Common errors in English pronunciation of firstyear English –majored students at Thuong Mai university Common errors in English pronunciation of firstyear English –majored students at Thuong Mai university Common errors in English pronunciation of firstyear English –majored students at Thuong Mai university Common errors in English pronunciation of firstyear English –majored students at Thuong Mai university Common errors in English pronunciation of firstyear English –majored students at Thuong Mai university Common errors in English pronunciation of firstyear English –majored students at Thuong Mai university Common errors in English pronunciation of firstyear English –majored students at Thuong Mai university Common errors in English pronunciation of firstyear English –majored students at Thuong Mai university Common errors in English pronunciation of firstyear English –majored students at Thuong Mai university Common errors in English pronunciation of firstyear English –majored students at Thuong Mai university Common errors in English pronunciation of firstyear English –majored students at Thuong Mai university
OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
Rational
English is not just a language but a vital tool in daily life, with its global spread fueling booming interest in learning, more English centers, and more students choosing English as a major The development of English pronunciation is indispensable for creating a solid foundation and directly affects listening and speaking, making pronunciation improvement a practical, necessary goal for all learners However, pronunciation teaching has often been neglected, and many learners do not actively address their pronunciation problems; Vietnamese students in particular, and first-year English-major students at Thuong Mai University, experience numerous pronunciation errors—such as word and sentence stress, intonation, vowel length, and final sounds This study identifies these mistakes, their causes, and the barriers faced by freshmen who will use English in practical work environments, and it proposes several solutions to improve their pronunciation ability Accordingly, the research titled “Common errors in English pronunciation of first-year English-major students at Thuong Mai University” aims to address these issues.
Study “Pronunciation Errors of Turkish Learners of English: Conceptualization Theory as a Teaching Method” of Savaş Geylanioğlu, Kenan Dikilitaş Research data was collected with the participation of 30 students, the study highlighted the role of cognitive aspects and emphasized that most difficult pronunciation is related to cognitive causes rather than physical causes or joint. More specifically, the cause of pronunciation problems is that teachers do not encourage conceptualization of pronunciation Formulating these concepts requires being able to know how to distinguish, organize a person, and manipulate English sounds clearly During concept formation, learners are taught a combination of theoretical and practical sound knowledge This is supposed to improve learners' ability to manipulate them more easily The study also found that pronunciation teaching is ignored in learning English Research suggests that teachers must consider the conceptual properties of sounds in order for learners to learn conceptual models of the target's language sound In addition, the learner needs to understand detailed knowledge of how these sounds can be pronounced Besides, the study has considered the factors affecting pronunciation learning and identified the needs of learners and proposed solutions The author concludes that teachers should highlight and teach sound elements such as syllables, stress and intonation to help learners understand important and essential features of the sound system in the target language Research also shows that learners do not consider English pronunciation an important factor, they neglect and do not practice good pronunciation At the same time, the teacher did not pay much attention to pronunciation practice (In order for learners to gain a good level of pronunciation andunderstand speech, therefore, we should teach sounds within sentential level using larger chunks ofcontextualized texts By only repeating the words, as in
“AAM method” the learners may require a longer period to gain the true pronunciation of that word, however once the conceptualizationphenomenon comes in the way, we may find that it might be easier to pronounce it correctly in ashorter period of time Studies show that there are fossilized habits of pronunciation of English sounds due to factors ranging from poor awareness of the importance of pronunciation in learning English Make the rules of the stress patterns if the learner doesn't really understand what stress is and what intonation is Make sure they distinguish between consonants and vowels of the language Learners will only understand the truth about pronunciation when they are fully able to separate the forms of sound systems precisely giving them the amount of time and good practice
The second study abroad related to pronunciation which i refer is that
Mehmet Celik (2001) proposed an English intonation framework for ESL/EFL learners, identifying four core features—intonation units, stress, tone, and pitch range—that together shape how English conveys meaning He notes that intonation phenomena are an integral part of pronunciation, with intonation units underpinning the study of transitions and voice characteristics, and that these units typically carry one of four tones—low-rise, high-rise, fall, or fall-rise—spoken at high, mid, or low levels Although the framework is useful and approachable for pronunciation practice, it remains fairly general and theoretical To achieve near-native pronunciation, learners should address multiple aspects, including intonation, stress, vowels, consonants, and ending sounds, with vowel and consonant pronunciation forming the essential foundation of the learning process.
