TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

nants that becomes easily identifiable among all other conso-
nants. These four consonants are pronounced neither like open
sounds pronounced directly from the trachea nor are they pro-
duced with closed lips.
This unique manner of articulation makes the letters segre-
gated easily from the others creating a separate approximate
sound identifiable at the time of pronunciation. Moreover, the
rhotic and the non-rhotic pronunciation vary with the use of
“r”. To be mentioned in this context, Americans pronounce “r”
in “rhotic” style while the others pronounce in the non-rhotic
style. However, the major differences that could be identified
are that “r” is pronounced clearly when used at the beginning
of the word, whereas the same is not pronounced when it is
used in between (British Council “Voiced and unvoiced con-
sonants”).
Stopped Sounds. Certain consonants are produced by creating
a stop in the airflow and then slowly releasing the air. These
words usually demand proper movement of places of articu-
lation creating an effect on the manner the word as produced.
The Spanish speakers learning English pronunciation faces
problems in this regard, to follow the correct use of the places
of articulation to articulate the proper pronunciation. Moreo-
ver, the stop in pronouncing the words having “m” in their end,
which requires the closing and opening of lips at the same time,
creates a severe problem for the Spanish people as often obser-
ved. This phenomenon of obstructing the flow of air creates
an obstacle for the learners to grasp the correct pronunciation
of the words. For example, the words like “dream”, “fame” and
“William” is not clearly pronounced by the Spanish people, as
they fail to close their lips to pronounce letter “m” towards the
end of the words. Instead, the learners roll their tip towards the
upper alveolar ridge instead of closing the lips creating a sound

51

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

similar to “n” (Tangient LLC “Learning English! - Consonants,
Vowels & Diphthongs”).
In order to enhance their pronouncing abilities, the Spanish
learners must be managing their articulation movements co-
rrectly to enhance their abilities to pronounce. Another major
problem faced by the Spanish people while pronouncing Engli-
sh is the use the letter “n” at the beginning or at the middle of
a word.
Spanish speakers are commonly observed to use the tongue in
between their teeth to pronounce the letter “n”. This however
does not disturb the sound but creates a delay in pronouncing
the following words, creating monotone. Similarly, with the
use of the letter “t” and “d”, the Spanish learners usually pro-
nounce the letters by placing their tongue between their teeth.
This creates a separate sound for the letters, making it difficult
for them to be pronounced (Allen, “Pronunciation Difficulties
for Students with L1 Spanish”).
Spanish speakers are also observed to use their tongue in be-
tween their teeth to stop the flow of air. However, this wrong
practice makes it difficult to pronounce the word correctly.
Moreover, this even creates a major problem in pronouncing
the words at the beginning or towards the end of a word. The
other problems faced by the Spanish speakers while pronoun-
cing the letters “r” and “l” the exact articulation of the tongue is
not identified by the Spanish learners and instead of pronoun-
cing the correct accent of “r” they pronounce it with a slight vi-
bration. This happens as the Spanish learners bring the tongue
tip too close to the alveolar ridge creating a vibration sound
instead of the normal pronunciation of the American “r”. This
makes the pronunciation incorrect, creating a separate sound
than the one that should be pronounced while pronouncing

52

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

“r”, as used in the American pronunciation (Allen, “Pronuncia-
tion Difficulties for Students with L1 Spanish”).
Stressed & Unstressed Syllables. The use of syllables are usual-
ly absent in the Spanish languages making it difficult for the
Spanish learners to understand the use of words to pronounce
it correctly. The sentences used in the Spanish languages have
stress in between two words that further creates a gap between
pronouncing a word in English and in Spanish. When pro-
nouncing the stressed syllables it was often observed that the
Spanish speakers have problems with pronunciation. Certain
word like “birthday” that has a secondary stress in the middle
of the word and the word more or less sounds like “BIRTHday”.
The stress of the word is often miscalculated by the Spanish
learners making it difficult for them to identify the correct pro-
nunciation of the words. The intonation and the phonological
implication of the language are often misjudged by the speaker,
which creates a severe backlog for them to grasp the correct
form of pronunciation related to English (Allen, “Pronuncia-
tion Difficulties for Students with L1 Spanish”).
For example, the word “organization” is pronounced with a
slight stress on the first and the middle syllables. This illus-
tration suggests the use of the stress at the different syllables
of single words, which ensures proper pronunciation of these
words. The Spanish speakers also face problems with the dif-
ferent syllables and the stress that is implacable to a certain
degree. This has also been observed that in order to enhance
the pronunciation among the Spanish speakers, the use of the
syllables needs to be identified to enhance their ability to pro-
nounce properly (Allen, “Pronunciation Difficulties for Stu-
dents with L1 Spanish”).

53

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

2.3.4: Identifying the measurable tools
Once imparting the knowledge of pronunciation, the improve-
ment of the students needs to be measured. This is to be done
in order to ensure that the studies are being imparted in the
correct direction and the students are developing properly. The
measurement of the development further needs to be conduct-
ed to ensure that the Spanish students are learning proper im-
plications of English language efficiently. The proper measure-
ment of the development of the students enhances their level
of commitment towards the training. Moreover, with the issues
like pronunciation, the ethical requirement to ensure proper
development of the students becomes a mandate. To be argued
in this context, with the differences in the background, culture
and ethnicity, the learning ability of the students vary largely.
These effects need to be nullified to ensure that the overall de-
velopments of the students are ensured.
Hence, the requirement for an adaptive test becomes a neces-
sity. The adaptive tests also ensure the proper appraisal of the
students’ development has been analyzed. Several scales can
ensure proper measurement of the students’ appraisal when
undergoing the tests. On this note, the Kentworthy measures
ensure proper testing of the students’ pronouncing abilities.
This enhances the ability to judge the intelligence of the Span-
ish students. Kentworthy English pronunciation also ensures
the correct measurement of Spanish students’ speaking ability.
This makes it efficient to measure the attitude of the students.
The question-based analysis of the pronunciation further en-
sures that the mindset of the students can be easily judged.
Certainly, this would also help to judge the weak students and
thereby, provide them with better care to enhance their abili-
ty of English speaking. The regular motivation to speak more
would also help the students to adapt to the new language.

