How to improve speaking skills for first year english majored students

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ENGLISH
-----------------------------

CODE: 05

GRADUATION THESIS
B.A DEGREE IN ENGLISH STUDIES

HOW TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILLS FOR
FISRT-YEAR-ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS

Supervisor : LÊ PHƯƠNG THẢO, M.A
Student

: VŨ THU TRANG

Date of birth: 25/08/1993

Course

: K18A2 (2011-2015)


How to improve speaking skills for first- year- English-majored students

HANOI, 2015

Vũ Thu Trang

K18A2 – Faculty of English2

How to improve speaking skills for first- year- English-majored students

DECLARATION

I certify that no part of the above report has been copied or reproduced by me
from any other’s work without acknowledgement and that the report is
originally written by me under strict guidance of my supervisor.

Hanoi, 4th May, 2015

Student

Supervisor

Vũ Thu Trang

Lê Phương Thảo, M.A

Vũ Thu Trang

K18A2 – Faculty of English3


How to improve speaking skills for first- year- English-majored students

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

At this stage of research accomplishment, I would like here by to extend

my profound gratitude to my supervisor Mrs. Lê Phương Thảo M.A from
whom I have received enormous kindness and guidance.
Also, I am very grateful to all the teachers at the English Faculty of
Hanoi Open University for their interesting and useful lectures which have
built in me a firm foundation with immense ideas for the fulfillment of this
paper.
In particular, my special thanks go to my parents who have, as it always
goes, encouraged and supported me so much in all respects.
Last but not least, I should also express many thanks to my dear friends
who have shared with me a lot during my studies and my research work as
well.

Hanoi, 4th May, 2015

Vũ Thu Trang

Vũ Thu Trang

K18A2 – Faculty of English4


How to improve speaking skills for first- year- English-majored students

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART A: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................... 1
1. Rationale ................................................................................................ 1
2. Aims of the study ................................................................................... 2
3. Scope of the study .................................................................................. 2
4. Research questions ................................................................................ 3

5. Methods of the study ............................................................................. 3
6. Design of the study ................................................................................ 3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................ 5
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................... 5
1.1. Definitions of Speaking ...................................................................... 5
1.2. Aspects of speaking ............................................................................ 6
1.2.1. Speaking is face to face .................................................................. 6
1.2.2. Speaking is interactive .................................................................... 6
1.2.3. Speaking happens in real time ........................................................ 7
1.3. Speaking English as a skill ................................................................. 7
1.4. Spoken versus written discourse........................................................ 8
1.5. Purpose of Speaking ......................................................................... 10
1.6. Speaking genres ................................................................................ 12
1.7. Importance of speaking .................................................................... 13
1.7.1. The role of speaking inside and outside the class .......................... 14
1.7.2. The relationship between speaking and other skills ...................... 14
1.8. Types of speaking skills .................................................................... 15
1.8.1. Interactive..................................................................................... 15
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How to improve speaking skills for first- year- English-majored students

1.8.2. Partially interactive....................................................................... 16
1.8.3. Non- interactive ............................................................................ 16
1.9. Factors affecting speaking skills ...................................................... 16
1.9.1. Grammar accuracy ....................................................................... 16
1.9.2. Fluency......................................................................................... 17

1.9.3. Pronunciation ............................................................................... 17
1.9.4. Vocabulary ................................................................................... 18
1.9.5. Background knowledge ................................................................ 19
1.10. Summary ......................................................................................... 20
CHAPTER II: PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY THE FIRST-YEARENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS IN SPEAKING SKILLS ............... 21
2.1. Data collection .................................................................................. 21
2.1.1. A survey questionnaire ................................................................. 21
2.1.2. Class observation.......................................................................... 21
2.1.3. Subject and setting........................................................................ 22
2.2. Data analysis ..................................................................................... 23
2.3. Stress ................................................................................................. 26
2.4. Intonation.......................................................................................... 26
2.5. The problems of the first-year- English-majored students in
speaking skills .......................................................................................... 27
2.5.1. The lack of vocabulary ................................................................. 27
2.5.2. The confusion of the pronouncing and using grammar ................. 28
2.5.3. The lack of self-confidence .......................................................... 29
2.5.4. The lack of background knowledge and culture............................ 29
2.5.5. The change of the environment from high schools to universities. 30

