IMPROVING PAST TENSE PRONUNCIATION OF REGULAR VERBS THROUGH THE USE OF AUDACITY: A CASE STUDY OF EFL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN ECUADOR

• Authors: Benitez-Correa Carmen , Cabrera-Solano Paola , Solano Lida , Espinoza-Celi Veronica
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This study examined the use of Audacity software to improve the pronunciation of regular verbs in the past tense. The participants were 30 advanced English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students of the English major of Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), Ecuador. A mixed-method approach was used to gather qualitative and quantitative data from the participants by means of surveys, tests and audio recordings through Audacity. The intervention process took eight weeks. During this time, students were first instructed on the use of Audacity. Then they were taught the three pronunciation rules of regular verbs in the past tense and were asked to record a total of 10 audios per student in isolation and in context. Three-hundred audios were analyzed in total. After analyzing the data, the results indicate that Audacity is an effective tool that not only improves learners’ pronunciation, but also favors the practice of English language in a free and relaxed environment.

Keywords

EN

pronunciation; Audacity; regular verbs; past tense; EFL teaching

• Publisher: IATEFL Poland Computer Special Interest Group & University of Nicosia
• Journal: Teaching English with Technology
• Year: 2020
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 3-20

Contributors

author

Benitez-Correa Carmen

• Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja

author

Cabrera-Solano Paola

• Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja

author

Solano Lida

• Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja

author

Espinoza-Celi Veronica

• Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja

References

• AbuSeileek, A. F. (2007). Computer-assisted pronunciation instruction as an effective means for teaching stress. The JALT CALL Journal, 3(1-2), 3-14.
• Burns, A. & Claire, S. (2003). Clearly Speaking: Pronunciation in Action for Teachers. Sydney: National Center for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University.
• Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D., Goodwin, J, Griner, B. (2010). Teaching Pronunciation: A Reference for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Creswell J. (2015). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
• Dettori, G., & Lupi, V. (2010). Improving L2 pronunciation with audio technology and reflective collaboration. In ICERI 2010 Proceedings (pp. 3370-3376). Madrid: IATED.
• Ducate, L., & Lomicka, L. (2009). Podcasting: An effective tool for honing language students' pronunciation? Language Learning & Technology, 13(3), 66-86.
• Gómez, S. (2008). Reexamining common assumptions in L2 listening comprehension. In Challenges of European Integration (pp. 715-723). Targu Mures: Dimitrie Cantemir University.
• Gómez, S. (2010). Digital recording for the EFL classroom. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 3, 98-105. doi: doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.018
• Goodwin, J. (2001). Teaching pronunciation. In M. Celce-Murcia (ed.), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (pp. 117-137). Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
• Gowhary, H., Azizifar, A., & Rezaei, S. (2016). Investigating English vowel reduction in pronunciation of EFL teachers at schools. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 232, 604-611. DOI: doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.083
• Green, A. D. (2005). Word, foot, and syllable structure in Burmese. Studies in Burmese Linguistics, 570, 1-24.
• Harmer, J. (2001). The Practice of English Language Teaching. (3rd ed.). London/New York: Longman.
• Hişmanoğlu, M. (2006). Current perspectives on pronunciation learning and teaching. Dil ve Dilbilimi Çalışmaları Dergisi, 2(1), 101-110.
• Hismanoglu, M. (2009). The pronunciation of the inter-dental sounds of English: An articulation problem for Turkish learners of English and solutions. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1(1), 1697-1703. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2009.01.301
• Ladefoged, P. (1963). Some physiological parameters in speech. Language and Speech, 6(3), 109-119. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/002383096300600301
• Liang, D. (2015). Chinese learners’ pronunciation problems and listening difficulties in English connected speech. Asian Social Science, 11(16), 98-106. doi:10.5539/ass.v11n16p98
• Long, N., & Huang, J. (2015). Out-of-class pronunciation learning: Are EFL learners ready in China? In D. Nunan, J. Richards (eds.), Language Learning Beyond the Classroom (pp. 59-68). New York: Routledge.
• Maniruzzaman, M, (2008). Teaching EFL Pronunciation: Why? What? And How? Munich, Germany: Grin Publishing.
• Mao, Y., Guardado, M., & Meyer, K. R. (2013). Integrating Chinese community into Canadian society: Podcasts, technology apprehension, and language learning. In J. Aitken (ed.), Cases on communication technology for second language acquisition and cultural learning (pp. 459-483). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-4482-3.ch022
• Mills, R. & Frazier, L. (2015). Northstar 2: Listening and Speaking. (4th. ed.) New York: Pearson Education.
• Morley, J. (1991). The pronunciation component in teaching English to speakers of other languages. TESOL Quarterly, 25(3), 481-520.
• Ramani, V. (2016). The role of podcasts in developing language skills of ESL learners. The Criterion: An International Journal in English, 7(1), 335-340.
• Raux, A., & Kawahara, T. (2002). Automatic intelligibility assessment and diagnosis of critical pronunciation errors for computer-assisted pronunciation learning. In K. Imoto, Y. Tsubota, A. Raux, T. Kawahara, & M. Dantsuji (eds.), Seventh International Conference on Spoken Language Processing (pp. 737-740). Denver: ISCA.
• Roach, P. (2010). English phonetics and Phonology: A Practical Course. 4th. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Rostron, A., & Kinsell, P. (1995). Learning pronunciation using CALL: Some experimental evidence. ReCALL Newsletter, 5(1), 12-26.
• Saito, K. (2007). The influence of explicit phonetic instruction on pronunciation in EFL settings: The case of English vowels and Japanese learners of English. Linguistics Journal, 2(3), 17-41.
• Schoenberg, I. (2015). Focus on Grammar 2 (4thed). White Plains, NY: Pearson.
• Seferoglu, G. (2005). Using Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training packages in teaching pronunciation. Paper presented at the Fourth International ELT Research Conference Reflecting on Insights from ELT Research, Çanakkale. Turkey: Çanakkale University.
• Swanson, P. (2014). Digital recording platforms and integrated performance assessments in second/foreign language learning. In V. Wang (ed.), Handbook of Research on Education and Technology in a Changing Society (pp. 380-394). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-6046-5.ch029
• Weinreich, U. (1953). Languages in Contact. Findings and Problems. New York: Linguistic Circle of New York.
• Yangklang, W. (2013). Improving English stress and intonation pronunciation of the first year students of Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat university through an E-learning. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 91, 444-452. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.08.442.
• Yoshida, M. T. (2016). Beyond Repeat after Me: Teaching Pronunciation to English Learners. Alexandria, VA: TESOL.