54

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This would also enhance the fluency of the students and en-
sure that the students speak correct English. Accordingly, the
students should be provided with extensive tutorial assistance
to enhance their pronouncing skills further. The activities, like
playing videos that depicts the different use of the places of ar-
ticulation, as well as the manner of articulation to make the
students proficient in pronouncing exactly (Allen “Pronuncia-
tion Difficulties for Students with L1 Spanish”).
Suggestively, several audiovisual activities should be arranged
so that the Spanish students can efficiently judge the movement
of the lips and other articulators that would help them in learn-
ing and speaking English perfectly. Through audiovisual activ-
ities, the difference in the pronunciation of consonants needs
to be detailed properly. The use of the stress of syllables also
needs to be measured so that its correct application can be un-
derstood by the students. Moreover, it should also be observed
that the students can leave behind their inhibitions related to
their native languages and pronounce properly.
Thus, to enhance the pronunciation of the basic words correct-
ly, rigorous speaking sessions should be conducted to develop
the fluency of the students along with ensuring that they speak
correctly. The different discrepancies while speaking must also
be effectively dealt with, so that the correct pronunciation of
English words can be ensured among the Spanish student (Al-
len “Pronunciation Difficulties for Students with L1 Spanish”).
Systematic measures of assessing the proficiency of English
speaking are highly dependent on self-reporting of the profi-
ciency. However, it has been often noticed that this reporting
style, as followed by the Spanish speakers, involves many in-
hibitions and are usually incorrect. Proper tests can only be
conducted by testing the students individually. The use of in-

55

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

dividual letters and their change with the pronunciation can
easily be identified.
The rectification can be duly made and the development can be
ensured likewise through the suggested measures. A detailed
testing of the students would further ensure that the objectives
of training Spanish students to speak English properly are duly
met. Observably, the testing would also help in identifying the
major loopholes in the training process if any, and further en-
sure helpful steps in modifying the training process to improve
the quality of training. The validity of these measures adapt-
ed to develop the linguistic skills need continuous monitor-
ing and refining that can only be done through the continuous
monitoring of students. Additionally, the acculturative studies
can have systematic errors, which might create backlog for
providing proper training. Testing would also ensure that the
systematic errors are not repeated and rectified at the initial
level so that the quality of the training process can be made
increasingly effective (Allen, P. “Pronunciation Difficulties for
Students with L1 Spanish”).

2.4: Understanding Consonants In-depth
The consonant sounds are 24 in number and it is important to
understand how they are pronounced and place of pronunci-
ation in the mouth. Furthermore, consonants are voiced and
un-voiced. Voiced consonants are accompanied by vibrations
while non-voiced consonants reflect no vibration in the vocal
chords. This part of the discussion presents an overview of
consonants in the way they are pronounced embedded with
sound production. The first one of these are, the plosive conso-
nants in the form of /p/,/b/,t/,d/k,/g,/. A brief overview of these
consonants has been presented as follow:

56

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Plosive Sounds- The plosive sounds are six in number that in-
clude /p/ as in “pet”, /b/ as in “bag”, /t/ as in “tap”, /d/ as in “dog”,
/k/ as in “kite”, and /g/ as in “go. While saying these sounds, the
air pressure is built up due to the blockage of the air stream
coming from the lungs while closing the speech organs at one
point of time. The blocked air suddenly released to produce
the plosive sound. In order to produce the /p/ sound, it is im-
portant to close both lips tightly to shut the mouth cavity along
with building the air pressure. After that, it is important to
open the lips and let the air out suddenly with no vibration in
the vocal chords.

The first image shows the position of the lips while producing
the sound while the second image shows the position of lips
immediately after the sound has been uttered. These exercis-
es are of great importance in learning how to produce the /p/
sound.

57

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

Furthermore, these objects in the form of pen, pull, lamp, and
pin can be given as an exercise to learners to practice the /p/
sound. Learners should be able to identify the sound /p/ in a
clear and precise manner to understand the correct pronunci-
ation of /p/ consonant. The next plosive sound is /b/ as in ball.
To produce this sound, it is important to first learn the pronun-
ciation of /p/ and later adding voice to it with the help of the
vibration in the vocal chords.

This activity helps in pronouncing the /b/ sound in a clear and
well defined manner. However, learners should be able to un-
derstand the difference between the /p/ and /b/ sound in an ef-
fective manner. They can also learn by recognising the position
of /b/ in the below mentioned images and later pronouncing in
a clear manner as suggested.

58

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

The next /t/ sound holds great significance in pronouncing
the words in a clear and precise manner. For this purpose, the
tip of the tongue should be pressed tightly against the teeth
ridge by building the pressure. After that, the tip of the tongue
should be removed to let the air out suddenly but there should
be no vibration in the chords.

The first figure shows the initial positioning of the tongue and
the lips while the second image shows the final stage of pro-
nunciation. Furthermore, learners should be offered below
mentioned images to enhance their learning over the /t/sound.

The positioning of /t/ sound in these words should be rec-
ognised by the learners and right way of pronunciation should
be mastered by following the image being discussed in the pre-
vious description of /t/ sound.

59

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

The next important plosive sound is /d/ that can be pronounced
clearly by practicing the sound /t/. This should be followed by
adding voice to it with the help of vibrations in the vocal cords.
The initial and final images of pronunciation can be under-
stood from the below mentioned figure in a clear manner.

At the same time, it is important to understand that there is
close similarity between the /d/ and /t/ in terms of pronuncia-
tion. Many words like asked, helped, attacked, talked, watched,
and wished are pronounced as /d/ and /t/ depending on the
pronunciation style and way of speaking.
Furthermore, learners can be offered these images to iden-
tify the significance and positioning of /d/ sound. This will
also help in realising where learners are making mistakes in
terms of mixing /d/ and /t/ sounds while pronouncing words
like slipped, loved, laughed, missed, and pinned. The next plo-
sive sound is /k/ and in order to pronounce it, the back of the

60

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

tongue should be pressed against the soft palate by building
up the air pressure. At the same time, the tongue should be re-
moved quickly so that there is no vibration in the vocal cords.

