TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................1

CONTENT...............................................................................................................2

Phase 1: Read the provided passage and identify the possible problems.......2

Phase 2: Propose solutions to deal with pronunciation problems:.................5

Phase 3: The result of the subject......................................................................7

CONCLUSION........................................................................................................9

[Link] (LINK DRIVE VIDEO)

 INTRODUCTION
1. The reason for doing this project.

English has always been the key to open the door to a brighter future for
everyone. The more fluent you can speak this language, the more opportunities you
can get in your future working career. However, it is not that easy to become a
good English speaker in just a brief period of time, especially students who are not
an English majored learner. It is possible that they might understand the language
but most of them find it is really hard to make a good pronunciation because they
don’t have a good instructor to correct their mistakes while pronouncing different
words. Understanding the difficulties, in order to provide a solution, we have
decided to carry out a project to help a non-English majored student improve his
pronunciation skill.

Having studied the Phonetics and Phonology course for over 13 weeks, we
are provided with a lot of aspects of pronunciation in English speaking such as
word stress, sentence stress, sentence intonation,…and also the phonemic
transcription of each letter. From this huge advantage, we can combine our own
knowledge that we have learned and information from the course book to give an
accurate solution for our participant. His name is Lê Văn Sỹ, he is a second-year
student who is majoring in Automotive Engineering at HCMC University of
Technology and Education. First, we had a short conversation with him and then
gave him an essay to read and found out his pronunciation mistake. After his
reading, we figure out some errors that a non-English major may encounter while
speaking and from that we can provide him with a 4-week plan to enhance his
pronunciation skill.

2. The structure of the project.

Our project include 3 main phases:

Phase 1: Read the provided passage and identify the problems.

Phase 2: Propose solutions to deal with pronunciation problems.

Phase 3: The result of the subject

The following is a detailed description of our project to improve pronunciation

skills for a non-English majored student.

CONTENT

Phase 1: Read the provided passage and identify the possible problems.

*The passage provided:

“The evening was chilly as they walked down the dimly lit street, the cold
biting through their jackets. After a moment of hesitation, they decided it would be
cozier to spend the night at the theater rather than stay in their drafty house. A new
movie, highly recommended by friends, seemed like the perfect choice. As they
approached the theater, they were greeted by a lively crowd outside, chatting
excitedly about the show.

Inside, the lobby was bright and bustling with energy. People of all ages,
from children with popcorn to older couples admiring the vintage movie posters,
filled the space. The elegant décor, with velvet curtains and chandeliers, added a
charming touch. Realizing it would be hard to find a quiet spot, they grabbed small
snacks at a concession stand tucked in a corner.

After picking up their tickets, they made their way toward the theater doors.
While waiting, they noticed a few familiar faces in the crowd. It was a pleasant
surprise to run into friends, and they spent the time chatting about recent events
and weekend plans. When the doors finally opened, they found seats near the back,
the perfect spot for both the movie and good company.

As the lights dimmed and previews began, excitement filled the air. The
theater quieted, save for the rustling of popcorn bags, and the group settled in. Just
as the movie began, a loud group entered, disturbing the calm with their chatter.
Though annoying, the disruption was brief, and soon they were absorbed in the
film.

The movie was captivating, with twists and turns that kept them on edge.
The audience’s reactions, from gasps to murmurs, added to the intensity. As the
plot unfolded, they exchanged excited glances, impressed by the music, acting, and
visuals. Each scene evoked a range of emotions—excitement, sadness, and even
fear. The movie’s climax was particularly intense, with powerful performances and
dramatic music holding everyone’s attention.

By the time the film ended, they were exhilarated and deeply moved. The
audience’s applause was immediate, signaling their appreciation. As the theater
lights came on, people gathered their belongings, continuing to discuss their
favorite parts.

Once outside, they joined their friends in the lobby to share their thoughts.
Everyone had different opinions on the film, but the conversation was filled with
laughter and excitement. One friend even suggested seeing the movie again, which
everyone eagerly agreed to. As they stepped out into the chilly night, the cold
seemed to fade away. Despite the temperature, their spirits were high, and they
continued to laugh, reminiscing about the scenes they’d just experienced.”

Overview:
Although he is a non-English major, he performed well with a quite challenging
passage. However, there are still some obvious problems about his pronunciation,
intonation and stress that we can recognise through his reading.

Possible problems:

1. /θ/ and /ð/ sounds

+ Words: Theater, thoughts, the, their, they

+ Problem: He sometimes mispronounces the sound /θ/ and /ð/ while reading
following words and this can lead to misunderstanding for the listeners. For
example, he reads the word “thoughts” with the /θ/ sound into “though” with the
/ð/ sound.

2. /s/ and /z/ ending sounds

+ Words: Friends, seats, movies, fades, scenes

+ Problem: He finds it difficult to recognise which one is pronounced as /s/ and

which one is pronounced as /z/. This is an example of a basic mistake that a student
may encounter so it is important to correct this error.

3. /b/ and /p/ sounds

+ Words: back, bags, by

+ Problem: These 2 sounds are quite the same so it’s sometimes challenging for a
student to make a mistake between these two. For example, he read the word
“back” sounds quite similar to the word “pack”.

4. /ʤ/ and /j/ sounds, /s/ and /ʃ/ sounds

+ Words: Jacket, chandelier

+ Problem: We noticed that when he pronounce the word “jacket” he tend to have
the /j/ sound instead of /ʤ / sound. And with the word “chandelier”, he have the
same mistake when he pronounce the initial sound as /s/ not /ʃ/.

