Figure 2 : Student’s interest in pronunciation
As can be seen from figure 2, most of first year students like
pronunciation and it comprises 60% of total. There are 25% of students like it
very much and 13% of them feel pronunciation normal and just only 2 % of
them hate it. Many first year English majors are interested in English
pronunciation and it is a good result.
25%
60%
13%
2%
like very much
like
normal
hate
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Question 3: How often do you make pronunciation mistakes when speaking
English in class?
Figure 3 :Student’s frequency of making pronunciation mistakes
From figure 3, it is clear that first year students often encounter
pronunciation mistakes when speaking English in class. As mentioned above,
because knowledge and experience about pronunciation of first year students are
limited and they seems not to concentrate on practicing pronunciation when
learning at high school, therefore, they tend to make more pronunciation when
speaking English. Most of them (46%) often face to pronunciation mistake and
there is 39% of them sometimes get problem with pronunciation and 10% of
students who always do that. Meanwhile, just 4% of students rarely avoid
pronunciation mistakes and only 1% of them never face up to pronunciation
problems.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
always
often
sometimes
rarely
never
10%
46%
39%
4%
1%
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2.2.1.3. Student’s ending sound errors.
Question 4: What are your reasons for difficulties when pronouncing
ending sounds?
Figure 4:Student’s reasons for difficulties when pronouncing ending sounds
Reason 1: There are no ending sounds in mother tongue.
Reason 2: I have not heard about ending sound when learning at high school.
Reason 3: I have not attended any pronunciation course.
Reason 4: It is not important to pronounce ending sounds.
Reason 5: I have no habit of pronouncing these sounds.
Reason 6: It is difficult to pronounce ending sounds.
According to the result of survey questionnaire, there are around 6
specific reasons chosen by students. Figure 4 reveals that the main reason of
making ending sound mistakes is reason 6 (30%). All asked students agree that
ending sounds are very difficult to pronounce. They do not know how to
produce that sounds in correct way.
It is obvious that reason 1 takes second rank with fairly high percentage
(27%) of total. As mentioned in part 1, Vietnamese is one of languages having
no ending sounds, so that students get difficult when pronouncing those. The
number of students who has not attended any pronunciation course comprising
27%
5%
21%
2%
12%
30%
3%
Reason 1
Reason 2
Reason 3
Reason 4
Reason 5
Reason 6
Other reason