The above image shows the positioning of tongue and mouth
while pronouncing /k/
At the same time, it is important to make readers understand
how to pronounce /k/ in a clear and precise manner. For this
purpose, the position and placement of tongue holds greater
degree of significance especially in realising the correct way of
pronunciation. The next important plosive sound is /g/ and in
order to pronounce it, it is important to practice the correct
pronunciation of /k/ along with adding voice to it with the help
of vibration in the vocal cords.

61

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

The sound /k/ like /g/ is also produced by pressing the back
of the tongue against the soft palate embedded with the vibra-
tions of the vocal cords. The initial and final positioning of the
tongue needs to be understood in a clear and precise manner
to understand how this sound is uttered and pronounced in a
clear manner.
Readers also need to understand the positioning of /g/ along
with focussing on correct way of pronunciation to understand
the overall way of pronouncing /g/ in a correct and precise way.
Affricates- These are another set of sounds being produced by
the blockage of the outgoing air stream like the plosives. The
only difference is in the form of the release of air by parting of
the speech organs being gradual and not sudden unlike plo-
sive sounds. The sounds of /tʃ/ as in ‘chair’ and /dʒ/ as in ‘jug’
are affricates. In order to understand the correct pronunciation
of these affricates, detailed understanding has been presented.

62

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

The /tʃ/ sound is produced by pressing the front part of the
tongue against the front part of the roof of the mouth. The air
is removed slowly once the blockage is removed. Furthermore,
this is a voiceless sound where there is no vibration in the vocal
cords.

In order to further practice these sounds, it is important to go
through some picture illustrations to master the production of
sound in a good way.

The important part of learning correct way of producing the /
tʃ/ sound lies in regular practice and repetition of sounds.
The next important affricate sound is /dʒ/that is pronounced
exactly the way /tʃ/ sound is produced. However, this is a vi-
brating sound suggesting the fact that vocal cords vibrate in
producing this sound. The below mentioned picture suggests
the position of tongue while producing this sound.

63

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

In order to further understand how this sound is produced, it
is important to first understand the position of tongue along
with ascertaining the release and blockage of air in a significant
manner.
These above picture have /dʒ/ sound that needs to be under-
stood by pronouncing the word along with using sentences
with this sound. This will help in understanding the correct
way of pronunciation along with mastering it.
The next set of consonant sound is fricatives. They are nine in
number and include /f/ as in ‘fine’, /v/ as in ‘van’, /θ/ as in ‘think’,
/ð/ as in ‘then’, /s/ as in ‘sit’, /z/ as in ‘zoo’, /ʃ/ as in ‘show’, /ʒ/
as in ‘pleasure’ and /h/ as in ‘hell’. These sounds are basically
produced by continuous flow of air through a narrow passage
of made in the mouth by placing two organs of speech very
close together. In order to understand these sounds, it is im-
portant to discuss them one by one in a detailed manner. The

64

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

first sound is /f/ that is produced by touching the upper lip with
the lower lip along with blowing the air between the teeth and
lower lip without using the voice.

The above mentioned image clearly explains the position of the
tongue along with right way of pronouncing it. Furthermore,
below mentioned images can be used to master this sound by
pronouncing it for 10-20 times.

The next sound in this category is /v/ that is produced by first
practicing the /f/ sound and then adding voice to produce this
sound. The below mentioned image clearly explains how /f/
sound is produced.

65

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

Furthermore, below mentioned images should be seen and
practiced in order to have a hold on this sound in a clear and
well defined manner.
Furthermore, it is important to understand that the previously
discussed /f/ sound is voiceless while the /v/ sound is voiced.
In order to have a perfect command over these sounds, it is im-
portant to practice them together to understand the difference.
Words like fan-van, few-view, file-vile, fine-vine, and ferry-very
should be pronounced together as an exercise to understand
the difference. Furthermore, these sounds should be divided
into two columns for analysing the difference. However, the
best way is to speak them loud and identifying the loopholes
if committed any and working over them in order to master
them really well while speaking long sentences.
VThe next sound is this category is /θ/ as in ‘think’ that is pro-
duced by bringing the tongue in between the teeth and blowing
air without using the voice.

66

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

The above image clearly shows how to produce /θ/ sound while
demonstrating the tongue and teeth position. Learners should
first understand the position of teeth and tongue and later fol-
lowing examples in the form of pictures to practice this sound.

All these images first should be identified while the next step
should be ascertaining the sound in between the words. After
doing this, it is important to produce the sound by following
the previous image and later practicing it aloud for a better un-
derstanding. This will help in mastering this sound.
The next sound in this category is /ð/ as in ‘then’ that is pro-
nounced by first practicing the /θ/ sound along with adding
voice to master this sound.

67

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

The above mentioned image clearly explains how to produce
this sound that is similar to the previous explained sound.
However, there is still some difference between the /ð/ and /θ/
sound that further needs to be understood by following the be-
low mentioned pictures.

This sound requires great deal of practice and learners should
focus on understanding the position of lips and tongues along
with teeth. There should be coordination between them in or-
der to form the correct way of pronunciation. Additionally, it is
important practice this sound aloud so that pronunciation be-
comes easy and prominent. It is also important to understand
that both these sounds are spelt as ‘th’.
The next sound in this category is /s/ that is produced by
touching the upper teeth with the tip of the tongue and blow-
ing out air between the teeth and tongue without using the

68

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

voice. This sound is fairly easy to produce and one can learn it
while following the below described image in a clear manner.