Nguyen Thi Hong Anh's study, "Pronunciation Errors Made by Four-Year Students of English at Vinh University and Suggestions for Solutions," investigates the pronunciation problems of fourth-year students at Vinh University, revealing that errors frequently involve vowels and consonants and that the author describes and analyzes these sounds in detail The study also explains the causes of mispronunciation, including myths about who can teach English, students’ lack of awareness of the importance of pronunciation, and general pronunciation challenges It notes that negative pronunciation is partly due to insufficient attention from teachers and is influenced by students’ native language Finally, the research proposes several individual and group strategies to help learners improve their English pronunciation.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen's second study, titled "Survey of English pronunciation errors of first-year students of Thuong Mai University," investigates the pronunciation errors of first-year students, identifies their causes, and proposes practical solutions to improve pronunciation accuracy and, in turn, the quality of English teaching at the school Grounded in core concepts of pronunciation—phonology, syllable, stress, and intonation—and using a comparative analysis of the English and Vietnamese sound systems as a scientific basis, the research aims to identify errors more accurately The survey was conducted with first-year students in K52 and International Education, along with several faculty members Findings show that students frequently mispronounce short and long vowels, vowels not found in Vietnamese, certain consonant sounds, final consonants, and suffixes -s and -ed, as well as exhibit errors in word- and sentence-stress and intonation Causes include a lack of pronunciation practice, limited equipment and facilities for phonetics and English learning, entrenched pronunciation habits, and dialectal influences The study also proposes practical solutions to help students improve their pronunciation and contribute to enhancing the overall quality of English instruction.
The research is carried out for the following purposes:
Research shows the importance of English pronunciation in learning and communicating in English, encouraging learners to focus more on pronunciation The study also identifies the factors that affect pronunciation learning and examines the causes influencing the pronunciation of first-year business English students Based on these findings, the research proposes practical solutions to help students improve their pronunciation more clearly and effectively, empowering freshmen to communicate in English with greater confidence.
This study is highly valuable for first-year English majors at Thuong Mai University, helping them perfect their English communication skills and establish a solid foundation that supports the next semester's coursework By emphasizing practical language use and communicative competence, the findings empower students to engage more confidently in class, participate in discussions, and handle real-world interactions Overall, the study offers actionable insights for new students to advance their language proficiency and ensure a smooth transition into subsequent coursework.
Research subjects
This study investigates the common pronunciation mistakes of first-year students in the Business English Department Clear English pronunciation enhances communication and helps learners speak with greater fluency, bringing them closer to native-like proficiency These errors are not confined to any one group; they appear among students across faculties, including English majors who also make basic pronunciation mistakes Consequently, the research will identify the specific pronunciation and communication errors frequently made by first-year Business English students and propose targeted strategies to improve their pronunciation, thereby supporting their studies and boosting employability after graduation through more effective spoken English.
Scope of the study
Because resources are abundant but time-consuming and personal experience is limited, this study cannot cover all aspects of English pronunciation Instead, it focuses on common pronunciation mistakes among first-year English-major students at Thuong Mai University (TMU), identifies the underlying causes, and proposes practical solutions to improve pronunciation The study used an online questionnaire survey of freshmen majoring in English at TMU to collect data The findings are intended to serve as a valuable reference for TMU students in particular and Vietnamese learners in general, helping them enhance their pronunciation and gain confidence in English communication.
Research methodology
In this graduate paper, the research method I want to use is the quantitative approach.
A quantitative data collection process was established through a survey questionnaire administered to 50 randomly selected freshmen in the English Major at TMU The sample is predominantly female, aligning with TMU's gender distribution in the English Department, where about 80% of students are female All participants share the same background in English education from their previous schools.
After collecting survey results from freshman students and checked students' differing opinions on the information contained in the survey, and then conclude them in the statistics.
Organization of the study
Chapter 1: Overview of the Study This chapter provides a general overview of the study and is divided into 7 sections, namely the rationale, the previous studies, the aims of the study, the research subjects, the scope of the study, the research methodology, and the organization of the study Chapter 2: Literature review In the second chapter, all the relevant theoretical background of the research is presented The chapter provides the most base knowledge related to English pronunciation and common pronunciation errors Chapter 3: Research findings This chapter focuses on analyzing, causes - results and it is also the major part of the study Discuss the possible causes of the pronunciation error The figures which were collected from the study would be shown and analyzed in this chapter This is an important part of all the studies Chapter 4: Recommendations and suggestions.There are several recommendations and some suggestions for improving students' pronunciation
LITERATURE REVIEW
Definition of error, pronunciation and pronunciation error
Researchers have long explored the concept of error in language learning, offering several definitions H James (1987) defines error as a pronounced form or structure that a teacher considers unacceptable because its usage is inappropriate or absent in real-world discourse Coder (1967) argues that errors are a necessary part of language development, signaling the difference between learner grammar and the target language Carl James (1980) describes error as an unintentionally misleading example of language that the speaker cannot correct Richards (1992) characterizes error in a second-language learner's writing as the use of a linguistic element in a way that a fluent or native speaker would deem faulty during learning Ellis (1997) maintains that errors reveal gaps in learners' knowledge, arising because the learner does not know what is correct and reflecting an inadequate understanding of language proficiency.
According to Norrish (1983), the learner's error is systematic, meaning errors are not random or unintentional, and the distinction between systematic and non-systematic errors is crucial for distinguishing error types in language learning Coder (1967) notes that these are often insignificant errors because they do not reflect deficiencies in our knowledge and are typically perceived and corrected by learners with varying degrees of confidence Errors, on the other hand, are of great significance to the language learning process (Richards, 1992) An individual's deviations from standard language norms in grammar, pronunciation, and orthography are sometimes referred to as errors.
