THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH FACULTY
------

GRADUATION PAPER
A STUDY ON COMMON PRONUNCIATION MISTAKES FACED
BY STUDENTS OF ENGLISH FACULTY AT THUONGMAI
UNIVERSITY.

HANOI - 2020


ABSTRACT
In the integration period with the current trend of globalization, foreign
languages, especially English, plays an extremely important role, a powerful
support for the construction of a global shared house. More importantly, thanks to
foreign languages, each of us has the opportunity to integrate into the world, learn
from the experience and quintessence of human civilization, thereby developing our
own strengths.
Today in Vietnam, many universities and colleges have conducted professional
content teaching in English as well as the standard of foreign language output
(popularly English) for graduates and the University. Thuongmai University is no
exception.
In fact, most Vietnamese students in general and Thuongmai University's
students in particular, have a good training in grammar and vocabulary. But many
students are still not confident enough to communicate in English due to the fear of
being wrong. There are many reasons for this, the first is due to students' incorrect
pronunciation, and they do not understand the pronunciation rules. This not only
makes students not confident enough to speak, but also affects other skills. This
leads to inefficient English learning. Results of a survey of 50 students with unequal
language skills, coming from many regions across the country showed that all

students have pronunciation errors.
In this graduation thesis, I focus on highlighting common pronunciation
errors, related to tail pronunciation, phonics, pronunciation of difficult sounds, word
stress, stress and intonation of sentences. At the same time, analyzing and
understanding the objective and subjective causes leading to false pronunciation.
From that, offering some solutions to solve this problem, I hope that in the near
future, the pronunciation of Thuongmai University's students will be improved.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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In order to complete this Graduation Paper, I have received a large amount of
assistance, guidance and encouragement from my teachers and friends.
Firstly, I don’t know how to express my thanks to my beloved supervisor, Ms.
Le Thi Tuyet Nga who has supported me a lot to fulfill this study, her great
guidance, precious comments and continuous encouragement from the beginning
and through the study process. Without her help, I could not finish my graduation
paper.
Secondly, I particularly express my thankfulness to 50 students of English
Faculty in Thuongmai University for cooperation and enthusiastic help in recording
and answering questions.
Thirdly, I owe all the lecturers of English Faculty at Thuongmai University a
great deal, because they have taught me a lot throughout the valuable lessons on the
amphitheater.
Lastly, sending my gratitude to my family and friends always supported and
encouraged me to complete this paper as well as possible.
I am glad all of those who supported for my graduation paper. And I have a
very great honors to receive any comments from readers.


TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT..............................................................................................................i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT......................................................................................ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................................................iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS..................................................................................v
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES......................................................................vi

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CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY......................................................1
1.1. Rationale............................................................................................................1
1.2. Previous studies.................................................................................................1
1.3. Aims of the study...............................................................................................3
1.4. Research subject...............................................................................................3
1.5. Scope of the study.............................................................................................3
1.6. Research methodology......................................................................................3
1.6.1. Data collection instruments............................................................................3
1.6.2. Data collection procedures.............................................................................4
1.6.3. Data analysis procedures................................................................................4
1.7. Organization of the study.................................................................................4
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................6
2.1. English pronunciation......................................................................................6
2.1.1. Definition of pronunciation............................................................................6
2.1.2. The importance of pronunciation...................................................................6
2.1.3. Aspects of pronunciation................................................................................7
2.2. Pronunciation mistakes..................................................................................16
2.2.1. Definition of pronunciation mistakes...........................................................16
2.2.2. Common pronunciation mistakes made by Vietnamese learners................16

2.3. Solutions for improving pronunciation skill.................................................18
2.3.1. Practicing Difficult Phonemes and Syllables...............................................18
2.3.2. Studying English pronunciation...................................................................19
2.3.3. Mimicking English Sounds..........................................................................20
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS..............................................................21
3.1. Introduction....................................................................................................21
3.2. Subjects............................................................................................................21
3.3. Design of questionnaire..................................................................................21
3.3.1. Design of survey questionnaire....................................................................21
3.3.2. Aim of the survey questionnaire...................................................................21
3.4. Research findings............................................................................................22
3.4.1. Data analysis.................................................................................................22