In order to further have command over this sound, firstly, the
above mentioned images should be identified. Secondly, the
learners should be able to understand where actually the /s/
sound lies in these words. Thirdly, the found sound should be
pronounced in a clear and crisp manner. Overall, this sound
is easy to practice and requires an understanding over the po-
sition and placing of tongue. Learners can also form multiple
sentences and identifying sounds along with reading them
aloud.
The next sound is /z/ in this category that is produced by first
practicing the /s/ sound and then adding voice to it in order
to produce this sound. It needs to be understood that /z/ is a
voiced sound. The below mentioned image clearly explains the
position of the tongue and lips while pronouncing this sound.

69

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

In order to have a command over this sound, it is important
to practice this sound in a loud manner. First of all, learners
need to identify the presence of /z/ sound in the following pic-
tures and later pronouncing it in a clear manner. The alterna-
tive spelling of /z/ sound is‘s’ as in words like hands and cloves.
Learners need to understand when to pronounce “s” and “z” to
identify correct way of pronunciation. This will help in facili-
tating the right way of pronunciation in a meaningful manner.
The next sound in this category is /ʃ/ that is produced by first
practicing the /s/ sound and then moving the tip of the tongue
further back to produce this sound in the right manner.

70

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

The above picture clearly states how this sound is produced
and to further master this sound, it is important to follow few
examples in the form of pictures to understand the position of
this sound.

All these images have /ʃ/ sound. However, in many casves there
is confusion between the /s/, /ʃ/ or /z/ sound that needs to be
understood and identified in a clear manner through regular
practice and learning.
The next category in this section is /ʒ/ as in ‘pleasure’. This
sound is produced by first practicing the /ʃ/ sound and then
adding voice to it in order to produce the /ʒ/ sound in a clear
and crisp way.

The tongue movement should be clearly understood while the
position of tongue and lips should be ascertained clearly. Fur-
thermore, learners can be offered a choice to see wide arrays
of pictures and later recognising pictures and identifying the
sound to have an idea over the correct way of pronunciation.

71

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

The correct way of learning this sound is to practice them for
a long period of time. However, a number of researchers and
language teachers believe that learning the correct way of pro-
nunciation is simply dependent on learning the position of the
lips and tongue along with mastering the air movement. For
this sound, it is important to learn other related sounds in a
playful and dedicated manner.
The next category of sound in this category is /h/ sound that
is produced by opening the mouth and pushing plenty of air
from the throat. The important thing is to control the push-
ing of air along with managing the movement of the lips and
tongue. The below mentioned image clearly explains how this
sound is produced.

72

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Learners need to understand that producing this sound is
not much difficult considering the fact that only release of air
needs to be controlled in a well defined manner. Furthermore,
learners need to understand that identifying this sound in wide
arrays of sentences along with pronouncing it in a clear man-
ner requires great deal of practice to master the correct of pro-
nunciation.
Lateral Sound- the /l/ sound comes under this category and
is produced by letting the tip of the tongue touching the teeth
ridge and allowing the air come through the side of the tongue.
Furthermore, vibration needs to be felt while pronouncing this
sound. \

The above mentioned image explains how to pvronounce this
sound in a clear and correct manner. Furthermore, it is import-
ant to identify this sound in words like lamp, bottle, lip, flower,
lion, and wall to form an understanding.
Frictionless Continuant- the English /r/ sound comes un-
der this category that is pronounced by putting the tip of the
tongue behind the teeth ridge along with allowing the air to
pass through the narrow passage near the teeth ridge. The vi-
bration should be felt while pronouncing this sound.

73

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

Continuous practice will lead to be better results while pro-
nouncing this sound.
The next category is of Nasals includes /m/, /n/ and /ŋ/
sounds. These sounds are called nasals because the outgoing
air stream passes through the nasal cavity rather than the oral
cavity. The oral cavity is rather closed by lowering the soft pal-
ate. The /m/ sound is produced by closing the lips tightly and
letting the air coming through the noise along with adding
voice to it.

The above picture clearly states how to do this in a graphical
manner. Furthermore learners need to use variety of sentences
to pronounce the/m/ sound in a clear and defined manner for

74

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

a better command and understanding. The next sound is /n/
that is pronounced by bringing the tip of the tongue to touch
the teeth ridge along with allowing the air come through the
nose by adding voice to it.

For better pronunciation, it is important to repeat this sound
on a regular basis in front of the mirror for good number of
days to have right degree of command.
The next sound in the nasal category is /ŋ/ that is produced
by raising the back part of the tongue to touch the soft palate
and shut the mouth cavity along with letting the air to come
through the nose.

75

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

The position of tongue and nasal cords play an important and
defining role in producing the nasal sound. It is important to
understand that the /ŋ/ sound occurs in the middle or at the
end of the words but does not occur in the beginning.
Semi Vowels- this sound includes /w/ that is either in between
words or at the end but is not at the beginning of the words.
In order to produce this sound, it is important to put lips in
the rounded position along with raising the back of the tongue
by producing the sound by quickly gliding over to the vowel
sound.

To pronounce this word, the position of the lips and tongue
should be understood in a clear manner. Furthermore, words
including these sounds should be practiced on a regular basis
to form the basic command.
Consonants Sounds /v/ and /w/- there is a great deal of confu-
sion between the pronunciation of /v/ and /w/ sounds. Often-
times, /v/ is used for both /v/ and /w/ sounds. For producing
the /v/ sound, the lower lips touch the upper teeth and lips are
in a spread position while for /w/ sound, the lips are round-
ed. It is also important to combine sounds like /v/ and /w/ by
practicing words like vest-west, vine-wine, veil-whale, and
verse-worse. This will help in understanding the correct way
of pronunciation for both these sounds. Furthermore, it needs
to be understood that correct way of pronunciation this sound
is fairly complicated compared to other sounds mainly because