Errors cannot fix themselves; learners must actively provide and convert the relevant input that contains the error into intake, whether implicitly or explicitly This conversion signals the start of deeper learning, as mistakes only become correctable once they are transformed into retrievable intake In other words, error correction depends on engaging with the error through deliberate processing, recognizing the discrepancy, and integrating it into one's knowledge system Without this input-to-intake transformation, errors persist and learning stalls Therefore, effective learning hinges on deeper learning processes that turn imperfect input into actionable intake, enabling errors to be corrected and understanding to grow.
Pronunciation is the way we read and produce the sounds of a language It describes how we shape speech sounds by pushing air from the lungs through the throat and mouth and out between the teeth and lips to form words Pronunciation can vary depending on the word itself and the surrounding words, reflecting individual speakers and contexts It encompasses the act and result of producing speech sounds, including articulation, stress, and intonation, often with reference to a standard of correctness or acceptability Pronunciation also refers to the accepted patterns of sound and stress in a syllable, word, or phrase It involves both producing and perceiving sounds as they occur in continuous speech, where segmental sounds interact with suprasegmental prosodic features like stress and intonation.
English pronunciation error is the wrong pronunciation of a word or sentence.
In addition, pronunciation errors can also appear in the wrong pronunciation of stress, ending sound, consonant sounds, vowels, word stress, sentence stress,intonation, so on.
Theoretic background
2.2.1 The working of vocal cords
In Kelly( 2000) mentioned in How to teach pronunciation , there are two cases of how the vocal cord works:
First case: the vocal cords are exposed, meaning the two parts of the vocal cords are spaced far apart The wide gaps allow a large stream of air to pass through, so the cords do not vibrate and the sounds produced are voiceless This creates a strong constriction in the vocal tract, a feature linguists refer to as Fortis.
In the second case, the vocal cords are closed and the gap between them narrows As air passes through the narrowed space, the vocal cords vibrate and produce voiced sounds This results in weak pronunciation because the airflow is limited, a condition described as Lenis.
2.2.2 Common errors – English sounds and others
English learners make mistakes in many aspects of the language, and this study analyzes the most common errors observed among Vietnamese learners and TMU students The findings will be discussed and clarified in Chapter 3, with a focus on pure vowel sounds to illustrate how vowel pronunciation contributes to overall error patterns and informs instructional approaches.
Monothongs are pure vowel sounds and when we pronounce them, the organs off speech remain during the process off pronunciation (Textbook "phonetics and JHphonology")
Vowels can be classified by tongue height and by their frontness or backness, and lip rounding is another important variable in vowel quality Although the lips can take many shapes and positions, at this stage we consider only three possible lip configurations.
- Rounded: where the corners of the lips are brought towards each other and the lips pushed forwards This is most clearly seen in vowel
- Spread, with the comers of the lips moved away from each other as for smile.
Neutral lip position means the lips are neither noticeably rounded nor spread, a posture that aligns with the hesitation sound English speakers often write as “er.” From this discussion, vowels can be classified according to three variables, providing a concise framework for describing vowel quality and classification in phonetics.
According to tongue height to which the tongue is raised we have:
+ High vowels: those in the production of which the tongue is high in the mouth It is raised above its rest position For example.: /i:/ , /i/, /u:/, / ʊ/
+ Low vowels: are those made with the tongue below its rest position
+ Mid vowels: are those made with the tongue neither high nor low in the mouth
2 Part of the tongue which is raised According to the part of the tongue which is raised we have:
+ Front vowels: are those in the production of which the front of the tongue is the highest point For example.: / i: / , / i /,/ e /, / ổ/,
+ Back vowels: are those in the production of which the back of the tongue is the highest point For example.: / / u: /, / ʊ/, /ɔː/,/ ɒ/, / a: /.
+ Central vowels: are those made with neither the front nor the back of the tongue The tongue is neither high nor low in the mouth For example.: /ɜː/,/ə/,/ʌ/
+ Rounded vowels: are those made with rounded lips The corners of the lips are brought towards each other and the lips are pushed forwards
+ Unrounded vowels: are those made with the lips spread The corners of the lips are moved away from each other as for a smile
+ Neutral vowels: are those made with the lips neither rounded nor spread. For example: / i: /, /i /,/e/, / ổ/.
Vietnamese people in general and TMU students in particular often make following mistakes:
- They often pronounce long vowels into short vowels.
For example, with the word "beach", instead of "i:", many people pronounce
"i" and hear the word "beach" like "bitch"; or "sheet" /ʃi:t/ is pronounced "shit"/ʃit/.