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How to improve speaking skills for first- year- English-majored students

2.5.6. Effects of the mother tongue in practicing English speaking skills 31
2.6. Summary ........................................................................................... 33
CHAPTER III: SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILLS 34

3.1. Improving background knowledge.................................................. 34
3.2. Developing English style .................................................................. 35
3.2.1. Good eye contact .......................................................................... 35
3.2.2. Good personal appearance ............................................................ 37
3.3. Improving self-confidence ................................................................ 37
3.3.1. Well preparation for the topics ..................................................... 38
3.3.2. Joining the English- speaking clubs .............................................. 38
3.3.3. Speaking to native people ............................................................. 39
3.4. Warm-up activities in Speaking ...................................................... 39
3.4.1. Playing games .............................................................................. 39
3.4.2. Word games ................................................................................. 40
3.4.3. Telling stories ............................................................................... 41
3.5. Group work ...................................................................................... 42
3.5.1. Working in pairs ........................................................................... 42
3.5.2. Working in groups ........................................................................ 44
3.6. Individual work ................................................................................ 46
3.6.1. Improving grammar ...................................................................... 46
3.6.2. Improving pronunciation .............................................................. 47
3.6.3. Vocabulary enrichment................................................................. 48
3.6.3.1. Improving speaking vocabulary through reading skills ........... 48
3.6.3.2. Improving speaking vocabulary through listening skills ......... 48

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How to improve speaking skills for first- year- English-majored students

3.6.3.3. Improving speaking vocabulary by the Internet ...................... 49

3.7. Self-consciousness of improving speaking skills ............................. 51
3.8. Summary ........................................................................................... 51
PART C: CONCLUSION .......................................................................... 52
REFERENCES ........................................................................................... 54
APPENDIX
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................................... 58

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PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Language is the tool of communication, while speaking is the most important
part of language communication and it is the basic path to understand others.
To speak successfully a language, we need to be able to work out what
speakers mean when they use particular words in particular ways on particular
occasions and not simply to understand the words themselves. Many students
of English in Vietnam in general and ones at Faculty of English, Hanoi Open
University in particular do badly in this field, they find it difficult to get good
marks in English speaking comprehension, especially in understanding the
implied meaning of conversation and the questions of the teachers.
Communication is likely the most important skill that people need. Effective
communication skills will definitely link to work effectiveness and life
satisfaction. Also, communication is the process of transmitting idea and
information orally in a variety of situations. In all of the people, students will
become familiar with speechmaking as an ongoing process, the ethics of
speaking, which they have everyday. Mastering types of speaking skillfully
will surely support students' works and their personal lives by making them

become stronger communicators.
Speaking is one of the four important skills of communication. It is also a
keystone of western civilization and can be traced back to the ancient Greeks
who practiced speaking as rhetoric. Rhetoric is a part of our greatest
philosophical discussions and appears in all ways in which human beings
communicate in a public forum. Speaking is a type of rhetoric and also the
focus of this essay. We also want to study why speaking is so vital to our
ways of life and want to learn how to become competent speakers in
practicing in real life.

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This essay is designed to create observable skills development demonstrative
of competent communication in public, group, classroom, and in interpersonal
contexts. We also want to present your success as a speaker and effective
communicator by having many in-class opportunities to improve your
speaking level as you apply to the content of this essay.
2. Aims of the study
The purpose of this study is to improve speaking skills for first-year -Englishmajored students, especially first- year students at Faculty of English, Hanoi
Open University. The main aims of this thesis are:
- Giving a brief overview of the materials relating to speaking skills.
- Presenting some problems that the first-year students have when practicing
speaking skills.
- Proposing some methods to develop speaking skills.
3. Scope of the study

Because of the time limit and the length of this paper, I want to focus on
speaking skills, the common problems and some suggestions to solve those
problems on speaking skills. This is the reason why I have chosen "How to
improve speaking skills for first-year-English-majored students" at Hanoi
Open University as the subject for the graduation paper.