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3.4.2. Summary......................................................................................................31
CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS........................32
4.1. Suggestions for improving pronunciation skill and further research.........32
4.1.1. Suggestions for improving pronunciation skill............................................32
4.1.2. Further research...........................................................................................33
4.2. Some suggested books for learners to research on pronunciation..............33
4.2.1. English pronunciation in use.......................................................................33
4.2.2. Mastering the American accent....................................................................34
4.2.3. Ship or Sheep?..............................................................................................35
4.2.4. American Accent Training............................................................................36
CONCLUSION......................................................................................................37
REFERERENCES.................................................................................................vii
APPENDIX...........................................................................................................viii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

No
1
2
3
4
5

Terms
TMU
i.e
RP
BBC
AMP

English meaning
ThuongMai University
This is
received pronunciation
British Broadcasting Corporation
Accelerated Pages Mobile
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Figure 2.1: Articulatory phonetics.............................................................................7
Figure 2.2: Bilabial articulation.................................................................................9
Figure 2.3: Classification of English consonants (Cawley, 1996)............................11
Figure 2.4: Palato-alveolars.....................................................................................13
Figure 2.5: Velar articulation...................................................................................13
Figure 2.6: Primary cardinal vowels........................................................................15
Chart 3.1: The most favorite skill of first year English major students....................22
Chart 3.2: The percentages of important factors in speaking...................................23

Chart 3.3: The importance of pronunciation in English speaking............................24
Chart 3.4: Student’s interest in pronunciation..........................................................25
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Chart 3.5: Sounds that students found harder to pronounce.....................................25
Chart 3.6: Student’s frequency of making pronunciation mistakes..........................26
Chart 3.7: Students’ common pronunciation mistakes.............................................27
Table 3.1: Percentage of ending sounds faced by students of English Faculty.........28
Chart 3.8: Reasons for difficulties when pronouncing ending sounds.....................29
Chart 3.9: Students’ opinions on pronunciation and speaking skill solutions..........30

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CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
1.1. Rationale
In today's society, learning a foreign language has become an essential need of
everyone. Learning a language includes the practice of listening - speaking reading and writing skills, in which pronunciation is an important part of language
learning. This study concerns to mistakes of learners' English pronunciation.
Pronunciation is a skill which definitely plays an important part in learning a
language. Poorly pronounced people will not confident enough to be able to
communicate. Learning without using it is not considered learning and does not
result in foreign language learning because the purpose of language learning is to
communicate. Therefore, pronunciation practice should be more focused in the
process of teaching and learning English from high school to university.
These are the reasons why I chose the topic “A study on common
pronunciation mistakes faced by students of English Faculty at Thuongmai
University” for my graduation paper. Showing common mistakes, identifying the
causes and proposing some solutions to deal with the pronunciation mistakes, we

hope to help students understand deeply about the issues that they have not noticed
before. Thereby improving the status of false pronunciation of the majority of
students at the TMU.
1.2. Previous studies
According to Elkhair Muhammad Idriss Hassan (English Language
Department, Al-Farabi Private College, Riyadh, KSA ) all around the world, there
are a lot of people with strong desire to learn and speak English with correct
pronunciation. In Sudan, there is a large number of interested groups in the subject;
among them are the students of English language at Sudan University of Science
and Technology. However, there are many barriers that hinder them to speak with
good English pronunciation.
Many studies have demonstrated that the errors made by the speakers of other
languages, who speak English, are something systematic rather than random. Moosa
(1972) and Homeidan (1984) demonstrated that Arab students face problem in the
pronunciation of sounds which the students are not familiar with e.g. /v/, /p/, /ŋ/