- They often mistake the pronunciation of the vowel / e / and / ổ /
For example: bend / bend / and band / bổnd /
This common error can cause one English word to take on the meaning of another, confusing listeners and distorting the intended message As a result, audiences may misinterpret what we say, sometimes leading to communication breakdowns or even full-blown communication disasters Consonant sounds are a key factor in these errors, since small differences in pronunciation can flip meanings and undermine clear expression.
Consonants are the sounds produced when an articulator moves toward another or when two articulators come together, creating an obstruction in the airflow so the air stream cannot escape freely This airflow obstruction is the defining feature of consonants, shaping how speech is formed.
Figure 2 Chart of English Consonant Phonemes
- The place of articulation : (textbook "phonetics and phonology")
1 Bilabials: are sounds made with the two lips pressed together or coming together , including : /p/,/b/,/m/,/w/
2 Labio - dentals: are sounds which are produced with the lower lip touching the upper front teeth, including: /f/,/v/
3 Dentals: 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/
4 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/
5 Retroflex: is the sound which is produced with the tip of the tongue curling back towards the back of the alveolar ridge , including :/r/
6 Palato-alveolars : are the sounds which are produced with the tongue tip or blade coming close to the are between the back of the alveolar ridge and front of the hard palatate , including : /dʒ/,/ʃ/, /tʃ/,/ʒ/
7 palatal : is the sound which is produced with the front of the tongue coming close to the hard palate , including /j/
8 Velars : are sounds which are produced with the back of the tongue touching the soft palate , including /k/,/g/,/ ŋ/
9 Glottals: are the sounds which are produced without the active use of the tongue and other parts of the mouth, including /h/.
The students also often make mistakes in consonants such as swapping the wrong consonants.
"b", Students usually pronounce "p" and vice versa (as "boy" is pronounced
"d", Students often pronounce as "j / y / z" (like "dog " is pronounced "jog" or
"ʃ", Students often pronounce "s" (as "she"/ʃi/ is pronounced as "see"/si:/) c Word stress
English pronunciation relies on stress on a single syllable within each word, not equal emphasis across all syllables In every word, one syllable is accented and spoken much louder and more clearly, while the other syllables are pronounced softly This pattern—one strong syllable contrasted with softer ones—gives English its natural rhythm and helps learners recognize, imitate, and master correct pronunciation.
(according to https://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/word-stress)
Photograph, photographer, and photographic share the same root, but they are pronounced with different stresses, giving each word its own distinct sound Each word places the primary emphasis on a different syllable, so the "shape" of the word changes in speech Understanding these stress patterns helps with accurate pronunciation and clear communication when discussing photography and the art of taking pictures.
PhoTOgraph/fə’tɒgrəfər/ photoGRAPHic /fəʊtə’grổfik/
Unstressed syllables in English are lighter, weaker, or quieter than the stressed syllables Fluent listeners focus on the stressed syllables to understand speech, not the weak ones When you apply word stress to your own speech, you will instantly improve your pronunciation and your comprehension.
There are two very important rules about word stress:
1.One word, one stress (One word cannot have two stresses So if you hear two stresses, you have heard two words, not one word.)
2.The stress is always on a vowel.
English is a multisyllabic language where stress patterns can change the meaning of a word, and misplacing the stress often leads to a different word or reduced intelligibility Vietnamese learners, including TMU students, frequently struggle to distinguish and apply English stress, treating emphasis on syllables as less important than it actually is In practice, many learners neglect the stress part, which is central to proper pronunciation and clear communication As a result, mis-stressed English words can be hard for native speakers to understand, highlighting the need for focused training on English stress to boost pronunciation accuracy and comprehension.
Present pronunciation depends on syllable stress: when the first syllable is stressed (PRES-ent), "present" means a gift given on a special occasion to show friendship; when the stress falls on the second syllable (pre-SENT), it is a verb meaning to give, introduce, or display something—such as to present information or a proposal This stress pattern changes the word from a noun meaning a gift to a verb meaning to deliver or show something, and understanding it helps with both pronunciation and meaning in English.
"sent", you will get a word that means "give, provide, or make something known”. d Sentence stress
Sentence stress gives English its rhythm or beat, with emphasized words shaping the flow of speech Word stress is the accent placed on one syllable within a word Sentence stress, meanwhile, refers to stressing certain words in a sentence to highlight meaning and create natural English prosody.
( https://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/sentence-stress)
Most sentences have two basic types of word:
Content words are the key words of a sentence They are the important words that carry the meaning or sense—the real content. structure words
Structure words are small, simple words that ensure grammatical correctness and give a sentence its form They provide the sentence’s structure, supporting grammar even though they carry less meaning than content words If you remove structure words from a sentence, you will probably still understand it; if you remove content words from a sentence, you will not understand it, and the sentence loses its sense and meaning In short, structure words shape the grammar and syntax, while content words deliver the sentence’s meaning.
The important roles of correct English pronunciation
Pronunciation is a key element of oral communication, as Fraser (2000) indicates Miller (2004) argues that pronunciation should be balanced with all other communication skills, not treated in isolation Consequently, pronunciation is an important oral skill comparable to other language skills, underscoring the need for integrated teaching of pronunciation within broader communicative competence.