5. /æ/ and /a/, /ʊ/ and /uː/, /ɪ/ and /iː/

+ Words: has, as, at, movie, look, through, eagerly, appreciation, excitement

+ Problem: He sometimes makes mistakes in terms of the length of these sounds in

the word.

6. Stress

+ Problem: Stress in a word is a very common error that a student majoring in

English can also encounter. He tends to put the wrong stress in several words and
this needs to be fixed in order to become better in pronunciation.

7. Intonation

+ Problem: About intonation in speaking, his pronunciation sounds quite monotone

in the first time reading the passage. With the lack of rhythms, the reading
becomes quite boring and makes other people find it hard to follow.

Phase 2: Propose solutions to deal with pronunciation problems:

Our plan for improving pronunciation for this non-English majored student
includes:

06/10/2024: We had a short conversation with him in order to introduce each

other. And then we have him read the sample paragraph for the first time. Due to
his reading through a sample paragraph, we identify 7 common mistakes that he
made

throughout the reading. During the 5 week period, in each week, we will point out
mistakes and practice for him in order to correct them.

13/10/2024: In week 1, we help him to correct the pronunciation of: /θ/ and /ð/ ;
/s/ and /z/.

+ He should focus on his tough height, his lips and teeth positions, and his ending
sounds.

+ He often pronounces vaguely these words: friends, seats, movie, fades, scenes,
theater, their, the, they, thoughts.

20/10/2024: In week 2, we help him to correct the pronunciation of: /b/ and
/p/ ; /ʤ / and /j/ ; /s/ and /ʃ /.

+ He should focus on his lips and teeth positions, his lips shape, and the air that he
pushes out.

27/10/2024: In week 3, we help him to correct the pronunciation of: /æ/ ; /ʊ/
and /uː/ ; /ɪ/ and /iː/.

+ He should focus on the lengths of the sound.

03/11/2024: In week 4, we will help him to correct the stress of each type of words
and improve his intonation as well as provide him some tips to have some rhythms
in speaking.
10/11/2024: In the last week, we had him read the sample paragraph again.
Compared to the beginning, she has progressed. After that, we provide him some
tips in order to practice at home or by himself, such as:

+ He can use some language apps: Cake, Duolingo, Elsa Speak,…

+ He can join some English clubs, or find some native speaker’s group in order to
have real communication with them.

+ He can listen to English podcasts, watch movies, or listen to any English content
to follow the sounds of natives.

Phase 3: The result of the subject

The improvement in speaking after a person has been corrected on pronunciation

mistakes can vary depending on several factors, but generally, we can see positive
changes.

Firstly, he has reduced errors. With consistent correction, he becomes more

aware of his pronunciation mistakes and learns to avoid them, leading to more
accurate pronunciation.

Secondly, he has improved clarity. Having clear pronunciation ensures

listeners understand the speaker better. He reduces misunderstandings and fosters
smoother communication.

Another improvement is increasing confidence. When he feels more

confident in his pronunciation, he becomes more fluent and less hesitant in his
speech. He used to hesitate to communicate in English, but now he feels more
confident and is ready to speak in English.
 Finally, he has a smoother rhythm than before. His transitions between
sounds have improved, resulting in a more natural and rhythmic speaking style.
With frequent practice, he can communicate in English even better.

Correcting pronunciation mistakes can significantly enhance a person's

speaking skills. Over the past months, he has worked with us and been corrected
on his mistakes. He mentioned that many of these errors were ones he hadn't
realized before. After this project, he feels it is vital to pronounce English
correctly, and he is happy about his progress. In this project, we encountered some
difficulties. The time was quite short, and sometimes we struggled to agree on
meeting times. Additionally, as English linguistics students, we still lack some
skills and knowledge. However, we tried our best to help him with his
pronunciation problems. He has made significant progress, and we are proud of
that. Embarking on this project has been a valuable learning experience, providing
us with many insights and lessons beyond the project's scope. One of the primary
takeaways is the age-old adage: "Practice makes perfect." This wisdom highlights
the importance of consistent effort and dedication in achieving excellence. We
discovered the value of patience and learned that meaningful results often take
time to appear.

Moreover, this project served as a mirror, reflecting both our team's

collective and individual shortcomings. We recognize the importance of honing not
only our technical skills but also our soft skills, teamwork, and communication. By
acknowledging these areas for improvement, we are better positioning ourselves to
be more resilient, adaptable, and effective in future endeavors.
 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, enhancing pronunciation is a process which requires both effort and even
patience. Although, there were some difficulties when studying, from getting used with
new phonemes and then combining them in a completed sentence in speech. Those
obstacles are exactly difficult for non-English majors in order to help them be more
confident in using language, promoting in work, expanding opportunities especially in
the current context of globalization. This process not only brings benefits of language
skills but also provides us values and determination to overcome challenges which help
us a lot in study and work in the future. This project allows us to interact and give
personal feedback and through the positive studying environment, projectors and
surveyed subjects also have learned from experience with each other. It accurately
reflected problems that students often faced; as a result, projectors have to propose
solutions, but we have to use easily understandable language to impart to a non-English
majored student. With that, we prepared solid spirits to adverse the forward challenges.
When evolving to this project, we have learnt how to appreciate essential exertion in
nourishing and improving ourselves. Self-improvement is a long-term process we have to
be patient and force ourselves to do. This project is a chance to help us step out of our
comfort zone, make breakthroughs, acknowledge our shortcomings and make changes. It
is an obvious evidence of effort value leading to success.

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