How Pronunciation Influences the Reading Ability of English Learners

Abstract

Abstract

Reading is a complex process of thinking in assigning meaning from printed materials which involve most of the reader’s intellectual act such as pronunciation and comprehension in order to receive ideas or information extended by the text. On the other hand, most of English learners are struggling with reading due to their lack of pronunciation which lead them to feel ashamed to read aloud. The objective of this study was to investigate the underlying factors of English learners difficulties in pronunciation. This study was conducted by applying descriptive qualitative research design. This study investigated English learners difficulty of having good pronunciation in order to be able to read English text very well. Twenty six of college students in the first semester were examined in this study. The data was collected through the observation of participants’ utterances and recording their voice while they reading English texts. It has been found that all participants were not so familiar with several phonological systems of English which affect them to pronounce English words. These obstacles were concerned with phonemic, phonetic, phonotactic discrepancies between their native language (Indonesian and regional language) and the targeted language (English). This obstacles were found due to several factors such as their lack of vocabularies, less practice in speaking English, and the minimum of supporting in motivations and education facilities including technological stuff since they were in highschool. 

Keywords: pronunciation, reading, English learners