Speaking English relies on several sub-skills such as vocabulary, grammar, and pragmatics, but English pronunciation is the standout factor: good pronunciation makes a speaker intelligible even when other aspects are imperfect, while poor pronunciation can render speech hard to understand even with accurate vocabulary and grammar; because pronunciation most strongly influences how listeners judge someone and how they are assessed in speaking tests and overall language proficiency, it often determines perceived competence more than any other skill.
Many English learners underestimate pronunciation, focusing more on grammar and vocabulary, but correct pronunciation is crucial for clear communication because mispronunciations can lead to misinterpretation and even alter meaning when sounds and syllable stress change For example, the word "present" can mean being here or presenting something depending on emphasis, illustrating how pronunciation shapes context Even with strong grammar and vocabulary, poor pronunciation can hamper spoken English, leaving a learner able to write well but unable to convey meaning in speech Therefore, pronunciation should be treated as a core component of English study; those who want to excel should prioritize mastering pronunciation to become effective communicators, since pronunciation helps reveal word meanings, speeds up learning, and enables fluent, appropriate speech.
The factors affect the learning of English pronunciation of first-year English- majored students at Thuong Mai university
The communication environment is a key driver of effective pronunciation practice and the overall quality of English training in English-major universities By fostering a favorable and healthy communication environment, institutions create optimal conditions for students to learn English, develop accurate pronunciation, and build confidence in real-world communication Investments in supportive classroom interactions, language-rich activities, and responsive feedback contribute to higher engagement and better learning outcomes for English majors.
Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences highlights the value of an optimal learning environment—one where students actively communicate and collaborate with peers and teachers, and engage in a range of activities such as play, movement, singing, dancing, storytelling, and hands-on tasks In such environments, learners tend to retain a large share of what they study, with estimates suggesting more than 80% of material learned within a year staying with them When learning English, environments that demand active participation—especially in listening and speaking—encourage learners to focus on comprehension and on converting from Vietnamese to English in real time Developing the English learning environment means increasing favorable factors that support effective communication and improve pronunciation, ultimately boosting language quality and learning efficiency.
Some learners seem to grasp pronunciation more readily than others, suggesting natural or early advantages in this aspect of language learning Even within a single, seemingly homogeneous classroom, there is a noticeable discrepancy in pronunciation ability among students, with some progressing much faster than their peers.
Elliot (1995) found that subjects’ attitude toward acquiring native or near - native pronunciation as measured by the Pronunciation Attitude Inventory (PAI),was the principal variable in relation to target language pronunciation In other words, if the students were more concerned about their pronunciation of the target language, they tended to have better pronunciation of the target allophones.Students with motivation to learn with positive attitudes towards the target language and its speakers were more successful than were students with less positive attitudes.
Along with age at the acquisition of a language, the learner’s motivation for learning the language and the cultural group that the learner identifies and spends time determine whether the learner will develop native-like pronunciation Research has found that having a personal or professional goal for learning English can influence the need and desire for native-like pronunciation (Marinova-Todd et al., 2000; Masgoret & Gardner, 2003;Bernaus, Masgoret, Gardner, & Reyes, 2004; Gatbonton et al., 2005) Moyer (2007) also found that experience with and positive orientation to the language appears to be important factors in developing native-like pronunciation.
Motivation is a key driver of pronunciation learning, helping students focus on the background and development of their sound production rather than drifting toward unrelated skills When learners are motivated, they engage more deeply with practice, track their progress, and put effort into improving pronunciation, which accelerates their overall proficiency With sustained motivation, students can become highly proficient speakers of a second language, potentially achieving native-like pronunciation.
Set aside regular practice time each week—and ideally every day—by blocking it on your calendar and treating pronunciation as a serious project with deadlines and deliverables Minimize distractions and devote focused effort to skill development, just as you would with any other important project Create a clear plan with milestones to stay on track and maintain motivation Regular English pronunciation practice is crucial because progress comes from long-term, sustained effort; without consistent practice, improvements stall and pronunciation can weaken over time Therefore, students should commit to a consistent daily practice routine to build and maintain strong pronunciation skills.
30 minutes per day to practice their pronunciation, practice time will make us develop better in pronunciation as well as any other English skills.
Foreign language instruction centers on the four core developmental areas—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—with an early emphasis on pronunciation in the first year as learners acquire the target language’s alphabet and sound system, but this focus rarely extends beyond the introductory level The decline in pronunciation emphasis is tied to a general lack of enthusiasm among both teachers and students, who often regard pronunciation as less important Pennington (1994) argues that pronunciation is too often treated as a linguistic component rather than a driver of conversational fluency, a viewpoint that remains common in many application-oriented classrooms, a concern echoed by Elliot (1995).