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(Ronald Carter and David Nunan, 2001) (O’Connor, 2003) noted that the errors of
pronunciation that learners of English from different language backgrounds make
are systematic and not accidental. So they concluded that the main problem of the
speakers of other languages who speak English, is substitution of sounds i.e. they
substitute the sounds that they don’t have in their native language, with other
sounds which are close to them in the place of articulation e.g. they replace /p/
with /b/, /θ/ with /s/, etc.
Although the same problem exists in the pronunciation of most of the
Sudanese Students of English (SSEs), all the studies above were done outside
Sudan.
E.g. for speakers of German, Italian, Spanish...etc. On the other hand, some

studies have been conducted as mentioned above, but on the Arab student’s e.g. for
the students of English in Saudi Arabia. So that is why this research was intended to
fill a certain gap. Thus, perhaps mispronunciation of sounds replacements of
problematic sounds is explored. The research is seeking to study such problems of
pronunciation.
E.g. the mispronunciation of some sounds and the shifting of particular sounds
with others and to try to find what are the exact reasons for such errors i.e. are these
errors related to the mother tongue interference, sound system differences between
the native and the foreign language, moreover to study the influence of spelling on
the pronunciation, then see to what extent the inconsistency of some English sounds
effects on the pronunciation. So this study is an attempt to study such problems in a
Sudanese context because substitution of sounds such as /θ/, /ð/, /p/ is expected in
the pronunciation of many Sudanese students of English, this is because the
students don’t have 32 such sounds in their mother tongue language i.e. (Sudanese
Spoken Arabic). The importance of this study comes from the perspective that all
the previous studies, addressed the problem among speakers of European languages
such as German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese etc. and Asian languages.
E.g. Chinese and Thai. There are also some studies on pronunciation errors
among speakers of Arabic. So this study is discussing the same problem, but for the
speakers of Sudanese Spoken Arabic as a form of Arabic in Sudan. The study also

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aims at helping the Sudanese students of English improve their pronunciation using
the modern techniques and aids in learning language e.g. internet, audio aids such as
(CDs, tapes, and TV).
1.3. Aims of the study
Helping students of English Faculty at TMU realize about pronunciation
problems that they faced to.

The study is aim to:
 Figure out the general pronunciation mistakes that often met of students at
English Faculty of TMU.
 Suggesting some solutions to eliminate those mistakes then improving
pronunciation skill.
1.4. Research subject
Realizing that students of English Faculty at TMU’s pronunciation skill is not
good enough. This is main reason why they often make many mistakes when
pronouncing. As a result, their communicating is difficult and limited.
Thus, the author chose: “A study on common pronunciation mistakes faced by
students of English Faculty at Thuongmai University” to be research subject.
1.5. Scope of the study
During studying English process, listening, speaking, reading and writing are
four essential skills for learners. There are many different documents that require a
great deal of time and effort but time is so limited. Therefore, this research cannot
cover all English skills. It only focus speaking skill as well as the common
pronunciation mistakes that students of English Faculty at TMU often met. The
author hopes this study will be a useful document for all students to improve their
pronunciation and become more confident when communicating.
1.6. Research methodology
1.6.1. Data collection instruments
In order to answer research-related issues as well as to collect survey data
from the research object (students), a questionnaire was designed.
These survey questions focus on analyzing mistakes, figure out solutions for
them.

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The questionnaire was carefully designed with reference from previous

research authors and instructors. The questionnaire was sent to 50 students in a class
of the English Faculty.
Moreover, in order to find out the mistakes when pronouncing, and analyze
them correctly, the author has conducted the survey through using primary data.
After finishing the survey and collecting data, the author proceeded to analyze
the mistakes, classify the questions and find popular mistakes through the data
obtained.
1.6.2. Data collection procedures
Stage 1: The researcher created a questionnaire and sent it to the supervisor.
From the opinion of the supervisor, the researcher adjusted and completed a
questionnaire concerns to the research.
Stage 2: The researcher carried out the survey by sending the questionnaire to
each student in a class of English Department. The researcher clearly presented the
aim of the survey for those students understand and answer honestly and
enthusiastically. Thanks to it, the researcher has collected the most accurate
answers.
Stage 3: The researcher synthesizes data from the survey and has general
comments.
1.6.3. Data analysis procedures
The study focuses on the difficulties when speaking English of students of the
English Department at TMU. Through this study the researcher wants to find out the
answers for three questions:
 What is the reality of speaking of students of the English Department at
TMU?
 What are common pronunciation mistakes when speaking English?
 How to solve this problem?
1.7. Organization of the study
The study consists of four main chapters:
CHAPTER 1 - “OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY”


