“English in Pesantren Soundscape”: Linguistic identity and pronunciation development among Indonesian EFL learners in pesantren

Faiz Rizki Muhammad (Universitas Darussalam Gontor)
Dian Fajrina Mubarokah (Universitas Darussalam Gontor)
Dinar Dipta (Universitas Darussalam Gontor)

Linguistics Initiative
Vol. 6 No. 2 (2026)

This study investigates how linguistic identity and educational ecology shape English pronunciation development among Indonesian EFL learners in a pesantren context. Situated within a multilingual Islamic boarding school environment where English is practiced alongside Indonesian, local languages, and Arabic, the study examines pronunciation not merely as a phonological skill, but as a socially negotiated and educationally mediated process. Using a qualitative case-study design, the research involved 11th-grade students at one of modern pesantren in East Java, Indonesia. The preliminary data were collected through pronunciation tasks and followed with semi-structured interviews, and contextual analysis of students’ language practices within the practical environment. Preliminary pronunciation findings revealed systematic interlanguage patterns in the form of substitution, epenthesis, deletion, and cluster reduction, particularly in multisyllabic words and vowel production. These phonological modifications indicate the influence of first-language transfer and learners’ adaptation to unfamiliar English sound structures. However, deeper analysis demonstrated that pronunciation development was also strongly shaped by broader educational and sociolinguistic factors. The findings show that peer interaction, institutional language practices, limited exposure to authentic pronunciation models, and affective pressures such as anxiety and fear of negative evaluation significantly influenced learners’ confidence and spoken English performance. In addition, the pesantren soundscape created a unique linguistic environment in which non-target-like pronunciation patterns were collectively circulated and normalized among learners. From an educational linguistics perspective, the study argues that pronunciation acquisition in EFL settings should be understood as both a linguistic and identity-forming process embedded within social interaction and institutional culture. This study contributes to the growing discussion on educational ecology and second language pronunciation by highlighting how multilingual boarding school environments mediate learners’ interlanguage development and English-speaking identity formation.