Research from 1995 showed that many teachers view pronunciation as the least useful part of basic language skills, leading them to sacrifice pronunciation practice in order to devote more classroom time to other areas of language learning Some educators also contend that adults face greater challenges in acquiring target-language pronunciation than other abilities, which can justify ignoring pronunciation As a result, instruction often relies on repetitive drills focused on discrete words or intonation, or on simple pronunciation rules such as vowels in a CVC pattern Nevertheless, high-quality pronunciation instruction remains a crucial factor in helping students improve more effectively.
Exposure to the target language comes from a learner’s day-to-day life as well as the amount of prior instruction in that language Language learning theories suggest that learners acquire language primarily from input, and they need large amounts of comprehensible input before they can speak effectively For foreign language learners, speaking is particularly challenging because successful oral communication requires the ability to use the language appropriately across a variety of interactions, a point highlighted by Shumin (1997) Verbal communication also shapes supra-segmental features such as pitch, stress, and intonation, which are often not learned from textbooks or dictionaries alone Beyond linguistic form, non-linguistic cues like gestures, body language, and facial expressions carry significant meaning and are learned through real-world language use and cultural experience rather than explicit instruction Consequently, limited exposure and minimal contact with native speakers often result in non-native-like pronunciation, reduced fluency, uneven control of idiomatic expressions, and gaps in cultural pragmatics.
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH FINDINGS
Methodology
This graduate study adopts a quantitative research approach, deploying a structured questionnaire to first-year English-major students at TMU The survey includes 50 participants from TMU's English program, collected to generate numerical data that can be analyzed for patterns and relationships relevant to the study's objectives.
After the results from the survey are available, the researcher collects and begins analyzing them using tables and charts.
3.1.2.1 The purpose of this study is to answer the two question below:
- The first question: what is common difficulties and errors in English pronunciation of First-year English Faculty students at Thuong Mai University?
- The second question: How to improve English pronunciation Faculty students at Thuong Mai University?
A questionnaire is a set of standardized questions, or items, that follow a fixed structure to collect individual data about one or more topics (Paul J Lavrekas, 2008) This research tool is widely used because it is popular, effective, and time-saving for data collection Because the items in a questionnaire typically solicit specific information, using a survey questionnaire in a study enables gathering relatively straightforward factual data in response to closed questions (Gillham, 2005, p.166).
In addition, specific information collected from a large number of respondents in a relatively short period of time makes the questionnaire very suitable for quantitative and statistical analysis.
An online questionnaire will be designed and distributed to 50 students for an Internet-based survey The data collection follows a three-step process: first, the questionnaire is prepared and deployed to the participants; second, responses are collected, cleaned, and securely stored; and third, the data are analyzed and summarized to produce actionable results.
This questionnaire is designed with three sections: background information about your English pronunciation skills, learners' difficulties in English pronunciation learning, and the strategies students use when practicing English pronunciation It comprises 13 questions in total, distributed across these three sections.
Elaborating the questions for the study, the researcher based the approach on previous studies, gathered information from the Internet, and sought input from friends In addition, the researcher applied the knowledge gained from studying research methodology to design and build a robust questionnaire.
Data collection for the survey is conducted through Google Forms, with the questionnaire created in Google Forms The researcher obtains the survey link from the app and distributes it to groups of English faculty students as well as to the researcher’s friends via messages To ensure objective results, respondents are asked to answer carefully and in their own views The collected responses are then checked and analyzed by the researcher using a system based on tables and data.
Data analysis
Question 1: What is your gender ?
Survey results indicate that 80% of respondents were female, a proportion that mirrors the overall male–female ratio at TMU In addition, all participants reported the same English education background from their previous schools, suggesting a uniform starting point for language learning within the cohort.
Question 2 What is your opinion about the importance of English pronunciation skill ?
2.00% very important important quite important unimportant
Chart 1 The importance of learning English pronunciation
A pie chart analyzing the perceived importance of English pronunciation among first-year English-major students at TMU shows that 50% rated pronunciation as quite important—the largest share across the four levels Unimportant accounted for 2% (one student), while 10% said it is extremely important and 38% consider it important The distribution indicates that most students view pronunciation as important to some degree, though a portion still treats it as a secondary skill.
Question 3: Do you think English pronunciation is as important as skills like listening, speaking , reading and writing ? yes; 40.00% no; 60.00%
Chart 2 The important level of pronunciation skill compared to the other skills
According to the chart data, 60% of first-year English majors view English pronunciation as less important than the four core skills—reading, writing, listening, and speaking—while 20% regard pronunciation as equally important as those four skills, indicating that many students do not see pronunciation as a critical component of English learning and therefore prioritize the other skills; this underscores a gap in how these students understand the role of pronunciation in mastering English.
Question 4 and 5 :How do you find English pronunciation skill? How is your English pronunciation skill? questions Options Number of student Percentage
Table 1 Student’s English background information
This result reflects students' opinions on learning English pronunciation The data show that more than half of the students find English pronunciation difficult, a challenge that stems from the many rules governing pronunciation In addition, English features a distinction between voiced and voiceless sounds that is not present in Vietnamese, which can complicate learners' pronunciation efforts.