76

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

both these sounds are similar in nature in terms of pronuncia-
tion. The movement of lips and tongue is the major difference
while pronouncing these words in a correct manner.
Overall, this section can be considered as an important one
in explaining different kinds of sounds related to consonants.
However, consonants are of different varieties and nature mak-
ing them a bit complicate in terms of understanding and pro-
nunciation. Furthermore, mastering these consonants requires
good amount of time and practice that can only be done by
speaking them loud and using wide arrays of sentences for
a detailed understanding. Understanding these consonants
from English language point of view seems to be quite easy yet
challenging and the real problem starts when Spanish speak-
ers are introduced to different styles of lips positioning and
tongue movement. In order to have a great understanding of
consonants and vowels as discussed in previous part of the
discussion, it is also important to understand the production
of speech sounds. This will further help in strengthening the
learning. The next part of the discussion presents an overview
of the production of speech sounds in a clear and precise man-
ner
2.5: Production of Speech Sounds
Muscles contracting play an important role in the production
of speech sounds. The muscle in the chest that is used for the
purpose of breathing produces the flow of air that is required
for the production of speech sounds. The muscles in the lar-
ynx are responsible for the modification in the flow of air from
chest to mouth and thus resulting in the modification of differ-
ent sounds. After the air is passed through the larynx, it passes
through the vocal cords ending at the mouth or nostrils result-
ing in the speech sounds. Different muscles play different roles

77

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

in the production of sounds often known as articulators and
the study of those sounds is known as articulatory phonetics
(Shively, 2008)

The above diagram states different articulators that are respon-
sible for the production of speech sounds. The pharynx is the
tube that that is situated just above the larynx and is divided
into two parts. The first part is at the back of the mouth while
the other is at the beginning of the nasal cavity. One can see
the back of pharynx by standing in front of the mirror. The ve-
lum is the position that allows air to pass through the nose and
through to the mouth. Velum can be touched by the tongue es-
pecially when k and g sounds are made by touching the tongue
with the lower side of velum and thus producing velar con-
sonants. The hard surface is called the roof of the mouth that
can be felt in the form of a smooth surface with the help of the
tongue (Walker, 2010).
The alveolar ridge is situated between the top front teeth and
hard palate. It can be felt through tongue and its surface is cov-
ered with little ridges. Sounds that can be produced through
this are t and d and often termed as alveolar sounds. One of
the most important articulators is tongue that can be moves to

78

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

different places and different ways. There are no dividing lines
in tongue but can be divided as tip, back, front, blade and root
where the first is often termed as the starting point of tongue
(Coe, 1987)

The teeth also play an important role in the production of
speech sounds as many sounds are produced when the tongue
touches the front or back teeth often termed as dental sounds.
At the same time, lips also play an important role in speech
sounds as when they are pressed together, p and b sounds
are produced and when brought into the contact with teeth,
sounds like f and v are produced. At the same time when lips
are rounded, sounds like o and u are produced. All these ar-
ticulators play an important role in the production of speech
sounds. However, there are other parts that act as articulators
but cannot be termed as articulators. Jaws play an important
role in the production of sounds but cannot be considered
as articulators as they do not contact with other articulators
(Avexy, Ehrlich (1992).
In the same manner, nose and nasal cavity plays an important
role in the production of sounds but cannot be termed as ar-
ticulators being on the logics stated in the case of jaws. They
are known as vocal apparatus but do not have the attributes of
articulators though acting as articulators. On the basis of the
above discussion, it can be said that the discussed articulators
play an important role in the production of speech sounds and
should be understood well for gaining clarity for pronuncia-

79

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

tion of words (Kenworthy, 1987)
2.6: Role of Accent in Pronunciation
In the field of linguistic, accent can be defined as a way of
speaking and pronouncing words that is dependent on indi-
viduals, locations and nations. Accent often helps in under-
standing the nationality, locality and socio-economic status
of speakers in a distinctive manner. At the same time, accent
helps in understanding the first language of speakers in terms
of their proclivity towards a particular accent. Accents mainly
differ in the quality of speaking and the way vowels and con-
sonants are pronounced. Although, grammar, vocabulary and
other language characteristics play an important role in accents
but usually accents define the differences in pronunciation that
differs in different people based on the grounds of different
geographic locations and socio-economic status.
The human societies have been spreading at a rapid pace that
helped in getting exposed to different cultures. In America, the
way of pronouncing words differ from the pronunciation in the
United Kingdom and as the civilization speeded to different
parts of the world, people were exposed to different culture and
accents that further affected their way of pronouncing different
words. The accent of non-English speakers is very much influ-
enced by their culture and societies they live in and oftentimes,
they found it difficult to cope up with the pronunciation style
of English speakers. It needs to be mentioned that children
learn accents faster than grownups as they learn from the sur-
roundings and thus learning fast being exposed at an early age.
Pronunciation can be termed as the most difficult part of learn-
ing especially for non-English native speakers as they tend to
speak and pronounce words in their native language that may
affect the level of understanding based on different pronuncia-

80

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

tion. The critical period theory suggests that when the learning
takes place after the critical period, learners find it difficult to
pronounce correctly. This affirms that learning should happen
at an early age to grasp correct accent and pronunciation.
However, the critical period theory is highly controversial
among researchers as many believe that learning is not depen-
dent on age but understanding of phenomena. There is no crit-
ical period as such that can define a specific period of learning.
People staying in the United Kingdom may have a different ac-
cent and start speaking like an American after being exposed
to American culture and way of speaking. It all depends on
how individuals learn from others and their surroundings
rather than age and other social factors. At the same time, peo-
ple of the United States may perceive Australians speaking in
a different accent and vice versa and thus finding it difficult to
understand their pronunciation. The real problem starts when
non-English speakers learn English pronunciation from native
English speakers. This is when it becomes important to have an
idea of phonetics and phonology in order to guide students in
the right direction. Pronunciation in second languages is based
on correcting and modifying words to form meanings that can
be easily understood.
Pronunciation in any accent is important as until and unless
words are understood there cannot be any interaction or flow
of communication. Pronunciation can be taught based on
sharing and learning and cane be learnt individually through
referring others but the right way of learning correct pronunci-
ation is to learn from someone having knowledge of phonetics
and phonology in order to understand the roots of pronunci-
ation in a logical and better manner. Accent mainly differs in
people in terms of geographical locations but pronunciation is
very important in every accent it helps in delivering messages

