An Analysis of Pronunciation Errors of Pakistani ESL Learners at University Level

Abstract

This study investigates the pronunciation errors that Pakistani ESL learners make when speaking, especially entry-level university students who have just finished their intermediate education. The study can be significant in contributing to teaching and learning English as L2 in a Pakistani context. The research is also directed to explore the causes behind committing errors and the significant difference between errors made by the participants of both the selected universities. Using the purposive sampling technique, samples of 20 first-semester BS students from one private and one public university were collected for this purpose. Presentations of the students were recorded to collect the data, and the data was transcribed afterward to identify the errors. A qualitative approach, along with quantification of the data, was used to analyze the data, which was done following the descriptive analysis method. Gass and Selinker's (2008) error analysis model was used to analyze the data systematically; however, their model is simply an expansion of Corder's (1971) model for error analysis. Results revealed that the participants of Public Sector University were noticed to be committing most of the errors. Many factors are involved in committing errors, which were found in the data of this study; these errors are phonological, socioeconomic, and psychological factors. Findings suggest that the study can be helpful for pedagogical purposes as ESL teachers, course designers, and activity planners should consider the problems faced by the learners while planning for language learning development.