According to the survey, 32 percent (16 of 50) of respondents consider pronunciation learning to be normal, while only 4 percent feel it is easy for them This perception affects students' pronunciation, as learners who find pronunciation difficult tend to enjoy learning less, become easily bored, and achieve poorer results Only 5 students (10%) rate their pronunciation as excellent, 22 percent as good, and 33 students (66%) as average, indicating that overall English pronunciation among participants is not particularly strong.
Question 6: How much time do you spend practicing English pronunciation everyday ?
2.00% i dont practice at all less than 30 minutes
Chart 3 Time of learning English pronunciation everyday
An overwhelming 74% of students practiced English pronunciation for less than 30 minutes, indicating that most learners devote minimal time to pronunciation practice In contrast, only 2% of TMU freshman English majors spent more than 30 minutes on pronunciation, the lowest rate across all groups The remaining breakdown shows 6% practicing exactly 30 minutes and 18% not practicing pronunciation at all Overall, the data suggest that students may prioritize other language skills or view pronunciation as less central to their English learning.
Question 7 The below table contains some factors affecting your English pronunciation skill Please show level of influence of each one on your English pronunciation skill
A.The influence of mother tongue
B Lack of interaction with natives
C The insufficient exposure to English in terms of time and quality
E The priority of the other skills over pronunciation
F The attitude towards English pronunciation skill
60 extremely influential influential a little influential uninfluential
Chart 4 Level of influence of factors on learning English pronunciation skill
Learning English pronunciation is influenced by several factors Based on a survey, the researcher categorized these factors into three groups according to the level of impact as evaluated by the participants The high-impact group encompasses the factors that most strongly shape pronunciation, the moderate-impact group covers those with noticeable but not dominant influence, and the low-impact group includes factors with limited effects This three-tier classification clarifies how different determinants interact to affect pronunciation development and provides a focused framework for designing effective pronunciation training.
The first group is the factors that are extremely influential There are “mother tongue” and “lack of interaction with natives” The chart shows 54% of participants
Among the respondents, 27 students (about 42%) felt that the mother tongue strongly shapes their English pronunciation, while 4% saw it as relatively influential; none believed it had little or no effect, suggesting that most freshman English students at TMU view L1 transfer as a significant factor in pronunciation learning The data reflect a shared perception that Vietnamese and English differ markedly, and that differences between their sound systems create a major hurdle for pronunciation L1 interference arises because each language has its own phonetic rules, leading Vietnamese learners to omit ending sounds, substitute sounds, and simplify consonant clusters—errors most commonly seen as the elimination of final sounds In addition, 54% of participants stated that a lack of interaction with native speakers greatly affects their English pronunciation ability, with 38% rating it influential and 8% rating it slightly influential; again, no respondent viewed it as little or not influential This suggests native-speaker contact is crucial for improving pronunciation, and that engaging with foreigners helps learners adopt correct pronunciation more quickly and accurately rather than stalling their development.
The second group comprises influential factors that shape English pronunciation: limited exposure to English in both duration and quality, the tendency to prioritize other language skills over pronunciation, insufficient practice, and learners’ attitudes toward English pronunciation.
Exposure to English in terms of time and quality is considered influential by a sizeable portion of students Specifically, 48% of respondents regard this factor as influential, while 40% think it has a relatively influential effect on their English pronunciation The remaining percentage of students who selected this factor is not reported in the available data.
Survey results show that the options “a little influential” and “uninfluential” are both small and tied at 6%, and no respondent considers this factor uninfluential to English pronunciation This underscores the importance of sufficient exposure to English in terms of both time and quality, as such exposure strongly influences pronunciation improvement for students and English learners in general.
In language learning, the factor labeled “priority of other skills over pronunciation” stands out, with up to 58% (29 students) saying it influenced their pronunciation the most The remaining responses show it as extremely influential (10%), relatively influential (24%), a little influential (8%), or not influential at all (0%) This pattern suggests that many learners rank listening, speaking, reading, and writing higher than pronunciation, leading them to deprioritize pronunciation and invest less time in pronunciation practice.
Among the factors influencing English pronunciation, lack of motivation emerges as the most influential In a survey, 48% of participants (24 students) said this factor influences pronunciation, with 36% rating it as extremely influential, 10% as relatively influential, and 6% as somewhat influential No participant believed it had no effect The lack of motivation to practice pronunciation is common among English learners; many students think pronunciation is unnecessary and prefer to focus on other skills, which leads to less practice and weaker pronunciation dynamics.
Regarding the attitude toward pronunciation skill, 44% of participants (22 students) believe this factor affects their pronunciation, the highest share among all factors considered Learners’ attitudes play a key role in English learning beyond pronunciation alone, and a poor attitude toward pronunciation can hinder motivation and progress Attitudes toward this skill partly determine learners’ current level, making this factor a significant influence on English pronunciation learners overall In terms of perceived influence, 24% described the attitude as extremely influential, 26% as relatively influential, and 6% as a little influential.