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4. Research questions
These objectives could be summarized into some research questions as
follows:
- What are speaking skills?
- What are the problems that the first-year students have when practicing
speaking skills?
- What have the first-year students done to improve speaking skills?
5. Methods of the study
As the study involves in finding out the problems faced by first-year students
of English and helping them develop speaking skills, the data collection
mainly focuses on:
- Questionnaire
- Classroom observation
And then the data will be synthesized and analyzed to help find out students'
problems and the methods for improving their weaknesses.
6. Design of the study
The graduation paper is divided into three parts and three chapters.

PART A: Introduction
This part includes rationale, aims, scope, research questions, methods and
design of the study.
PART B: Development
This part contains three main parts:
Chapter I: Literature review
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Chapter II: Problems encountered by the first-year-English-majored
students in speaking skills
Chapter III: Suggestions to improve speaking skills
PART C: Conclusion
This final part is to summarize main points of the graduation paper.
REFERENCES
APPENDIX

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

Speaking plays a very important role in daily life and in communication.
People speak to each other "to exchange ideas and to make others see what
they mean". In learning English, speaking is not only one of four important
skills but also the skill used most regularly inside and outside class in order to
learn, chat, convey and exchange ideas to others. Hence, Speaking is worth
learning and practicing in a routine. But what is SPEAKING? We will
provide various definitions about speaking in the part below.
1.1. Definitions of Speaking
The most common features of Speaking have been shown in this simple
definition: The articulating sounds conveying thoughts, opinions. All of these
are used by speakers in every communication, which creates understanding
between speakers and listeners.
According to Merrian, the author of the book "Webster online
dictionary" (2002):
"Speaking is uttering words or articulating sounds with the ordinary
voice. Speaking is the way to convey thoughts, opinions, and emotion orally
or to express oneself".
In other words, speaking is an important skill by which the speaker
and listener can exchange ideas, express their feelings. We genuinely hope to
achieve a particular end through communicating speaking. People talk and
interact to express their ideas, wishes, or desires. By communication, they
may negotiate to solve a particular problem; or establish and maintain social
relationships, friendships so on...

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1.2. Aspects of speaking
Eventually, aspects of the speaking skill need to be closely scrutinized
and put into consideration. These aspects pose some challenges and identify
some guidelines for understanding this skill and hence design instructional
activities to prepare learners to communicate effectively in real life situations.
1.2.1. Speaking is face to face
Most conversations take place face to face which allows speakers to
get immediate feedback, for example, "Do listeners understand? Are they in
agreement?"(Cornbleet &Carter, 2001, p.16). Thus communication through
speaking has many assets, such as facial expressions, gestures and even body
movements. Speaking also occurs, most of the time, in situations where
participants or interlocutors are present. Such factors facilitate communication
(El Menoufy, 1997, p.10, Widdowson, 1998 & Burns, 1998).
1.2.2. Speaking is interactive
Whether we are speaking face-to-face or over the telephone, to one
person or a small group, the wheels of conversation usually turn smoothly,
with participants offering contributions at appropriate moments, with no
undue gaps or everyone talking over each other (Bygate, 1998 p.30 and
Cornbleet & Carter, 2001, p.27).
Turn taking, a main feature in interaction, is an unconscious part of
normal conversation. Turn takings are handled and signaled differently across
different cultures, thus causing possible communication difficulties in
conversation between people of different cultures and languages (Mc
Donough & Mackey, 2000, p.84).