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This chapter shows the rationale, previous studies ad aims of the study.
Besides, it provides the research subjects, scope, methodology and the organization
of the study.
CHAPTER 2 - “LITERATURE REVIEW”
This chapter aims to clarify the theory of pronunciation skill and its features.
CHAPTER 3 - “RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION”
Basing on the data collection from survey questionnaire, the issues will be
analyzed in depth in order to provide realistic information about some common
mistakes of English major’s students.
This chapter also offers some suggestions to avoid student’s pronunciation
problems which are mentioned above and solutions in order to help students have
good pronunciation.
CHAPTER 4 – “RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS”
The results from the investigation about some pronunciation problems of
English Faculty students at Thuongmai University will be concluded in this part.

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. English pronunciation

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2.1.1. Definition of pronunciation
 According to Cambridge Dictionary, pronunciation means how we say
words. Most people speak the dialect of standard English with an accent that
belongs to the part of the country they come from or live in. Learners of British
English commonly hear RP (received pronunciation), which is an accent often used

on the BBC and other news media and in some course materials for language
learners, but it is also common to hear a variety of regional accents of English from
across the world.
 Wikipedia defines pronunciation is the way in which a word or a language
is spoken. This may refer to generally agreed-upon sequences of sounds used in
speaking a given word or language in a specific dialect ("correct pronunciation"), or
simply the way a particular individual speaks a word or language.
 In Encyclopedia Britannica (Oldest English encyclopedia), pronunciation,
in a most inclusive sense, the form in which the elementary symbols of language,
the segmental phonemes or speech sounds, appear and are arranged in patterns of
pitch, loudness, and duration.
2.1.2. The importance of pronunciation
As mentioned above, pronunciation is extremely important in speaking. Many
people ignore pronunciation when speaking English, especially students. They take
further notice of word meanings while pronunciation is considered as the most
essential factor in speaking. The others cannot understand if words are pronounced
wrong. Therefore, so as to speak English fluently, pronunciation should be paid
more attention to. Furthermore, right pronunciation can help with the process of
acquiring new vocabulary. Pronouncing words is often a part of memorizing them in
second-language learning, so getting a strong, basic foundation in correct
pronunciation early on will equate to more effective learning overall.
According to AMP Fact sheets of AMP Research Centre, “Learners with good
pronunciation in English are more likely to be understood even if they make errors
in other areas, whereas learners whose pronunciation is difficult to understand will
not be understood, even if their grammar is perfect” and “Yet many adult learners
find pronunciation one of the most difficult aspects of English to acquire, and need
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explicit help from the teacher (Morley 1994; Fraser 2000). Surveys of student needs

consistently show that our learners feel the need for pronunciation work in class
(egg Willing 1989). Thus some sort of pronunciation work in class is essential”.
From Higgs Graph of Learner Needs, pronunciation is something that is very
important to beginners. It allows them to feel more comfortable when speaking.
Obliviously, no one can deny the importance of pronunciation. It considered as one
of the most significant factors in English speaking.
Hence, students should take pronunciation into account in order to have good
speaking.
2.1.3. Aspects of pronunciation
2.1.3.1. Articulatory phonetics

Figure 2.1: Articulatory phonetics
 Articulatory phonetics refers to the “aspects of phonetics which looks at
how the sounds of speech are made with the organs of the vocal tract” Ogden
(2009:173).
 Articulatory phonetics can be seen as divided up into three areas to describe
consonants. These are voice, place and manner respectively. Each of these will now
be discussed separately, although all three areas combine together in the production
of speech.
A. Voice:

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In English we have both voiced and voiceless sounds. A sound fits into one of
these categories according to how the vocal folds behave when a speech sound is
produced.
a. Voiced: Voiced sounds are sounds that involve vocal fold vibrations when
they are produced. Examples of voiced sounds are /b, d, v, m/.
If you place two fingers on either side of the front of your neck, just below