81

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

along with completing the interaction in a manner that both
parties can understand each other’s words and sentiments. Ac-
cents help in speaking in a certain way that may or may not
be understood by non-native speakers but pronunciation of
words often help in understanding the real meaning of words
that is least dependent on accents. Accents adorn the flow of
speech while pronunciation adorns the speech of sounds and
thus become more important in terms of communication and
interaction.
2.7: Difference between English and Spanish Pronunciation
There are a number of similarities between English and Spanish
language that makes learning all the more easy and effective.
Both English and Spanish language use Roman alphabets that
further helps in strengthening the phonemic and phonology
base in an effective manner. More importantly, majority of En-
glish words have great similarity with Spanish words in terms
of sound and meaning that makes the entire process of learn-
ing all the more easy and simple. At the same time, apart from
couple of words, adjectives come before nouns in English and
nouns come before adjectives in English. The mode of reading
and writing is almost same in English and Spanish based on
phonemic, decoding, fluency and comprehension (Coe, 1988)
One of the most important needs while teaching English pro-
nunciation to Spanish speakers is to have teachers and students
knowing the basic similarities between the two languages. It
makes the overall learning easy and interesting. As English and
Spanish languages have originated from their places and cul-
ture, there bound to have some differences in the pronuncia-
tion. There are some phonemic and phonological differences.
Spanish language has only five vowels while English language
has more than 14 vowels depending on different dialects. This
is the main reason behind the understanding of English pro-

82

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

nunciation as Spanish speakers often find it difficult to differ-
entiate between English vowels (Coe, 1988)
They find it difficult to differentiate the pronunciation of seat
and sit having different vowels mainly thinking of Spanish
vowel that is [si] and thus pronouncing vowels incorrectly. At
the same time, pronouncing English consonants may not be
that difficult for Spanish speakers but difficult enough mainly
because of the lack of the ability to differentiate between the
English and Spanish consonants and vowels. It is important to
differentiate between vowels and consonants to understand the
basic difference (Coe, 1988).
Spanish is a syllable timed language while English is a stress-
times language. Oftentimes, Spanish speakers find it difficult
to recognise the end consonant in a correct manner and thus
causing problems in pronunciation. Words like card, bridge
and think are pronounced as cart, brish and thing and thus
changing the entire meaning of words in a significant way.
Spanish language is heavily modulated with different aspects
that are similar to English language. The verb-grammar agree-
ment is not similar and often causes issues in pronunciation.
There is no one-to-one use of tenses and thus Spanish speakers
tend to use simple tense rather using progressive or future one.
At the same time, Spanish speakers find it difficult to use inter-
rogatives and negatives in sentences. The absence of auxiliary
often creates an incomplete meaning for sentences and thus
creating issues in understanding the real meaning of words
(Compernolle, 2001).
Spanish sentence order usually based on the sequence of sub-
ject-verb-object just like English sentences. However, Spanish
language offers much more flexibility than English in terms of
using words that have to emphasized more. There are other
differences in terms of grammar that differentiate the two lan-

83

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

guages along with resulting in the negative transfer of sentence
meaning and understanding. It needs to be stated that both En-
glish and Spanish languages have been influenced by Latin that
makes learning easy for Spanish speakers while understanding
English. However, too much of influence of Latin often makes
sentences more formal that may help in academic context but
can affect the listening comprehension an extent (Compernol-
le, 2001).
Spanish speakers have a strong association with the sound and
spelling of words that often lacks in English language. Spanish
language has limited double letter words like cc, ll and rr while
English language has wide arrays of double letter words that
cause issues for Spanish speakers to pronounce English words
having double letters with ease.
2.8: Academic Relevance of the Research Topic
As stated before, every language is different from other lan-
guages with certain similarities and dissimilarities. Spanish
and English languages have certain similarities and dissimilari-
ties that have been discussed in the early part of the discussion.
The research topic has an academic relevance considering the
fact that Spanish language is spoken in few countries. At the
same time, English is spoken by majority of people across the
world and often assumed as universal language.
Spanish speakers may have to travel to different parts of the
world in order to explore more opportunities personally and
professionally. In that case, that has to be good enough to con-
verse in English along with speaking the language with ease
and somewhat fluency that will help in conveying and under-
standing messages. With global boundaries shrinking and peo-
ple exploring new avenues and opportunities; English can be

84

CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW

considered as a handy language that not only adds value but
also help non-English speakers to converse with a number of
people in an easy and hassle free manner. Moreover, English as
a second language can be considered as of high importance as
it is spoken in different parts of the world. The research topic
mainly aims to teach English pronunciation to Spanish speak-
ers so that they can converse in English along with facilitating
their personal and professional lives while being in an English
speaking nation. Moreover, this will also help them in accom-
plishing their academic goals in a significant manner.
Students with English as the second language also get an op-
portunity to learn a different language that will further help in
their personal and professional growth. Overall, it can be said
that the research topic has great academic relevance in terms of
empowering students by teaching English pronunciation in the
correct manner. The next part of the discussion summarises
the entire discussion of the chapter in a succinct and descrip-
tive manner.
2.9: Summary
The chapter presented an understanding over the impor-
tance and usefulness of phonetics in the production of speech
sounds. At first, a thorough understanding over phonetics has
been illustrated along with discussing the usefulness of conso-
nants and vowels in correct pronunciation of English words.
The chapter also highlighted an understanding over the pro-
duction of sounds and use of articulators. An understanding
over the accent and difference in Spanish and English pronun-
ciation further helped in supporting the research topic in terms
of gaining a profound understanding. Like all other languages,
apparent variety in the use of different alphabets and words in
the English language is also noteworthy. The use of consonants

