Thai Learners’ English Pronunciation Competence: Lesson Learned from Word Stress Assignment

Abstract

Abstract-English has been a lingua franca in various domains of communication such as international business, academic conferences, diplomacy, science and technology. As a result, the demands for English skills in all aspects are crucial in response to the importance of English and the impact of globalization. Despite the constant efforts in developing English education in Thailand, a number of studies have shown that the achievement of Thai learners was unsatisfactory. Given the role of English as an international language which is used in almost domain of communication, amongst several factors hindering the success of English language learning, English pronunciation of the Thai learners should be focused. This study has two principle objectives: 1) to examine Thai learners' knowledge with regard to word stress assignment; and 2) to determine possible factors affecting the Thai learners' pronunciation competence. To achieve these objectives, 90 Thai learners of English participated in this study. The test consisting of two parts: personal information profile, and 40 selected words systematically taken from two textbooks, was employed to identify these participants' pronunciation competence. The results showed that most of the participants' English pronunciation was somewhat limited. Gender was identified to be the most significant factor contributing to the participants' test scores, while faculty and years of studying English were not. In light of the results suggested by the three variables, pedagogical suggestions were offered to help improve teaching and learning English pronunciation in general, and in focusing on the importance of teaching word stress in particular. Index Terms-word stress assignment, Thai learners, English pronunciation I. INTRODUCTIONAlong with economic globalization, English has increasingly become the medium of communication around the world both in local and global contexts. The realization of importance of English highlights the necessity of every country to have its people become better equipped with English performance. Inevitably, this necessity is also applicable to Thailand. In response to the demands for English skills, the Thai government has made constant efforts to improve Thai learners' English performance throughout the history of English language teaching in Thailand (Kanoksilapatham, 2007) in order to improve Thai learners' competence in English, enabling them to obtain job opportunities, promotions or career advancement.With the rise in the number of English users, English language teaching professionals has increased worldwide. The importance of English has also sparked a growing interest in the teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL). In Thailand, to meet the demands of global economics and to cope with the growing local and national demands for English skills, new initiatives have been launched in all aspects of the Thai educational system, including curriculum, materials, facilities, and professional development for teachers. However, a number of studies (e...

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“…Still, lack of contact with native speakers and exposure to the target language often hinders their progress. Khamkhien (2010) found that problems with Thai students' pronunciation of English words increased with the number of syllables, which reflects this viewpoint. Following his assessment of pronunciation of multi-syllabic words by 90 Thai students, he suggests that the issue derives from word stress and that teaching attention should focus on this area of phonics.…”

The Improving Speaking Ability Of ESP Students Through Self-Assessment and Peer-Assessment

“…It aims to obtain an objective value from them. However, before using peer assessment in teaching, lecturers should discuss and inform students about the use and achievements of peer assessment (Khamkhien, 2010). Teachers must also give good direction to students not to be subjective in conducting peer assessment and give great confidence to students in carrying out their duties, it aims to make students feel full responsibility in assessing their friend.…”

Using a Phonetics Transcription to Improve Word Stress in Pronunciation for Thai Learners

“…The study of Khamkhien (2010) examined Thai learners' knowledge regarding word stress tasks and concluded the possible factors affecting Thai learners' pronunciation competency. The data were obtained from 90 personal information profiles of Thai learners, and 40 selected words to identify pronunciation competence.…”