your jawbone, and produce a sound, you should be able to feel a vibrating
sensation. This tells you that a sound is voiced.
b. Voiceless: Voiceless sounds are sounds that are produced with no vocal fold
vibration. Examples of voiceless sounds in English are /s, t, p, f/.
B. Place
The vocal tract is made up of different sections, which play a pivotal role in
the production of speech. These sections are called articulators and are what make
speech sounds possible. They can be divided into two types.
The active articulator is the articulator that moves towards another articulator
in the production of a speech sound. This articulator moves towards another
articulator to form a closure of some type in the vocal tract (i.e. open
approximation, close, etc.)
The passive articulator is the articulator that remains stationary in the
production of a speech sound. Often, this is the destination that the active articulator
moves towards (i.e. the hard palate).
I will now talk about the different places of articulation in the vocal tract:
a. Bilabial: Bilabial sounds involve the upper and lower lips. In the production
of a bilabial sound, the lips come into contact with each other to form an effective
constriction. In English, /p, b, m/ are bilabial sounds.

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Figure 2.2: Bilabial articulation
b. Labiodental: Labiodental sounds involve the lower lip (labial) and upper
teeth (dental) coming into contact with each other to form an effective constriction
in the vocal tract. Examples of labiodental sounds in English are /f, v/. Labiodental
sounds can be divided into two types: Endo Labial and Exo Labial.
c. Dental: Dental sounds involve the tongue tip (active articulator) making
contact with the upper teeth to form a constriction. Examples of Dental sounds in

English are / θ, ð/. If a sound is produced where the tongue is between the upper
and lower teeth, it is attributed the term ‘interdental’.
d. Alveolar: First of all, before I explain what an alveolar sound is, it’s useful
to locate the alveolar ridge itself. If you place your tongue just behind your teeth
and move it around, you’ll feel a bony sort of ridge. This is known as the alveolar
ridge. Alveolar sounds involve the front portion of the tongue making contact with
the alveolar ridge to form an effective constriction in the vocal tract. Examples of
alveolar sounds in English are /t, d, n, l, s/.
e. Postalveolar: Postalveolar sounds are made a little further back (‘post’)
from the alveolar ridge. A postalveolar sound is produced when the blade of the
tongue comes into contact with the post-alveolar region of your mouth. Examples of
post-alveolar sounds in English are / ʃ, ʒ /.
f. Palatal: Palatal sounds are made with the tongue body (the big, fleshy part
of your tongue). The tongue body raises up towards the hard-palate in your mouth
(the dome shaped roof of your mouth) to form an effective constriction. An example
of a palatal sounds in English is /j/, usually spelt as [y].

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g. Velar: Velar sounds are made when the back of the tongue (tongue dorsum)
raises towards the soft palate, which is located at the back of the roof of the mouth.
This soft palate is known as the velum. An effective constriction is then formed
when these two articulators come into contact with each other. Examples of velar
sounds in English are /k, g, ŋ /.
C. Manner
In simple terms, the manner of articulation refers to the way a sound is made,
as opposed to where it’s made. Sounds differ in the way they are produced. When
the articulators are brought towards each other, the flow of air differs according to
the specific sound type. For instance, the airflow can be completely blocked off or

made turbulent.
a. Stop articulations:
Stop articulations are sounds that involve a complete closure in the vocal tract.
The closure is formed when two articulators come together to prevent air escaping
between them. Stop articulations can be categorized according to the kind of airflow
involved. The type of airflow can be oral (plosives) or nasal (nasals). I will now talk
about both plosives and nasals separately.
Plosives are sounds that are made with a complete closure in the oral (vocal)
tract. The velum is raised during a plosive sound, which prevents air from escaping
via the nasal cavity. English plosives are the sounds /p, b, t, d, k, g/. Plosives can be
held for quite a long time and are thus also called ‘maintainable stops’.
Nasals are similar to plosives in regards to being sounds that are made with a
complete closure in the oral (vocal) tract. However, the velum is lowered during
nasal sounds, which allows airflow to escape through the nasal cavity. There are 3
nasal sounds that occur in English /m, n, ŋ/
b. Fricatives:
Fricative sounds are produced by narrowing the distance between the active and
passive articulators causing them to be in close approximation. This causes the airflow
to become turbulent when it passes between the two articulators involved in producing
a fricative sound. English fricatives are sounds such as / f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ /

