ARTICULATORY PHONETICS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAJE PRONUNCIATION DEVELOPMENT RECIBIDO EL 26 DE ABRIL DE 2018 - ACEPTADO EL 12 DE JUNIO DE 2018 ARTICULATORY PHONETICS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAJE PRONUNCIATION DEVELOPMENT wilson Gonzalo Rojas Yumisaca Nancy Georgina Rodríguez Arellano MAGISTER EN DOCENCIA UNIVERSITARIA Y MAGISTER EN EDUCACION A DISTANCIA Y ADMINISTRACIÓN EDUCATIVA ABIERTA [email protected] [email protected] Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH) (ESPOCH) Riobamba-Ecuador Riobamba-Ecuador Nanci Margarita Inca Chunata MAGISTER EN DOCENCIA UNIVERSITARIA Y ADMINISTRACION EDUCATIVA RESUMEN [email protected] Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo El presente proyecto de investigación “La (ESPOCH) Fonética Articulatoria en el Desarrollo de la Riobamba-Ecuador Pronunciación del Idioma Inglés” tuvo como objetivo principal determinar si el uso de la Fonética Articulatoria ayuda al mejoramiento María Guadalupe Escobar Murillo de la pronunciación del Idioma Inglés y MAGISTER EN DOCENCIA UNIVERSITARIA Y también describir los sonidos del lenguaje, ADMINISTRACIÓN EDUCATIVA vocales y consonantes, mediante su forma de [email protected] producción y clasificación, acento y entonación; Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo además de, realizar una intervención dentro (ESPOCH) del aula y analizar los datos obtenidos antes y Riobamba-Ecuador después de la misma; finalmente concienciar en el estudiante la necesidad de adquirir conocimientos relacionados con Fonética Articulatoria para mejorar su comunicación oral · 152 · BOLETÍN VIRTUAL-JULIO-VOL 7-7 ISNN 2266-1536 ARTICULATORY PHONETICS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAJE PRONUNCIATION DEVELOPMENT mediante el uso del Idioma Inglés. Este estudio and analyze the obtained data before and after descriptivo tuvo un abordaje cuali-cuantitativo a it. Finally, it is aimed to socialize the necessity través del cual se desarrolló un estudio cuasi- of improving English pronunciation development experimental basado en este se trabajó con through the learning of Articulatory Phonetics dos grupos de estudiantes: el grupo de control issues; in this way, they would enhance their con 121 estudiantes y el grupo experimental English Language oral communication skills. con el mismo número de estudiantes los This descriptive research is focused on quali- cuales no fueron escogidos aleatoriamente. La quantitative approach and for the consecution investigación además, fue de campo ya que of its goals, a quasi-experimental research is se realizó la intervención de los investigadores developed. Quasi-experimental research had dentro del aula de clase así como también el tipo two groups of students to implement Articulatory de investigación fue bibliográfica documental. phonetics: the control group, which was formed La población del presente estudio estuvo by 121 individuals and the experimental one with conformada por estudiantes de seis paralelos the same number of students. Both, the control del sexto nivel del Centro de Idiomas de la and the experimental groups of students were not Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo chosen randomly. Besides, this investigation was en la ciudad de Riobamba durante el periodo focused on field research since the researchers académico Octubre 2017 – Marzo 2018. Para la made a class intervention. Furthermore, it was recolección de datos, se aplicaron dos pruebas a bibliographical research as well. The population los dos grupos de la población: una entrevista de was formed by 6 groups belonging to third English pares antes de la intervención y otra después de level in Language Center at Escuela Superior la misma. Con los datos obtenidos y tabulados, Politécnica de Chimborazo during the period la verificación de las hipótesis fue realizada con October 2017 – March 2018. For collecting data, la prueba matemática T de Student. Por lo tanto a pre and a post-test were taken by the students se concluye que los estudiantes mejoraron su before and after the researchers’ intervention. pronunciación del Idioma Inglés mediante el Pre and post-tests consisted in a pair oral uso de la Fonética Articulatoria y se recomienda interview. With the obtained and analyzed data, enfatizar estos temas en la planificación the researchers verified the hypothesis with T didáctica para motivar una correcta producción Student mathematical method. The obtained oral del Idioma Inglés. results showed that students did enhance their English language pronunciation development Palabras claves: Fonética Articulatoria – with the use of Articulatory phonetics in the Pronunciación – Acento – Entonación – Sonidos researchers’ intervention. Accordingly, it is highly del Lenguaje. recommended to emphasize those topics within