Pronunciation Errors and Repair Strategies Made by Northern-Upper Egypt EFL Learners: A Case Study of the Production of English Sound Segments by First Year English Department Students in Beni-Suef

Research Abstract

Abstract Although pronunciation is one of the key elements leading to successful communication, it is not a widely investigated area. Thus the purpose of the present research is mainly concerned with pronunciation errors. More precisely, it is directed toward the identification of error types in the production of English phonemes by Northern Egyptian EFL learners. It also focuses on the repair strategies the learners employ to avoid the use of the target language sounds. The participants of the study are the students enrolled in the English department, Faculty of Arts, Beni-Suef University. The area of production only will be investigated as for specific English consonants and vowels. So, it is related only to the segmental level. This will be done through recording students while reading aloud English extracts encompassing all the sounds under examination. Afterwards, the production errors will be identified, categorized and analyzed both descriptively and statistically. So, the findings of the study will reveal the problematic English sounds for those learners that constitute a source of difficulty in their communication process. Key words: Pronunciation Errors, Repair Strategies, L1 Interference, Interlingual Errors, Intralingual Errors.

Research Keywords

Pronunciation Errors and Repair Strategies Made by Northern-Upper Egypt EFL Learners: A Case Study of the Production of English Sound Segments by First Year English Department Students in Beni-Suef