Insufficient exposure to English in terms of time and quality is the last group’s relatively influential factor Among respondents, 48% rated it as relatively influential, 46% as a little influential, and 3% as uninfluential No participant rated it as extremely influential or influential.
Possible causes
3.3.1 Lacking of awareness of the importance of pronunciation
Survey results indicate that many students view pronunciation as less decisive in English learning Approximately 60% of learners believe pronunciation is not as important as listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, while only about 10% consider pronunciation to be very important.
At TMU, general students and first-year English majors often lack awareness of how crucial pronunciation is to effective language learning Pronunciation is an integral part of language learning, and its value becomes clearer when we understand how it relates to other language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing When the importance of pronunciation is overlooked, we miss a key element that helps improve overall English proficiency Students frequently focus on developing the four skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—without dedicating enough time to pronunciation, assuming those four skills alone are enough for fluency However, pronunciation plays a vital role not only in acquiring the language but also in communicating clearly, so anyone aiming to learn English for communication should prioritize pronunciation practice.
One of the main factors contributing to pronunciation errors among students, including TMU students, is the neglect of pronunciation feedback by teachers Not all English teachers are enthusiastic about correcting pronunciation in class; during lectures or speaking assessments, many instructors omit comments on students’ pronunciation, mistakes, or how to correct them Teachers often prioritize the content of the presentation and overlook pronunciation, even though providing brief feedback does not extend class time Regularly commenting on pronunciation helps students identify errors and improve their English pronunciation skills, so teacher neglect stands out as a major reason for poor pronunciation.
3.3.3 Lack of knowledge of pronunciation rules
Effective pronunciation starts with understanding the rules of pronunciation, yet many learners—especially first-year English majors at TMU—struggle to master this knowledge, forget how to position the mouth or articulate specific sounds, and end up confusing similar sounds They also often fail to distinguish between voiced and voiceless consonants, which leads to mispronunciation and weaker overall pronunciation skills.
These pronunciation issues often stem from the way English is taught in high school Many students find pronunciation challenging and boring, and they lack interest in learning pronunciation rules Consequently, they pay little attention to pronunciation instruction, which results in minimal improvement and eventually poor pronunciation.
Research shows that the mother tongue significantly shapes learners' English pronunciation Vietnamese speakers face several challenges: English contains sounds that do not exist in Vietnamese, and English-ending consonants—something Vietnamese learners often struggle with—affect how final sounds are produced and perceived This makes distinguishing words like "little" and "litter" difficult for English listeners English is a stress-timed language with variable stress, while Vietnamese is typically described as syllable-timed, so differences in rhythm and prominence influence learners' pronunciation Survey results indicate that native language has a substantial impact on pronunciation patterns.
There are also some other reasons such as students do not spend much time on pronunciation practice, lack of motivation to learn pronunciation Motivation is one of the most important factors in doing something In learning English, without motivation, learners will never get good results Students feel that pronunciation is not important, feel that pronunciation is not necessary to serve learning English, as well as English pronunciation is too boring to make students have no motivation to learn Without motivation, you will not be able to improve your pronunciation skills to the best.
Summary
This study was conducted in the present with the participation of a small group of 50 first-year English- majored students at TMU Through 13 questions of the questionnaire survey, the author has an overview of the pronunciation skill of students There are a number of notable results and issues First of all, it is to evaluate pronunciation skills and learn about common pronunciation mistakes of first year students majoring in business English at TMU and the real situation ofEnglish pronunciation in student learning In general, most students do not have proper awareness of the importance of English pronunciation skills, with only 10% of students saying that English pronunciation is extremely important and up to 60% of students say that pronunciation is not as important as other skills After consulting students about pronunciation learning, the researcher began to exploit information about the students' learning situation Most people responded that they spent less than 30 minutes a day learning pronunciation This may be explained by the fact that more students spend time on other skills The findings of the survey questionnaire provide us with useful information about the real situation of students learning pronunciation During the learning process, students cannot avoid pronunciation difficulties, there are many difficult sounds to distinguish
Survey results identified seven factors influencing students' learning of English pronunciation According to the students' assessments, most of these factors affect pronunciation learning, with native language interference, lack of interaction with native speakers, insufficient exposure to English in terms of time and quality, the prioritization of other skills over pronunciation, and students' attitudes toward English pronunciation being particularly influential This finding shows that English pronunciation learning is shaped by multiple factors, helping explain why many students' pronunciation remains at an average level In the survey, eight learning methods were listed and students were asked to rate their effectiveness; results indicate that most learners rely on self-practice through channels such as YouTube, radio, and dictionaries, but this approach is not highly effective Moreover, many students never apply these methods, making it difficult to accurately evaluate their effectiveness The next chapter will offer recommendations for TMU's students and teachers to help improve pronunciation.