English Pronunciation Errors Made by Torajan Speakers of English (TSE)

Abstract

This research was aimed to find out (i) the pronunciation errors and (ii) the causal
factors of pronunciation errors made by the students of UKI Toraja as Torajan speakers
of English. The researcher employed a descriptive qualitative method. The subjects
were ten students and taken by using random purposive sampling. Data were taken
from the recording of students’ pronunciation when telling a chosen topic and
interview, then analyzing by error analysis. The result showed that, (i) Errors in
consonants were sounds [f, v, ð, ?, z, ?, ?, t?,] omission medial [j], omission of final
[t,d,k]. Then errors in vowels were sound [i:,?,e,æ,?,??,??,?:,??,e?]. (ii) the causal factors
of making pronunciation errors were language transfer, overgeneralization, ignorance
of rule restrictions, incomplete in applying rules, and false concept hypothesized;
modality; age; and universal hierarchy of difficulty. Then, additional data from
interview showed that the students made pronunciation errors caused by the lack of
opportunity to use English in their daily lives, the neglect of the pronunciation’s
importance, and the lack of practice in imitating the kind of English sounds.