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c. Approximants:
Approximant sounds are created by narrowing the distance between the two
articulators. Although, unlike fricatives, the distance isn’t wide enough to create
turbulent airflow. English has 4 approximant sounds which are /w, j, r, l/.
2.1.3.2. Consonant and vowel sounds
A. Consonant sounds

a. Definition:
 According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Encyclopedic (1992:192),
consonants are “speech sounds made by completely or partly stopping the flow of
air breathed out through the mouth”.
 Consonants is also defined “A speech sound that's not a vowel; a letter of
the alphabet that represents a speech sound produced by a partial or complete
obstruction of the air stream by a constriction of the speech organs”.
 In English phonetics and phonology (Peter Roach, 2000:10), the term
consonant can be defined as: “sounds in which there is obstruction to the flow of air
as it passes the larynx to the lips”. The production of sounds, consonant was
defined: “Consonant sounds are the sounds, in the production of which one
articulator moves towards another or two articulators come together obstructing the
air stream and the air stream can’t get out freely.”
b. Classification of consonants:

Figure 2.3: Classification of English consonants (Cawley, 1996).

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 In order to form consonants, the air-stream through the vocal cords must be
obstructed in some way. Therefore, consonants are often classified by being given a
so-called VPM-label. VPM stands for Voicing, Place and Manner:
 Voicing means that the vocal folds are used; if they are not, the sounds is
voiceless.
 The place of articulation is the place where the airflow will be more or less
obstructed.
 The manner is concerned with the nature of the obstruction.
c. The place of articulation:
 The place of articulation is the location of the obstruction of the air-stream

in the articulation of consonants. It describes the point at which the articulators
actually touch or are at their closet.
 The most important places of articulation for the production of English
consonants are listed in the table below.
Bilabials: are the sounds made with the two lips pressed together or coming
together, including: /p/, /b/, /m/, /w/
Labiodentals: are the sounds which are produced with the lower lip touching
the upper front teeth, including: /f/, /v/
Dentals: are the sounds which are produced with the tip or blade of the tongue
touching the upper front teeth, including: /θ/, /ð/
Alveolars: are the sounds which are produced with the tip or blade of the
tongue touching or approaching the alveolar ridge, including: /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /n/, /l/
Retroflex: is the sound which is produced with the tip of the tongue curling
back towards the back of the alveolar ridge, including: /r/
Palato-alveolars: are the sounds which are produced with the tongue tip or
blade coming close to the area between the back of the alveolar ridge and the front
of the hard palate, including: /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/

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Figure 2.4: Palato-alveolars
Palatal: is the sound which is produced with the front of the tongue coming
close to the hard palate, including: /j/
Velars: are the sound which is produced with the back of the tongue touching
the soft palate, including: /k/, /g/, /ŋ/

Figure 2.5: Velar articulation
Glottal: are the sound which is produced without the active use of the tongue
and other parts of the mouth, including: /h/

d. The manner of articulation
Plosives: are the sounds, which are produced with the air-stream being stopped
in the oral cavity and the soft palate is raised blocking off the nasal cavity. Then the
two articulators come apart quickly and the air escapes through the oral tract. E.g.
/p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/
Nasals: they are produced with the airstream being stopped in the oral cavity
but the soft palate is down so that the air can go out through the nose. E.g. /m/,
/n/, /ŋ/

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Fricatives: are the sounds in the production of which two articulators come
close together but there is still a small opening between them so the air-stream is
partially obstructed and an audible friction noise is produced. E.g. /f/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/,
/s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /h/
Affricates: are the sounds, which are produced when a plosive is immediately
followed by a fricative. In other words, affricates are a combination of a plosive and
a fricative. They begin like a plosive, with a complete closure, but instead of a
plosive, they have a very slow release, moving backwards to a place where a
friction can be heard (palate-alveolar). E.g. /tʃ/, /dʒ/
Lateral: is the sound which is made when the air-stream is obstructed at a
point along the center of the oral tract, with incomplete closure between one or both
sides of the tongue and the roof of the mouth. There is only one lateral in English,
/l/. It occurs in two versions, the so-called “clear l” before vowels, “light”, “long”,
and the “dark l” in other cases, “milk”, “ball”.
Approximants: are the sounds in the production of which two articulators come
close together but without the vocal tract being narrowed to such an extent that a
friction noise is produced. /w/, /r/, /j/
e. State of vocal cords (voicing):