85

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

is also quiet complex in the English language. Specifically, the
use of the consonants in the different words varies with their
implications, which is observed to cause confusions among
non-native English speakers. The changes involved with the use
of consonants makes pronunciation even more complex. The
consonants and their implications become even more complex,
depending on the use of stresses and syllables. This diversity of
the use of alphabets makes it difficult for the students to adapt
to the language easily. This demands a proper framework that
would enhance the quality of teaching involved with pronun-
ciation.
Emphasizing the differences and imperfections in the English
spoken by Spanish students, this paper elaborates different uses
of consonants and their variations when pronounced by this
group. The discussion hereby concludes that the “manner of
articulation” plays a major role in pronouncing consonants.
Depending on the syllables of the word and the stress on the
syllables makes it furthermore difficult for the learners to pro-
nounce it properly. Moreover, the “place of articulation” en-
sures that the word is spoken clearly. The change in the pro-
nunciation can be noted abruptly thereto, depending on the
use of the wrong place of articulation.
Notably, the basic idea involved with pronouncing words can
be duly observed by analyzing the manner as well as the place
that is involved with the process of articulation. Similarly,
changes in the meaning of the word with the changes in pro-
nunciation form a unique feature of the English language that
makes it differentiated from the other languages. Conversely,
the Spanish languages use certain dialects that are different
from the English language, which makes it difficult for Spanish
students to adapt to the changes.

86

Correspondingly, different uses of these consonants in both the
languages make it difficult for the Spanish students to identify
changes when speaking English. The framework provided in
the chapter helps to identify the major loopholes of the stu-
dents that would ensure a better understanding and enhance
the level of the teaching, with this objective. Notably, the dif-
ferences between the use of consonants in the Spanish and
English languages make it difficult for the Spanish students to
adapt with the changes in the use of consonants between the
two languages. The chapter also elaborated on the differences
in the pronunciation related with the use of certain consonants,
which further revealed that these changes in the pronunciation
related with the use of consonants and their positions needs to
be identified and pronounced accordingly, demanding a rigor-
ous training process.
The different training schedules that need to be provided to the

CHAPTER-3:students have been elaborated in this chapter, with the notion

that it would help in enhancing the pronunciation as well as

RESEARCHthe fluency of speaking English by Spanish students. Moreover,

the different measuring tools needs to be identified in order
to observe the development of the students, which would also

METHODOLOGYhelp to justify the efficiency of the training as well as would

facilitate the development of a better standard of training. The
next chapter presents an interpretation of the research meth-
odology that will further help in ascertaining how findings will
lead to the accomplishment of the purposed research aims and
objectives.

87

88

CHAPTER-3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

89

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

Research methodology

3.1: Introduction

The chapter presents a thorough understanding over the
preferred research methodology elements that will help
in ascertaining ways through which data will be col-
lected, presented and analysed. The research philosophy, ap-
proach, data collection procedures, sampling and data analysis
methods play an important role in accomplishing the research
objectives. Moreover, the chosen elements of the methodology
have been justified in terms of selection and preference.
3.2: Research Philosophy
Saunders, et al (2007) said that philosophy is all about beliefs
and rationale investigation about knowledge and existence.
Moreover, philosophy states the understanding of research-
ers in terms of ascertaining and underpinning the existence
of any phenomenon. Research philosophy can be categorised
under positivism and anti-positivism philosophy. Positivism
philosophy is based on rules and regulations governed by laws
and acceptance of realities existing in the real world. On the
other hand, anti-positivism research philosophy is based on
observations, analysis and understanding of realities further
based on personal interpretation and analysis. Anti-positivism

90

CHAPTER-3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

philosophy allows researchers to explore the reality based on
logical estimation of reasons behind it along with evaluating
and analysing its purpose and importance through personal
understanding. The present research is based on teaching En-
glish pronunciation to Spanish speakers that requires person-
al observation and analysis and thus, anti-positivism research
philosophy seems to be more appropriate and result oriented
compared to positivism philosophy. So, considering the re-
search topic, I will prefer anti-positivism research philosophy
to accomplish set research objectives. The next part of the dis-
cussion presents an idea and understanding over the research
approach and its usefulness.
3.3: Research Approach
Saunders, et al (2007) said that research approach determines
the mindset and understanding of researchers on the under-
pinning of a particular reality and phenomenon. Research
approach can be classified under inductive and deductive ap-
proach. Inductive approach starts from a specific discussion
and moves to general conclusions while deductive approach
starts from general ideas and evidences moving to specific
findings and understanding of a phenomenon. Inductive ap-
proach is based on observations and personal interpretation
while deductive approach is based on general rules and regu-
lations. I believe that inductive approach will be of great help
in the current research by discussing intricacies of English pro-
nunciation to Spanish speakers in order to ascertain general
findings. Moreover, inductive approach is based on observa-
tions and interpretations that will further help the chosen an-
ti-positivism philosophy.
3.4: Data Collection Methods

91

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

Saunders, et al (2007) stated that data can be collected from
two sources, primary and secondary. Primary data are collect-
ed through primary sources like surveys, interviews and stud-
ies based on observations while secondary data are collected
through secondary sources like academic books and journals,
published research papers and internet sources. I will collect
primary data through observational studies to be conducted
on adult students attending classes at the State University of
Guayaquil (Universidad Estatal de Guayaquil). These students
will be taught English pronunciation through an effective cur-
riculum basically concentrating on vowel sounds and con-
tractions. On the other hand, secondary data will be collected
through referring to books and journals offering information
over phonetics and its elements along with referring to past re-
search papers. This will help in forming an effective framework
that will help in evaluating the research goals and objectives
based on personal observation and interpretation.
3.5: Sampling
Saunders, et al (2007) stated that sampling process determines
the identification of samples from the available population.
Total available population cannot be surveyed, interviewed or
observed. In order to derive a sample size, few people are iden-
tified in the form of participants through different sampling
process. Sampling process include, snow ball sampling based
on identifying few participants and requesting them to refer
more; convenience sampling process that is based on identi-
fying samples in a convenient manner and random sampling
process based on identifying samples randomly. I will use
convenience sampling process to identify few students in the
form of participants attending classes at the State University
of Guayaquil (Universidad Estatal de Guayaquil). The idea is
to identify at least 25 participants who can be taught English

