A DESCRIPTION OF ERRORS IN THE USE OF CONSONANT

SOUNDS

1.1. English- I

Submitted by
SIDDHI WARKHADE
UID NO: UG22- 108
BA.L.L.B.(Hons.) Five-Year Integrated Degree Course
Academic Year: 2022-23
Year: I, Semester: I

Submitted to
Dr. SHIVENDER RAHUL
Assistant Professor of English

MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, NAGPUR

 ERRORS IN THE USE OF CONSONANT SOUNDS

ABSTRACT

While communicating, one should ensure that others can understand them as well as what
they have to say. Individuals interact when they communicate. This Study's objective is to
examine pronunciation mistakes with English consonant sounds in the English department.
Learning proper English pronunciation is just as crucial as developing speaking, listening,
and spelling skills. For English language learners, pronunciation mistakes in their writing
cause a variety of issues. In other words, language learners' ignorance is to blame for the
majority of pronunciation mistakes in English. The methods used in this study include
Qualitative descriptive research. The info is an audio recording, with the data transcribed by
the writer. Following receipt of the transcription of the students, the author examines the
information to determine the problem that occurred with the proper transcribing as the
benchmark for assessment. The author comes next and gives a detailed description of the
error. The outcome revealed that the student still created several errors when creating some
consonant noises.

KEYWORDS
Consonant Sounds, Pronunciation Errors, Phonology, Articulation

INTRODUCTION
Some individuals learn and speak English when it becomes a more widely spoken language.
They can easily interact with people all over the globe via the internet in this global day,
which is one reason they need to learn English so they can use it as a tool to facilitate
communication. The aim of language learners, according to Brown (2005)1, is to ensure that
they can successfully convey what they have in mind; they must be understood when they say
the words. From that remark, it is clear that proper word pronunciation is crucial for speakers
to be understood by listeners while communicating. Pronunciation is important in this
scenario. Islamiyah (2012) discovered that some learners make mistakes when making
English sounds. Islamiyah noted that there are two potential causes for these mistakes. The
first reason is brought on by the impact of their native tongue, and the second reason is that
the pupils don't fully comprehend the variety of English sounds. Additionally, "the location of
the sound in the word" may affect how a specific sound is spoken. 2 For instance, the sound [t]
is pronounced differently in the words "taking" [theyk] and "atom" [aetm]. It should be noted
that [t] is aspirated when it is in the beginning position. However, it is no longer aspirated if it
is placed in the medial position. This study's background led to the formulation of the

1
Yostanto (2007)
2
Prator and Robinett, 1972, pp. 86–88
research question: "What pronunciation mistakes of consonants sound are most frequently
made by English students." Understanding the importance of appropriate listening and
speaking pronunciation is very essential.3 The cause of this is when someone communicates
in a way that the listener finds difficult to comprehend. Reading, speaking, listening, and
writing skills are the four main key components of the English language. These four skills are
prerequisites for learning the language. Although pronunciation is one of the four linking
factors, it is not one of the four elements itself. Reading and listening are perceptive abilities
because they emphasized gathering information from external sources.4
Phonology is often defined as the study of sound; however, the concept is more complicated
than that. Several meanings are phonetically based. For the explanation of the systems and
patterns of speech sounds in language, phonology is crucial. Each sound type has an
underlying design, or blueprint, that acts as the consistent foundation for all the changes in
distinct physical articulations of that audio type in a different environment. This is what
phonology is all about.

CLASSIFICATION OF SOUNDS

● BY THE MANNER OF ARTICULATION:

1. Plosive or Stop –
The set [p], [b], [t], [d], [k], and [g] are all created by suddenly halting the air stream for a
very brief period. Stops are a specific kind of consonant sound that is produced when the
airstream is blocked or stopped (or a "plosive"). The [t] sound at the start of a word like ten is
fully described as a voiceless alveolar stop.
2. Fricative –
When making the sounds [f], [v], [θ], [ð], [s], [z], [ʃ], [ʒ] the air is nearly completely blocked
and forced through a very small space. Friction was created when the air was forced through,
and the accompanying noises are known as fricatives. If you put your open palm in front of
your mouth while making the sounds [f] and [s], you should be able to feel the stream of air
being pushed out. Fish is often spoken with voiceless fricatives [f] and [ʃ] at the beginning
and finish. The voiced fricatives [ð] and [z] are used to start and finish the word those. The
voiceless letter [h], which is used to say "hi" or "hello," is typically grouped with the
fricatives.
3. Affricates-
You may create the sounds [ʧ] and [ʤ] by combining a brief interruption of the air stream
with a restricted release that creates some friction. The terms cheap and jeep also include
them, which are known as affricates. There is a voiceless affricate in the first [ʧ]and a voiced
affricate in the second [ʤ].
4. Nasals-
3
Nunan, 1991
4
Aziz & Dewi, 2019b
Most noises are made orally, with the velum elevated to block airflow into the nasal cavity.
However, the sounds are referred to as nasals when the velum is lowered and the air stream is
allowed to exit via the nose to generate [m], [n], and [ŋ]. All three of these sounds have
voices. Morning, knitting, and name all start and end with nasal sounds.
5. Glides-
Gliding is a term used to describe the sounds [w] and [j]. Both appear at the beginning of the
words we, wet, you, and yes and are spoken. These sounds, which are also referred to as
semi-vowels, are generally made with the tongue moving (or "gliding") to or from the
location of a vowel. In certain methods, the categories of liquids [l], [r], and glides [w], [j] are
merged to form the term "approximates."
6. Glottal Flaps and Stops-
The glottis (the area between the vocal folds) entirely closes for a brief period before opening
again to produce the glottal stop, which is denoted by the symbol [ʔ]. The flap symbol is [D],
or r on occasion. The tongue momentarily taps the alveolar ridge to create this sound. The [t]
and [d] consonants frequently "flap" between vowels in American English, resulting in the
ladder and ladder of the pair without a distinct intermediate consonant in everyday speech.

● POSITION OF ARTICULATION:
We may start at the front of the mouth and work our way back to explain where the majority
of consonant sounds are articulated. We may start employing the phonetic alphabet symbols
for certain sounds while keeping the voiced-voiceless difference in mind. Square brackets
will enclose the following symbols:
1. Glottal articulation: the act of the glottis articulating. This is how we pronounce one
consonant in English. This is the letter /h/ in the word "home" or "hope."

2. Velar articulation: is performed by pressing the tongue's back on the velum. We utilize it
for the first hard /g/ sound (as in golf) and the last / sound (as in gong).

3. Palatal articulation: the front of the tongue is used to make contact with the hard palate.
We employ it for both /d /ʒ (as in jam) and / /ʃ. (as in sheep or sugar).

4. Alveolar articulation: We articulate the alveolar ridge by placing the tongue blade there.
We employ it for the letter "t" (as in teeth), "d" (as in dodo), "z" (as in zebra), "n" (as in no),
and "l." (as in light).

5. Dental articulation: is accomplished by placing the tongue's tip on the upper front teeth's
chewing surfaces. We employ it for/ /θ (as in think) and /ð/ (as in that). One type of
articulation that we can see and feel ourselves doing is this one.
6. Labio-dental articulation: This involves the upper front teeth and the lower lip. It is used
for /v/. (As in vampire).

7. Labial articulation: We use the lips to make the sounds /b/ (as in a boat) and /m/. (As in
most). This is referred to as bilabial articulation when we employ two lips, like in English.

CONCLUSION

Speech is simpler to hear when it is clear, crisp, and comprehensible thanks to consonant
sounds. Vowels are more difficult to learn than consonants. Each consonant sound is
typically pronounced only once. The remaining letters' consonants stand in for noises
produced when the mouth, lips, tongue, or soft palate impede the voice or the breath. Only in
combination with vowels can consonants make syllables, therefore understanding and using
the precise sound values of each vowel, both individually and collectively, is the secret to
proper pronunciation.  Additionally, the researcher used a qualitative approach when doing
her research. Thirteen consonants—/g/, /h/, /j/, /k/, /v/, /z/, were all pronounced incorrectly by
the pupils, according to the results. Other consonants, however, such as /b/, /d/, /f/, /l/, /m/,
/n/, /p/, /r/, /s/, /t/, and /w/ are consonants that are pronunciation-error-free.

REFERENCES

1. https://www.researchgate.net
2. Swan, Michael (2001). Learner English: A Teacher's Guide to Interference and Other
Problems, Volume 1. Cambridge University Press.
3. Yule, G. (2016). The study of language. Cambridge University Press.
4. https://wacanadidaktika.unwir.ac.id
5. https://www.abaenglish.com/en/aba-english-masterclass/pronunciation-errors-in-english
6. HOW TO PRONOUNCE CONSONANT SOUNDS: CONTINUANTS H, F, V, S, Z, SH,
TH (VOICED AND VOICELESS), Jennifer Tarle (Goodreads Author)
7. http://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/linking-1.htm
8. Prator and Robinett, 1972, pp. 86–88