Voiced consonants: are produced when the vocal cords are vibrating. E.g.
/b/, /m/, /w/, /v/, /ð/, /d/, /z/, /n/, /l/, /r/, /ʒ/, /dʒ/, /j/, /g/, /ŋ/
Voiceless consonants: are produced when the vocal cords are not vibrating.
E.g. /p/, /h/, /f/, /θ/, /t/, /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/, /k/
B. Vowel sounds
a. Definition:
 Vowels are the sounds in the production of which none of the articulators
come very close together so the passage of air-stream is relatively unobstructed and
the air can get out freely.
 Vowels are the type of sounds that depend mainly on the variations in the
position of the tongue. They are normally voiced.
b. Classification of vowels:

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Vowel sounds are classified according to: the position of the tongue in the
mouth, the openness of the mouth, the shape of the lips, and the length of the
vowels.
The position of the tongue in the mouth:
 Front vowels are the ones in the production of which the front part of the
tongue is raised the highest such as: [i:], [ i], [e].
 When the central part of the tongue maintains its highest position, the
vowels thus produced are central vowels such as: [ɜː], [ə].
 If the back of the tongue is held the highest, the vowels thus produced are
back vowels such as: [u:], [u]
The openness of the mouth:
 Close vowels: [u:], [u], [i:], and [i]
 Semi-close vowels: [e], [ɜː]
 Semi-open vowels: [e],

 Open vowels: [e], [ʌ], [ɑː]
The shape of the lips:
 Rounded vowels: All the back vowels in English are rounded except [ɑː]
 Unrounded vowels: All the front vowels and central vowels in English are
unrounded.
The length of vowels:
 Long vowels: The are usually marked with a colon such as: [i:] and [ɑː]
 Short vowels: other vowels are short vowels such as: [e], [e], [e].

Figure 2.6: Primary cardinal vowels

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2.2. Pronunciation mistakes
2.2.1. Definition of pronunciation mistakes
Learning English is so hard, so that many learners try to make the sounds
being the same and close to these sounds of native speakers. However, students who
learn English as a second language, still make many mistakes when pronouncing.
According to Richman’ share “pronunciation problems often do lead to
conversation breakdowns" and "There are two key problems in pronunciation
teaching. Firstly, it tends to be neglected not because of teachers' lack of interest in
the subject, but rather to a feeling of doubts as to how to teach it. Many
experienced teachers would admit to lack of theory of pronunciation and they may
therefore feel the need to improve their practical skills in pronunciation teaching.
Secondly, when it's not neglected, it tends to be reactive to a particular problem that
has arisen in the classroom rather than being strategically planned. In addition,
through my experience as a teacher as well as a teacher trainer who observed
several lessons.”
In short, in the course of learning English, students may encounter many

common mistakes. However, learners who learn more about phonetics, they can
recognize and correct these errors.
2.2.2. Common pronunciation mistakes made by Vietnamese learners
2.2.2.1. Ending sound errors:
Neglecting the ending sounds is the most common mistake that every English
learner encounters. Common ending sounds like [s, t, d ...] are very common in
English and a way to distinguish many words. Therefore, when readers forget them,
there are many cases that lead to misunderstandings.
E.g. When listening, other person cannot distinguish “wife”, “wide” or
“white” if speaker doesn’t use ending sound.
2.2.2.2. Stress errors:
Stress is very important in English pronunciation and speaking, but most
Vietnamese people forget the stress when reading and speaking English. Therefore,
it leads to a regular situation where there is no emphasis when speaking or reading,
and many misunderstandings when communicating with native speakers.

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E.g.

 Attribute: /ˈætrɪbjuːt/ (NOUN) is a characteristic of something.
/əˈtrɪbjuːt/ (VERB) means “to express that something was created by
someone”.