92

CHAPTER-3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

pronunciation by focusing more on vowel sounds and con-
traction through the formation of an effective curriculum. The
next part of the discussion presents an understanding over the
data analysis method.
3.6: Data Analysis Methods
Saunders, et al (2007) stated that data can be analysed qual-
itatively and quantitatively. There is no scope to analyse data
using statistical tools in this research and thus I will focus more
on qualitative analysis based in theoretical underpinning of in-
formation based on observations. At first, an effective curricu-
lum including information over vowel sounds and contraction
will be designed and assessed in terms of acceptance and feasi-
bility. Later, the same curriculum will be implemented in terms
of identifying its usefulness in terms of impact and influence
in learning English pronunciation. It needs to be understood
that students are not going to learn overnight and thus the
usefulness of implemented measures will be assessed based on
simplicity and understanding. The next part of the discussion
presents an idea over ethical considerations that always play an
important role in initiating and competing research.
3.7: Ethical Considerations
Blackburn (2001) stated that ethics are moral principles and
norms that define the outlook of individuals. Ethics are based
on honesty and transparency that leads fair outcomes and
conclusions in the context of research. In the context of the
research, I will make sure that all information of participants
will be treated as confidential. At the same time their personal
details and mode of individual learning will not be share with
any third party to respect privacy along with being honest and

93

transparent.
3.8: Strengths and Limitations of the Methodology
Major strengths of the methodology are in the form of effec-
tive and logical selection of research elements along with put-
ting more focus on developing a curriculum that will help in
theoretical underpinning and evaluation of vowel sounds and
contraction in the context of English pronunciation pertaining
to Spanish speakers. The major limitations of the methodology
are in the form of being restricted to personal observations that
may or may not affirm the true reality. At the same time, stu-
dents in the form of participants may not show overnight im-
provement and thus focus will be on highlighting and proving
measures that can be successful in terms of teaching English
pronunciation.
3.9: Summary
The chapter presented an understanding over the research
methodology elements that will help in accomplishing the
proposed aims and objectives of the research. Overall, with
the help of designed and purposed methodology; research’s
aim and objectives can be achieved in a systematic manner.
The next chapter presents an understanding of the purposed
framework for enhancing and teaching English pronunciation
to Spanish speakers. This will include focus on vowel sounds
and contraction and ways to improve and enhance them in
terms of facilitating English pronunciation.

94

CHAPTER-4:
PROPOSED
FRAMEWORK

95

96

CHAPTER-4: PROPOSED FRAMEWORK

97

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

Proposed framework

4.1: Introduction

The chapter presents the framework that has been de-
signed to improve and teach English pronunciation of
Spanish students by concentrating on vowel sounds and
contractions. For this purpose, an understanding over improv-
ing vowel sounds and contractions have been presented that
will further be analysed on the basis of success and failure in
terms of basic understanding and improvement of students.
Few students in the form of participants attending classes at
the State University of Guayaquil (Universidad Estatal de
Guayaquil) were contacted and targeted for implementing this
proposed framework. 25 participants were identified who had
interest in learning English language and pronunciation. The
proposed framework is based on the findings of the literature
where the importance and usefulness of vowels, contractions,
and sentence structure was discussed in an illustrative manner.
At the same time, the literature review revealed that teaching
English pronunciation to Spanish students can be a challeng-
ing task especially when students do not have a basic under-
standing.
As the majority of the targeted students did not have basic En-
glish pronunciation knowledge, they were first taught the dif-

98

CHAPTER-4: PROPOSED FRAMEWORK

ference between the English and Spanish vowels. At the same
time, focus was more on correct vowel pronunciation and
understanding of contractions. The students’ voices were re-
corded and used for further modification along with using the
Kenilworth’s English Teaching Pronunciation that helped in
ascertaining the interest level of students along with motivat-
ing them. All these activities were carried off one after the oth-
er and results and improvements were collected and analysed
by marking weekly progress report. Based on the improvement
record, students were offered feedback on enhancing the flow
of their pronunciation along with understanding the basic dif-
ference between English and Spanish pronuvnciation of words.
4.2: Spanish Language and Vowels.
Spanish is a Roman language that is also a part of Indo-Euro-
pean language family. It is spoken by more than 400 million
people across the world. Spanish has five pure vowels and five
diphthongs while English has twelve pure vowel sounds and
more than eight diphthongs. The length of vowel plays an im-
portant role in English language while pronouncing words
while the length of vowels does not matter a lot in Spanish lan-
guage and that is why Spanish speakers find it difficult to pro-
nounce words correctly in English language. Spanish speakers
often fail to identify the difference between vowel sounds in
English language and thus fail to identify the pronunciation
difference between words like fool/full, ship/sheep and cart/
cut/cat. It is important to understand that vowel sounds are
often produced differently in order to form correct pronunci-
ation. At times, vowels need to be stretched in order to create
a prolong sound while at times, vowels need to be pronounced
without prolonging them. In order to correct the pronuncia-
tion of vowel sounds in order to pronounce words correctly,
it is important to have vowel lessons strengthening the over-

99

TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION TO SPANISH SPEAKERS

all knowledge over the production of sounds. It is important
to have theoretical understanding of sounds in order to gain
a perspective over the importance and usefulness of speech
sounds in pronouncing words correctly. The next part of the
discussion presents an effective framework through which
vowel sounds can be understood in a logical way.
4.3: Learning Vowel Sounds
There are ten basic vowel sounds that need to be understood in
order to form an understanding over the production of vowel
sounds. Vowels are produced with free passage of the air stream
where articulators do not touch each other. There is no ob-
struction in the flow of air from lungs (Johnson, 2003). Much
of the production of vowel sounds is dependent on the posi-
tion and movement of lips and tongue. Different shapes and
movements of lips, tongue and jaws produce different vowels
sounds. The tongue can be moved up and down and also front
and back and lips can be rounded or unrounded. English lan-
guage has short and long vowels that change the whole art of
pronouncing words in a correct manner (Ladefoged, 2000). A
basic understanding has been highlighted below.

After analysing the above chart, it can be seen that English lan-
guage has short and long vowels. The long A /eI/ helps in pro-

100