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All Journal Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics (IJAL) Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching (J-ELLiT) Studies in English Language and Education
Stefanie Pillai
English Language Department, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

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Local Features of English Pronunciation: To Embrace or Ignore in the ELT Classroom? Pillai, Stefanie
Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching (J-ELLiT) Vol 1, No 1 (2017)
Publisher : Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching (J-ELLiT)

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | Full PDF (2595.819 KB)

Abstract

English around the world is spoken in a multitude of accents, and this includes spoken Standard English. Yet, in some ELT contexts, there is still a fixation with using a native model of pronunciation. Such targets do not tend to take into consideration local English pronunciation features. This leads to either the teaching of English pronunciation being largely ignored in the classroom, or in teachers attempting to teach features that students are unlikely to hear in the local contexts. In this paper, I will explore some of the features of pronunciation in Malaysian English, and show how these do not align with the curriculum specifications for pronunciation. I will then discuss how teachers in other ELT contexts can deal with these issues in the classroom.
The level of awareness and production of English lexical stress among English language teacher trainees in Malaysia Adnan, Ernie; Pillai, Stefanie; Chiew, Poh Shin
Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics Vol 9, No 1 (2019): Vol. 9 No. 1, May 2019
Publisher : Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.17509/ijal.v9i1.15767

Abstract

The realisation of lexical stress among Malaysian speakers of English is likely to be different from other varieties of English. In spite of this, there is a preference for a native pronunciation model in the teaching of English in Malaysia. In relation to this issue, this paper focuses on lexical stress among a group of Teaching of English as a Second Language teacher trainees. The objectives of this paper are to assess the overall level of awareness of lexical stress among them, to examine their production of lexical stress, and to determine the link between their level of awareness and production. The method used to elicit data for the first objective was a Lexical Stress Awareness Test (LSAT), completed by 104 teacher trainees. Data for the second objective were obtained by recording the trainees reading sentences containing test words. The findings from the LSAT indicate that most of the trainees have an intermediate level of awareness of English lexical stress. They were generally unable to describe the characteristics of a stressed syllable. In addition, the findings from the acoustic analysis of the recordings suggest that they did not have a systematic pattern of stressing syllables with the main correlate of stress being vowel lengthening. In contrast, most of them chose ‘higher pitch’ as the characteristic of a stressed syllable. Hence, there is an inconsistency between their awareness and production of lexical stress in English. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to the teaching of pronunciation in the classroom and the effect of lexical stress placement on intelligibility. Our general conclusion is that more attention needs to be given in teacher education to how lexical stress is used in English, and also to the characteristics of stress in the Malaysian variety of English.
Perception of English vowel contrasts by Acehnese-Indonesian bilingual learners of English Masykar, Tanzir; Hassan, Roshidah Binti; Pillai, Stefanie
Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics Vol 11, No 3 (2022): Vol. 11, No. 3, January 2022
Publisher : Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.17509/ijal.v11i3.35086

Abstract

Previous studies have reported that second language (L2) learners filter non-native L2 sounds through their existing native or first language (L1) sounds when learning L2 sounds. The degree of similarity between L1 and L2 sounds can predict the ease of acquisition of non-native L2 sounds. In the context of English language learning in Indonesia, most learners are likely to speak two languages before they learn English at school; Acehnese is not wituout any exception. As a result, they have larger phonemic inventories to rely on when learning English sounds. This study seeks to investigate how Acehnese-Indonesian bilinguals perceive five sets of vowel contrast in English (i.e., /ɪ/ - /iː/, /æ/ - /ɛ/, /ʌ/ - /ɑː/, /ʊ/ - /uː/, and /ɑː/ - /ɔː/). A special focus is given to their perception of English vowel contrasts that are new, similar, and identical to Acehnese and Indonesian vowels. A group of 31 high school students (N=31) from an Islamic boarding school in Aceh participated in this study. An AX test comprising repetition and minimal pairs of English vowel contrasts in CVC word contexts was randomly presented to the students. The data were analyzed by comparing the means of each vowel pair followed by a general linear model statistical analysis and interpreted based on speech perception and production models. The findings indicate that the Acehnese-Indonesian bilinguals discriminate the vowel pairs /æ/ - /ɜː/ and /ɑː/ - /ɔː/ better than the /ɪ/ - /iː/, /ʌ/ - /ɑː/ and /ɑː/ - /ɔː/ pairs. The vowel pairs in which both vowels are novel to Acehnese and Indonesian were moderately discriminated compared to the pairs in which one vowel is similar in both Acehnese and Indonesian. It can be said that students perceived pairs with one vowel similar to Acehnese-Indonesian better than pairs with both vowels or one vowel novel in Acehnese and Indonesian. The findings reported in the paper are expected to inform pedagogic practices, particularly in the development of materials for the teaching of English pronunciation. English teachers in Aceh may incorporate Acehnese words that have similar sounds to English while emphasizing the novel sounds which are absent from the Acehnese vowel system.
A comparison of English, Acehnese, and Indonesian monophthongs Masykar, Tanzir; Pillai, Stefanie; Hassan, Roshidah
Studies in English Language and Education Vol 10, No 3 (2023)
Publisher : Universitas Syiah Kuala

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.24815/siele.v10i3.30477

Abstract

Foreign language learners tend to approximate the quality of non-native vowels to their existing vowel systems. This phenomenon becomes more complicated in learners who already have more than one vowel system in their linguistic repertoire. When learning English, Acehnese-Indonesian speakers are likely to already have two other vowel systems, Acehnese and Indonesian. Thus, the quality of English monophthongs produced by these speakers may resemble the equivalent of Acehnese and Indonesian monophthongs. This study compares the quality of English monophthongs to equivalent Acehnese and Indonesian monophthongs produced by Acehnese-Indonesian speakers. A total of 29 students from a Modern Islamic Boarding School in Aceh participated in this study. The students were recorded producing nine English, 11 Acehnese, and seven Indonesian monophthongs embedded in target words produced in a carrier sentence. The study found that the nine English monophthongs were produced at an approximate quality to either Acehnese and/or Indonesian monophthongs. In some cases, the English vowel was produced similarly to both the equivalent vowels in Acehnese and Indonesian. In other cases, the English vowel was produced more similarly to either Acehnese or Indonesian. The findings of this study provide insights into how Acehnese-Indonesian learners filter English vowels through their existing L1 and L2 sounds and allow for a better understanding of this phenomenon via existing conceptual models. The findings also point to the often-ignored influence of other languages in a speakers repertoire on the learning and production of a new language.
Co-Authors Adnan, Ernie Chiew, Poh Shin Hassan, Roshidah Hassan, Roshidah Binti Masykar, Tanzir