 Address: /ˈædrɛs/ (NOUN) is the name of the place where you live. (in the
US)
/əˈdrɛs/ (VERB) means “to direct a speech to someone” (in the UK)
2.2.2.3. Intonation errors:
Native speakers pay special attention to intonation up and down and

emphasize when speaking or speaking English, but Vietnamese often ignore this. It
is this that leads to the boredom of speaking and the regularity without intonation.
E.g. Focusing (to show what information in the utterance is new and what is
already known)
“I saw a ↘man in the garden” answers "Whom did you see?”.
“I ↘saw a man in the garden” answers “What happened?”
2.2.2.4. Localization of pronunciation:
Because of the same Latin alphabet, there are many similarities between
English writing and pronunciation. This is both a benefit and a disadvantage for
English learners.
E.g.
+/ô/ for /əʊ/. Example: Home, phone
+ /ao/ for /aʊ/. Example: House
+/d/ or /đ/ for /ð/. For example: that, this
+ /th/ for /θ/ example: they
+ /p/, /t/, /k/ are usually pronounced in the Vietnamese language without
blowing out.
2.2.2.5. Concatenation errors:
Concatenation is very important in English, making speech smooth and
creating intonation, but this is not available in Vietnamese. Therefore, it is easy to
understand when 95% of the surveyed students make a non-connecting error.

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Students can only read the words “Thank you” correctly (θæŋ kju) based on
the habit of pre-setting without being aware that it is a connected word, so students
do not read words in phrases like “year old "," have a good time " or “look up”, etc.
2.3. Solutions for improving pronunciation skill
2.3.1. Practicing Difficult Phonemes and Syllables

2.3.1.1. Study how to form your mouth and tongue for each sound
Look up how to shape your mouth and tongue for each sound or watch a
native speaker as they talk. Next, look in a mirror and try to match that shape.
 Look up where to put your tongue or teeth as well. These can also vary the
pronunciation of a sound.
 English language learning videos online are a great place to learn how to
shape your mouth, tongue, and teeth.
2.3.1.2. Round your lips to make the [r] sound
Push the lips slightly forward as you speak. Pull your tongue down towards
the middle of your mouth.
Once you've tried saying the “r” by itself, practice with words like “right”
“sorry” and “road”
2.3.1.3. Stick your tongue behind your teeth to make an [l] sound
The tip of your tongue should touch the roof of your mouth just behind your
top front teeth. Open your mouth but do not make a shape with it.
Practice first by saying “la, la” several times. Once you've gotten that down,
try saying words like “light” “love” and “lamp”.
2.3.1.4. Place your tongue between your teeth to make a [th] sound
To make a “th” sound, put your tongue just under your top teeth but do not
touch the teeth. As you pronounce it, air should flow between your tongue and top
teeth.
Start practice by saying "the" several times until you master it. Then try saying
words like “that” “this” and “teeth”.
2.3.1.5. Rest your top teeth on your lips to make a [v] sound
As you make this sound, you should feel your teeth and lips vibrate. Practice
with words like “very” “voice” and “love”.
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Once you've mastered "v," challenge yourself with words like “verve”.

2.3.2. Studying English pronunciation
2.3.2.1. Read a passage out loud every day
No matter what stage of learning you’re at, daily practice is essential. Choose
a passage from a magazine, online news site, or book. Read it out loud every day.
Start by reading it to yourself. Once you’re more advanced, ask a native
speaker or English teacher to listen to you speak.
2.3.2.2. Record yourself speaking to see how you have improved
Use an app on your phone or a voice recorder. Hit record and speak English
into it. When you are done, play it back. How do you sound? Identify words that
you need to spend more time studying.
Find something to read, like a passage from a magazine, a poem, or a blog.
To compare your recording to a native speaker, read out loud a famous poem.
Then compare it to a recording of a native speaker saying the same poem. How do
you compare?
If you’re in an English class, ask your teacher to listen to the recording. Ask
them how you could improve.
2.3.2.3. Talk to a dictation app
Some apps and programs will transform your spoken word into text. If you
mispronounce something, it will tell you. You can use a translation program like
Google Translate, a language learning program like Dictation.io, or an electronic
assistant program like Siri or Alexa.
If you mispronounce a word, these programs will correct you by asking if you
meant a different word.
2.3.2.4. Find a native speaker to be your English buddy
A language buddy can hold conversations to help you learn to speak English
naturally. Ask your buddy if they would correct you when you mispronounce
something.
Look for a language buddy on an online pen pal site. Ask if they would talk on
the phone or video chat with you.


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