Shadow-speaking Effects on Arabic speaking ESP Learners: An instrumental Case Study

Author: Muhammad Sajid-us-Salam (Umm Al Qura University, Saudi Arabia)
Speaker: Muhammad Sajid-us-Salam
Topic: Language, Dialect, Sociolect, Genre
The (SCOPUS / ISI) SOAS GLOCAL COMELA 2021 General Session

Abstract

The accent of ESP learners plays a vital role throughout their carrier. The research depicted that the mother tongue influence cannot be eliminated completely but minimized through pronunciation drills. This study pertains to the instrumental measurements of Shadow speaking technique on Arabic speaking ESP learners while mimicking English cited words in two clearly distinguished accents i.e. North American (NAm) and Received Pronunciation (RP) out of 13 world-recognized accents of English language. For this study, two homogenous groups of students were selected, and pronunciation drills were exercised in the classroom in the two above mentioned accents for four weeks. Spectogramic analysis of the two groups was executed through PRAAT. The Euclidian method was used for measuring the formants’ difference. The comparison of the groups through correlative t-test proved that the Arabic ESP learns articulated North American (NAm) more accurately as compared to Received Pronunciation (RP) The proposed research will enable the Arabic speaking ESP learners to secure a better job in the global market adopting the most suitable accent i.e. North American (NAm) if implemented at school and college level for better results.

Keywords: Muhammad Sajid-us-Salam