the didactic class planning in order to encourage ABSTRACT students to pronounce correctly for a better The present research “Articulatory Phonetics communication. in the English Language Pronunciation Development” is aimed to determine whether Keywords: Articulatory Phonetics - Articulatory phonetics use enhances English Pronunciation - Accent - Intonation - Sounds of Pronunciation development or not; to describe speech. the sounds of speech, consonants and vowels, through their manners of articulation and points of articulation, stress, and intonation; besides, to develop a teacher’s intervention within the class · 153 · BOLETÍN VIRTUAL-JULIO-VOL 7-7 ISNN 2266-1536 ARTICULATORY PHONETICS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAJE PRONUNCIATION DEVELOPMENT INTRODUCTION Phonetics is considered the most prominent problem in terms of oral communication. English students are generally quiet and shy and have a The present study titled “Articulatory Phonetics sense of fear due to their pronunciation mistakes; in the English Language Pronunciation consequently, they have low self-esteem and Development” has as its main objective poor social interaction because of pronunciation, to analyze whether the use of Articulatory stress, and intonation problems which widely Phonetics enhances the English pronunciation. affect their conversation skills (Zhang & Yin, The research surveys valuable data based 2009). on Articulatory Phonetics, organs of speech, sounds of speech, vowels, consonants, stress In Ecuador English pronunciation is a big problem. and intonation. It was developed for a deficient The Ministry of Education is demanding a B1 pronunciation was detected. Furthermore, or B2 level at Universities, written English and understanding to each other was almost oral English are two different things (O’Connor, impossible because of this problem. 2009); in Ecuador there are pronunciation problems. For example, there is an influence of Spanish sounds in uttering English words (Olivo, This research focused in a quasi-experimental 2016). Besides, Ecuadorian students emphasize research because Articulatory Phonetics was that pronunciation is the most difficult issue at applied in classes to the Experimental group the moment of learning; similarly, Ecuadorian of students for improving their pronunciation English teachers remark that uttering English development. It centered on a quali-quantitative words and the fear of making mistakes are big approach as well. Pre and Post-tests were the problems in class settings (Gonzalez, et al., applied instruments. This process was extremely 2015). motivating because it allowed the researchers to try another way of teaching English from a different perspective. It was accomplished The present research is focused on the lack of through the implementation of a proposal for Articulatory Phonetics knowledge that influences helping in students’ pronunciation development. a low level of English pronunciation development of students in Ecuador, and especially at PROBLEM IMPORTANCE Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH). This problem has four causes and English language is considered as the default their consequential effects. one or even the only language at meetings around the world (Northrup, 2013); therefore, it is the most important language around the First, there is a poor English pronunciation world because it is used in business, tourism, development which was evidenced in the technology, and science among other fields diagnostic exam before starting English classes. (Crystal, 2003). However there are some Students tend to pronounce English words just problems at the moment of performing oral like they write. Sometimes, they pronounce communication due to bad pronunciation; half of the word or change sounds. To face this consequently, it is important to analyze what problem, teachers do not help their students happens in the world, in our country, and at nor provide feedback. As the consequence of Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo. it, students have an inadequate pronunciation level; while speaking practice students do not English pronunciation problems stop oral seem interested but anxious. They get shocked communication around the globe. In China, when struggle with oral communication or stop · 154 · BOLETÍN VIRTUAL-JULIO-VOL 7-7 ISNN 2266-1536 ARTICULATORY PHONETICS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAJE PRONUNCIATION DEVELOPMENT talking because they feel that their listeners do they just repeat drills in the class hour. Benjamin not understand them at all (Zhang & Yin, 2009). Franklin quoted in Frost (2012) remarked: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”; this is totally true On the contrary, teachers want their students because students must practice pronunciation