A SURVEY ON MISPRONOUNCING ENDING SOUNDS /s/ OF THIRD-

YEAR EFL STUDENTS AT SAI GON UNIVERSITY

INTRODUCTION

1. Setting
- Due to some reasons, Asian usually have problems with English
pronunciation.
- One of the common mistakes is mispronouncing ending sounds.
- Vietnamese get confused with the matter whether adding or omitting /s/
sounds at the end of the words.
- A survey on the mispronouncing ending sounds /s/ of third-year EFL
students at Sai Gon University.

2. Literature review
a. Definition of pronunciation and the importance of pronunciation

Pronunciation is the way we produce sounds to show the meaning of the words
(Herman, 2016; Yates & Zielinski, 2009). Furthermore, one of the key
requirements for language proficiency is to secure understandable pronunciation
for the language learners (Pourhosein Gilakjani, 2012). Pronunciation is important
because it does not matter how good a learner’s vocabulary or grammar is if no one
can understand them when they speak (Yates & Zielinski, 2009).

b. Function of ending sound /s/ in English pronunciation

- The purpose of adding –s morpheme at the end of the word is to form
plural form of nouns, the possessive case of nouns and third person
singular form of verbs. There are 3 types of pronouning the ending
sounds /s/ which are /s/, /z/, and /ɪz/ (Balčytytė-Kurtinienė, 2014).
- Dropping sounds that occur at the end of words
creates grammatical errors (Ryan, 2015).
c. Factors affecting the pronunciation of English pronunciation of students
- Several researchers have surveyed on the influence of native
language, age, amount of exposure, aptitude, attitude and motivation
(Herman, 2016; Harmer, 2001; Essays, 2013).
- Richards & Renandya (2002) reported that many learners were quite
comfortable to show evidence of their native language on their second
 language phonology, since it was sometimes viewed as a core part of
their cultural identity.
- Pourhosein Gilakjani (2016) and Harmer (2001) reported that teachers
pay more attention to grammar and vocabulary instead of
pronunciation.
d. Teachers’ solutions to improve students’ pronunciation
- Essays (2013) listed methods regarding pronunciation teaching such
as substitution drill and jigsaw including tongue twister, drilling
techniques and saturation drill.
- Jessica et al. (2015) found that listening to English songs would help
improve the students’ difficulties in pronouncing English.
e. Students’ solutions to improve pronunciation
- Hassan (2014) recommended activities like paying more attention to
pronunciation lessons, using audio aids for listening English words,
checking pronunciation in dictionaries.

3. Gap statement
Many researchers paid their attention to pronunciation. However,
pronunciation of ending sounds /s/ is ignored commonly. It is vital to
conduct more studies on mispronouncing ending sounds /s/ as well as to find
effective methods to improve students’ difficulties in pronouncing the sound.

4. Statement of purpose
The main purpose of this study is to identify the pronouncing ending
sounds /s/ of third-year EFL students at Sai Gon University. The second goal
was to propose possible solutions to mispronouncing ending sounds /s/ for
students.
REFERENCES

Balčytytė-Kurtinienė, G. (2014). A Course in English Phonetics for EFL

University Students. Vilnius: Vilnius University.

Essays, U. (2018, July 24). Problems Faced by Asian Students in English

Pronunciation. Retrieved October 6, 2018, from UK Essays Web site:
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/problems-faced-by-asian-
students-in-english-pronunciation-education-essay.php#citethis

Harmer, J. (2001). The Practice of English Language Teaching. Essex: Longman.

Hassan, E. (2014). Pronunciation Problems: A Case Study of English Language

Students at Sudan University of Science and Technology. English Language
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Herman. (2016). Students' Difficulties in Pronouncing the English Labiodental

Sounds. Communication and Linguistics Studies, 1-4.

Jessica, S., Basri, H. & Ohoiwutun, J. (2015). Improving The Pronunciation

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Pourhosein Gilakjani, A. (2012). A Study on Factors Affecting EFL Learners'

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Pourhosein Gilakjani, A. (2016). Why Is English Pronunciation Ignored by EFL

Teachers in Their Classes? International Journal of Humanities and Social
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Richards, J. &. (2002). Methodology in Language Teaching. New York: Cambridge

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Ryan, S. (2015, March 12). Do You Drop Your Word Endings? Retrieved October
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http://www.confidentvoice.com/blog/do-you-drop-your-word-endings/

Yates, L. &. (2009). Give It a Go: Teaching Pronunciation to Adults. Sydney:

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