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1.2.3. Speaking happens in real time
During conversations, responses are unplanned and spontaneous and
the speakers think on their feet, producing language which reflects this
(Foster, 2000, p.368).
These time constraints affect the speaker's ability to plan, to organize
the message, and to control the language being used. Speakers often start to
say something and change their mind midway; which is termed a false start.
The speaker's sentences also cannot be as long or as complex as in writing.
Similarly, speakers occasionally forget things they intended to say; or they
may even forget what they have already said, and so they repeat themselves
(Miller, 2001, p.27).
This implies that the production of speech in real time imposes
pressures, but also allows freedoms in terms of compensating for these
difficulties. The use of formulaic expressions, hesitation devices, selfcorrection, rephrasing and repetition can help speakers become more fluent
and cope with real time demands (Bygate, 1987, p.21; Foster, 2000 and
Hughes, 2002,p.76).
Actually, exposing students to these spoken discourse features
facilitates their oral production and helps them compensate for the problems
they encounter. It also helps them sound normal in their use of the foreign
language.
1.3. Speaking English as a skill
In the book, Bygate assumed that:
"Speaking is in many ways as undervalued skill. Perhaps this is
because we can almost all speak, and so take the skill for too much granted.
However speaking is a skill that deserves attention every bit as much as
literary skill, in both first and second languages" (1991, p.19).
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Some people think that speaking is a very simple skill. He or she may
know grammar rules well, have a wide range of vocabulary, and then he can
speak English fluently and smoothly without practicing much. This is a
completely wrong idea.
Looking on the surface, speaking seems to be simple. However, as
being seriously considered, it becomes an extremely complex skill that
requires many factors: How to use grammar and vocabulary properly while
speaking, how to begin a conversation and get people's interests while we are
talking with them and so on.
Therefore, when a person has oral communication with a stranger,
Speaking is the only skill that helps him to show the stranger his language
competence rather than using other skills. Because of those reasons,
practicing speaking everyday should be done so that the first-year students
can be effective speakers.
1.4. Spoken versus written discourse
Understanding the subtle differences between written and spoken
discourse helps in planning instruction in the light of these distinctions. It
helps also to overcome the problems with traditional approaches to teaching
speaking overlooking such differences.
Basically, spoken discourse is different form written discourse in three
main parameters: planning, contextualization and formality. Speech is more
commonly unplanned, contextualized and informal than writing. In addition,
speech is more reciprocal than is writing (Yule, 1989, p.165; Nunan, 1989, p.
26; Eggings, 1990 and Carter & McCarthy, 1997).

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Specifically, speaking can be distinguished from writing in many
areas. These include:
- Discourse structure: the spoken discourse is characterized by:
reciprocal openings and closings, interactive negotiation of meaning and
conversation structures. Besides, it is characterized by the use of simple
linking devices (discourse devices) such as 'and', ' but', 'anyway', 'right' rather
than complicated ones used in written discourse (Nunan, 1999, p. 22;
Dinapoli, 2000,p.1 and Miller, 2001). )
- Typical features of the speech stream (like segmental and

suprasegmental features, pauses, hesitations, interruptions, and false starts)
(Bygate, 1998, p. 21). )
- Features related to the cultural nature of speaking. The spoken
discourse contains numerous social and contextual factors as well as
pragmatic presuppositions (Carter & McCarthy, 1997, p.13)
- Grammatical and lexical features: As for grammar, the spoken
language is characterized by:
Contractions and elliptical constructions lacking subjects or
rejoinders; ex: (sure, me too, or not now, thanks) (Widdowson, 1998).
Incomplete sentences called "utterances" (Yule, 1989, p.170).
Fronting which refers to the movement of an element from its
position and its relocation as the first element in a construction to allow a

focus to fall on it (Nunan, 1989, p. 26 and Foster, 2000)
As for lexis, spoken English has a lower lexical density than written
English, using more grammar words and more verb phrases than noun
phrases. Furthermore, spoken language is characterized by what is called

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"vague language" which refers to objects and events in general terms
especially when speakers are uncertain or do not want to sound too particular
(Widdowson, 1998).
Spoken language is characterized also by fixed expressions that play an
important part in enhancing fluency during speaking. Examples of fixed
expressions include expressions such as "a matter of fact, once and for
all…"(Carter & McCarthy, 1997, p. 18 and Segaowitz, 2000).
1.5. Purpose of Speaking
It was argued that the purpose of speaking can be either transactional
or interactional. Apparently, there are some differences between the spoken
language used in both transactional and interactional discourse.
In transactional discourse, language is used primarily for communicating
information. Language serving this purpose is "message" oriented rather than
"listener" oriented (Nunan, 1989, p.27). Clearly, in this type of interaction,
accurate and coherent communication of the message is important, as well as
confirmation that the message has been understood. Examples of language being
used primarily for a transactional purpose are: news broadcasts, descriptions,
narrations and instructions (Richards, 1990, p.54). Speaking turns serving this

