Perception of English vowel contrasts by Acehnese-Indonesian bilingual learners of English

Abstract

Previous studies have reported that second language (L2) learners filter non-native L2 sounds through their existing native or first language (L1) sounds when learning L2 sounds. The degree of similarity between L1 and L2 sounds can predict the ease of acquisition of non-native L2 sounds. In the context of English language learning in Indonesia, most learners are likely to speak two languages before they learn English at school; Acehnese is not wituout any exception. As a result, they have larger phonemic inventories to rely on when learning English sounds. This study seeks to investigate how Acehnese-Indonesian bilinguals perceive five sets of vowel contrast in English (i.e., /ɪ/ - /iː/, /æ/ - /ɛ/, /ʌ/ - /ɑː/, /ʊ/ - /uː/, and /ɑː/ - /ɔː/). A special focus is given to their perception of English vowel contrasts that are new, similar, and identical to Acehnese and Indonesian vowels. A group of 31 high school students (N=31) from an Islamic boarding school in Aceh participated in this study. An AX test comprising repetition and minimal pairs of English vowel contrasts in CVC word contexts was randomly presented to the students. The data were analyzed by comparing the means of each vowel pair followed by a general linear model statistical analysis and interpreted based on speech perception and production models. The findings indicate that the Acehnese-Indonesian bilinguals discriminate the vowel pairs /æ/ - /ɜː/ and /ɑː/ - /ɔː/ better than the /ɪ/ - /iː/, /ʌ/ - /ɑː/ and /ɑː/ - /ɔː/ pairs. The vowel pairs in which both vowels are novel to Acehnese and Indonesian were moderately discriminated compared to the pairs in which one vowel is similar in both Acehnese and Indonesian. It can be said that students perceived pairs with one vowel similar to Acehnese-Indonesian better than pairs with both vowels or one vowel novel in Acehnese and Indonesian. The findings reported in the paper are expected to inform pedagogic practices, particularly in the development of materials for the teaching of English pronunciation. English teachers in Aceh may incorporate Acehnese words that have similar sounds to English while emphasizing the novel sounds which are absent from the Acehnese vowel system.

The Sounds of Indonesian English: Acoustic Phonetic Analysis of the Monophthong Vowels Across Genders

“…A similar pattern was also observed among Thai students, where these two vowels are conflated (Pillai & Salaemae, 2012). Masykar et al's (2022) perception study suggest challenges faced by Acehnese-Indonesian learners in distinguishing particular English vowel pairs. These perceptual challenges may influence the production of vowels.…”

“…Additionally, data from Widagsa and Putro (2017), although obtained solely from Indonesian male speakers, also indicate significant differences in the production of /ɑ/, /ɒ/, and /ɔ/ by Indonesian English speakers compared to British English speakers. The influence of both Indonesian and Acehnese also appears to affect perception as shown in Masykar et al (2022) where it was reported that Acehnese-Indonesian learners perceive pairs with one vowel similar to those in Acehnese-Indonesian better than pairs with either both vowels or one vowel unfamiliar in Acehnese and Indonesian.…”

“…An investigation into how bilingual Acehnese-Indonesian learners of English perceive English vowel contrasts was conducted by Masykar et al (2022). They concentrated on the learners' perception of five sets of vowel contrast in English that are new, similar, and identical to the Acehnese and Indonesian vowels: /ɪ/-/i/, /ae/-/ɛ/, /ʌ/-/ɑː/, and /ʊ/-/u:/.…”

“…In the Indonesian context, Widagsa and Putro (2017) identified interference from Indonesian vowels affecting the production of English vowels, while Fata et al (2017) did not statistically prove if there were gender differences in the production of vowels in their study. Masykar et al's (2022) investigation into bilingual Acehnese-Indonesian learners emphasized discrimination patterns in English vowel contrasts and showed that particular pairs were challenging to differentiate when it comes to perception.…”

Using PRAAT in Teaching the Monophthongs to the EFL Students in Indonesia

“…There are some English vowels that are absent from the Indonesian and Acehnese vowel system for example, [ae], [I], [ʊ], [ɑː] and [ɝ]. Some are identical such as /ʌ/ and /ɛ/, while others are similar but produced with a shorter duration such as /iː/, /uː/, and /ɔː/ (Masykar et al, 2022). As far as the features of English concerned, Acehnese-Indonesian bilingual may face difficulties in pronouncing the vowel sounds.…”