Analysis of Persian EFL Learners' Pronunciation of English schwa: Using Acoustic Phonetics for Pedagogical Purposes

Alimardani, Najmeh; Alinejad, Batool

Analysis of Persian EFL Learners' Pronunciation of English schwa: Using Acoustic Phonetics for Pedagogical Purposes

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Abstract

Acoustic analysis of speech sounds in Phonetics has been served different purposes, of which pedagogy is. Second language learners are said to usually substitute unfamiliar vowels with more similar ones in their own language. Since correct pronunciation is very important in establishing effective communication, acoustic properties of unfamiliar and controversial American English / / pronounced by Persian EFL learners have been studied in this paper. To do this, acoustic parameters of the first three formants of [] and the similar often substitutable vowel [e] were measured after being taped and were compared with the native American English pronunciations of these two vowels.
The acoustic measurements revealed significant differences between F1 and F2, but F3, of the [] tokens of the native English speaker and those of the Persian learners while all three formants of [e] tokens showed significant differences . Finally, in cases where formant frequency values were significantly different between the two languages, some pedagogical suggestions were made on the basis of the acoustic considerations for articulatory improvement.

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References

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شیخ‌سنگ‌تجن، شهین و محمود بی‌جن‌خان ”بررسی ماهیت صوت‌شناختی واکه‌های فارسی در هجاهای گفتار اظهاری“. علی‌نژاد، بتول و فهیمه حسینی‌بالام مبانی آواشناسی آکوستیکی. فرای، دی. بی. فیزیک گفتار، مقدمه‌ای بر آواشناسی آکوستیک. محمدی، امید و جمشید پورقریب ”تعیین ساختارهای سازه‌ای زبان فارسی و مقایسۀ آنها بین کودکان 7 تا 9 سال و بزرگسالان 18 تا 22 سال فارسی‌زبان“. Bauman-Waengler, J. Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology from Concepts to Transcription. Clark, J and C. Yallop An introduction to phonetics and phonology. Harington, J. and S. Cassidy Techniques in speech acoustics. Hillenbrand, J. and L. A. Getty and M. J. Clark and K. Wheeler “Acoustic characteristics of American English vowels”. Hunter, G. and H. Kebede “Formant frequencies of British English vowels produced by native speakers of Farsi”. Iverson, P. and B. G. Evans “Learning English vowels with different first-language vowel systems: Perception of formant targets, formant movement, and duration”. Iverson, P. and P. K. Kuhl “Mapping the perceptual magnet effect for speech using signal detection theory and multidimensional scaling”. Kewley-Porr, D. and R. Akahane-Yamada and K. Aikaea “Intelligibility and acoustic correlates of Japanese accented English vowels”. Lacabex, E. G., Lecumberri, M. and M. Cooke “Perception of English Vowel Reduction by Trained Spanish Speakers”. Ladefoged, P. A course in phonetics. Ladefoged, P. Vowels and consonants, an introduction to the sounds of languages. Ogden, R. An introduction to English phonetics. Rahimpour, M. and M. Saedi “A Phonological Contrastive Analysis of Kurdish and English”. Roach, P. English Phonetics and Phonology. Samareh, Y. Phonetics of Persian language. Thyler, N. and L. Hichson and B. Dodd The perceptual magnet effect in Australian English vowels. Vergun, A. A Longitudinal Study of the Acquisition of American English Vowels.