purpose tend to be long and involve some prior organization of content and use
of linguistic devices to signal either the organization or type of information that
will be given (Basturkmen, 2002, p. 26).
On the other hand, some conversations are interactional with the
purpose of establishing or maintaining a relationship. This latter kind is
sometimes called the interpersonal use of language. It plays an important
social role in 38 oiling the wheels of social intercourse (Yule, 1989, p.169).
Examples of interactional uses of language are greetings, small talks, and
compliments. Apparently, the language used in the interactional mode is
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listener oriented. Speakers' talk in this type tends to be limited to quite short
turns (Dornyei & Thurrell, 1994, p. 43 and Richards, 1990, p. 54).
However, in spite of the distinctions between the two types, in most
circumstances, interactional language is combined with transactional
language. This helps to ease the transactional tasks to be done by keeping
good social relations with others. In other words, we can say that speakers do
one thing by doing another (Brazil, 1995, p. 29). So both purposes can be
viewed as two dimensions of spoken interaction.
Analyzing speaking purposes more precisely, (Kingen, 2000, p. 218)
combines both the transactional and interpersonal purposes of speaking into
an extensive list of twelve categories as follows:
Personal - expressing personal feelings, opinions, beliefs and ideas.
Descriptive- describing someone or something, real or imagined.
Narrative-creating and telling stories or chronologically

sequenced events.
Instructive-giving instructions or providing directions designed
to produce an outcome.
Questioning-asking questions to obtain information.
Comparative-comparing two or more objects, people, ideas, or
opinions to make judgments about them.
Imaginative-expressing mental images of people, places, events,
and objects.
Predictive-predicting possible future events.
Interpretative-exploring

meanings,

creating

hypothetical

deductions, and considering inferences.
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Persuasive-changing others’ opinions, attitudes, or points of
view, or influencing the behavior of others in some way.
Explanatory-explaining, clarifying, and supporting ideas and
opinions.
Informative-sharing information with others.

This list corresponds closely to the language functions explained by
Halliday (1975).
1.6. Speaking genres
The genre theory assumes that different speech events result in
different types of texts, which are distinct in terms of their overall structure
and kinds of grammatical items typically associated with them (Hughes, 2002,
p. 83). Carter and McCarthy (1997) classify speaking extracts in terms of
genres as follows:
Narrative: A series of everyday anecdotes told with active listener
participation.
Identifying: Extracts in which people talk about themselves, their
biography, where they live, their jobs, their likes and dislikes.
Language-in-action: Data recorded while people are doing things
such as cooking, packing, moving furniture…
Comment-elaboration: People giving casual opinions and
commenting on things, other people, events and so on.
Debate and argument: Data, in which people take up positions,
pursue arguments and expound on their opinions.
Decision-making and negotiating outcomes: Data illustrating
ways in which people work towards decisions/consensus or negotiate their
way through problems towards solutions.
It is recognized that no speech genre can be entirely discrete; for
example, narratives can be embedded within other main generic categories.

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Furthermore, speaking genres overlap with language functions explained
before.
1.7. Importance of speaking
Why is speaking important in communication?
To answer that question, the bottom line is: If you are a good
communicator, you will have better chances of success. You are able
to persuade

people,

influence

others, negotiate

effectively and provide

valuable feedback. You can inspire, motivate and encourage your staff and
employees. You can convey your ideas better to your boss, you can make
interesting conversation and network easier and you can speak to groups of
people with great self-confidence and credibility.
Communication is truly achieved when the sender and the receiver
share an understanding of the communicated message. However, this is easier
said than done.
Nevertheless, the better your communication skills are, the greater
success you can achieve. The importance of communication skills cannot be
understated.

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1.7.1. The role of speaking inside and outside the class
As the students of English foreign language, we have opportunities to
approach English as a main subject. Students communicate or discuss about a
certain topic to get information, knowledge or simply to get good marks in
examinations by practicing in class. But the most important role of speaking
class is to give students chances to talk, practice and develop their critical
thinking, then progress their language skills. Finally, they can confidently
communicate in public and get effective speaking outside the class.
On the other hand, speaking outside class, such as practicing speaking
at home or talking to foreigners, also helps communicate inside class more
easily. These two activities have its roles to supplement to each other. Thus,
students should pay attention to combine them all the time.
1.7.2. The relationship between speaking and other skills
In learning English, speaking and other skills are inseparable and
tightly interconnected together to create successful communication. When
speaking regularly, speaker can consolidate his grammar, vocabulary,
structures more clearly, or enlarge his vocabulary by brainstorming to get
ideas.
As Raymond Zeuschner say:
"There is a direct relationship between speaking and writing. You first
listened, then thought, then spoke and then wrote". (1997,p.86).
When one regularly does writing, it will give him interesting ideas to
support his speaking. If simple sentences as well as complex ones in writing
are used regularly in speaking, this will much help speakers arrange ideas and
express their opinions. Like many people say: "Being skilled at one can help

you to be skilled at the other".

