<![CDATA[This study aims to reveal to what extent Papuan EFL students correctly produce English dental fricatives and to find out what consonants substitute voiceless dental fricative /θ/ and voiced dental fricative /ð/ when misarticulation occurs. A descriptive analysis of 30 native Papuan EFL students was taken as the participants of the study. Data were collected by giving pronunciation tests and targets of either voiceless dental fricative /θ/ or voiced dental fricative /ð/ in an onset or coda syllable position. Correct sound production of English dental fricatives, both voiceless and voiced dental fricatives, by Papuan EFL students hardly found and almost unrecognized that only 12.0% of Papuan EFL students correctly pronounce voiceless dental fricative /θ/ and only 3.3% of Papuan EFL students correctly pronounce voiced dental fricative /ð/. It can be stated that the sound production of English dental fricatives lies in low-level production. Furthermore, Papuan EFL students mostly substitute voiceless dental fricative /θ/ with voiceless alveolar plosive /t/ indicated by 84.0% sound substitution. In other words, Papuan L1 speakers dominantly substitute the consonant /θ/ with the consonant /t/. Papuan EFL students frequently substitute voiced dental fricative /ð/ with both voiced alveolar plosive /d/ indicated by 51.6%, and voiceless alveolar plosive /t/ indicated by 43.3% substitution. Thus, Papuan L1 speakers primarily replace the consonant /ð/ with both consonant /d/ and /t/. The implications for the EFL teaching and learning process may assist Papuan EFL students in learning the correct pronunciation of English dental fricatives in order to improve their speaking proficiency]]>
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