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Unlike the productive skills like reading and writing, speaking is a
receptive skill. In the learning of speaking, one can enrich his vocabulary and
improve the fluency as well as accuracy in spelling, intonation for speaking.
When reading aloud, the response to English words and the skill of guessing
new words are bettered. Then students can apply new words in their speaking.
Similarly, when listening, we hear sounds, pay attention to them,
remember them, and imitate them. In fact, we cannot speak well if we cannot
listen well and vice versa, we cannot hear clearly if others pronounce badly.
Thus, speaking and listening must be practiced together in some ways, may be
by repeating what you have just listened or try to express the main ideas of
the recording in your own words and thoughts.
In conclusion, speaking and three other English skills are closely
attached to one another. Therefore, to master one skill, for instance speaking
skills, learners should combine it with the other skills to be able to approach
the high level of language.
1.8. Types of speaking skills
Speaking is the productive skill in the oral mode. It, like the other
skills, is more complicated than it seems at first and involves more than just
pronouncing words.
There are three kinds of speaking situations in which we find
ourselves.

1.8.1. Interactive
Interactive speaking situations include face to face conversations and
telephone calls, in which we are alternately listening and speaking, and in
which we have a chance to ask for clarification, repetition, or slower speech
from our conversation partners.
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1.8.2. Partially interactive
Some speaking situations are partially interactive, such as when giving
a speech to a live audience, where the contention is that the audience does not
interrupt the speech. The speaker, nevertheless, can see the audience and
judge from the expressions on their faces and body language whether or not
he or she is being understood.
1.8.3. Non- interactive
Some few speaking situations may be totally non-interactive, such as
when recording a speech for a radio broadcast.
1.9. Factors affecting speaking skills
There are many factors that play important roles in speaking as they
show the speakers' competence in English, their ability and profession of
speaking. It also contributes to the appreciation of listeners to the speakers'
level. For those reasons, we would like to carefully consider the factors of
grammar accuracy, fluency, pronunciation, and vocabulary and background
knowledge as the main requirements for speaking effectively.
1.9.1. Grammar accuracy
Speaking with grammar accuracy means that speaking without errors of

grammar, and using the suitable words for specific situations. Some students
can get good marks in grammar tests but when speaking, they make very
simple mistakes like: "She don't go to school yesterday" instead of "She didn't
go to school yesterday" or say "Sorry, can I help you?" to help others but not
"Excuse me, can I help you?".
When speaking is grammatically accurate, speakers can show their
levels in English to others and make the listeners satisfied. Speaking with
grammar accuracy is also an important criterion for teachers to assess his or
her students' level in English. Therefore, students need to practice speaking a
lot for giving their speech with the exact grammar.

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1.9.2. Fluency
Being fluent in speaking means that speaker expresses his ideas
naturally and confidently without stopping too long and hesitating.
"The main factors of speaking which can be traced to the processing
condition of communicative involve the time factor. The words are being
spoken as they are being decided and as they are being understood" (Bygate,
1987).
Fluency is the ability to combine units of speech together with facility
without inappropriate slowness or undue hesitation. This is stated as a
phenomenon of communicative competence and distinguished from strategic
competence. The author pointed out that time factor affects much to the
communicative process of speakers. Hence, speaker should try to overcome

the time factor by the fillers or to practice the skills as much as possible so
that he can speak fluently to express his ideas.
1.9.3. Pronunciation
When speaking, students usually forget the pronunciation, stress, and
intonation, which make their utterance not professional and limit them from
developing the speaking skills.
"Stress and intonation within spoken sentences are also crucial for
academic students to practice, because pronunciation is often a weak point
for EFL/ESL (English as First/ Second language) learners"
(Blackwell & Naber, 2006).
Pronunciation is very fundamental to the progress of speaking skills. If
students wish to speak English fluently and effectively, they need to practice
the right pronunciation for each word before they can speak the sentences
naturally and professionally.
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