Non-native pronunciations of English

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:IPA notice [[File:Japanese mistake in English caused by perceptions of R and L sounds at gift shop in Otaru.jpg|thumb|This gift shop in Japan spells the English word "decoration" as decolation, as a result of the [[Perception of English /r/ and /l/ by Japanese speakers|well-attested difficulty of Japanese speakers in distinguishing English Template:Angbr and Template:Angbr sounds]].]] Non-native pronunciations of English result from the common linguistic phenomenon in which non-native speakers of any language tend to transfer the intonation, phonological processes and pronunciation rules of their first language into their English speech. They may also create innovative pronunciations not found in the speaker's native language.

Overview

Non-native English speakers may pronounce words differently than native speakers either because they apply the speech rules of their mother tongue to English ("interference") or through implementing strategies similar to those used in first language acquisition.<ref name="ReferenceA">Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> They may also create innovative pronunciations for English sounds not found in the speaker's first language.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

The extent to which native speakers can identify a non-native accent is linked to the age at which individuals begin to immerse themselves in a language. Scholars disagree on the precise nature of this link, which might be influenced by a combination of factors, including: neurological plasticity, cognitive development, motivation, psychosocial states, formal instruction, language learning aptitude, and the usage of their first (L1) and second (L2) languages.<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>

English is unusual in that speakers rarely produce an audible release between consonant clusters and often overlap constriction times. Speaking English with a timing pattern that is dramatically different may lead to speech that is difficult to understand.<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>

Phonological differences between a speaker's native language and English often lead to neutralization of distinctions in their English.<ref name="ReferenceB">Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> Moreover, differences in sound inventory or distribution can result in difficult English sounds being substituted or dropped entirely.<ref name="Goldstein 2005 203">Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> This is more common when the distinction is subtle between English sounds or between a sound of English and of a speaker's native language. While there is no evidence to suggest that a simple absence of a sound or sequence in one language's phonological inventory makes it difficult to learn,<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> several theoretical models have presumed that non-native speech perceptions reflect both the abstract phonological properties and phonetic details of the native language.<ref>See the overview at Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>

Non-native speech patterns can be passed on to the children of learners, who will then exhibit some of the same characteristics despite being native speakers themselves.<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> For example, this process has resulted in many of the distinctive qualities of Irish English and Highland English which were heavily influenced by a Goidelic substratum.<ref name=McEwan>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Examples

Template:Expand section

Germanic languages

Dutch

Template:See also

Consonants
  • Speakers have difficulty with dental fricatives, often pronouncing {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (failing to contrast then and den)Template:Sfn or {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (especially between vowels).Template:Sfn Similarly, the dental fricative {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is replaced by {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, though Belgian speakers may pronounce both {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in word-final position.Template:Sfn
  • The voiced stops and fricatives undergo terminal devoicing, especially in stressed syllables, causing feed and feet to be pronounced as the latter. Similarly, Dutch voicing assimilation patterns may be applied to English utterances so that, for example, iceberg is pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, and if I as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • Speakers have difficulty with the glottalization of {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, either not pronouncing it or applying it in the wrong contexts so that good morning is pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • The voiceless stops {{#invoke:IPA|main}} lack aspiration in stressed syllable-initial context.Template:Sfn
  • Medial {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is replaced by {{#invoke:IPA|main}} such that better is pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • The postalveolar sibilants {{#invoke:IPA|main}} tend to be pronounced as their alveolo-palatal equivalents in Dutch: {{#invoke:IPA|main}}; beginners may pronounce them as alveolar (and voiceless) {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in syllable-final positions, leading to wish being pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • {{#invoke:IPA|main}} may be confused with {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} with {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in initial position.Template:Sfn
  • {{#invoke:IPA|main}} may be strongly pharyngealized, even in contexts where the dark l does not normally appear in English.Template:Sfn Beginners may insert an epenthetic schwa between {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and a following {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, leading to milk being pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • {{#invoke:IPA|main}} could pose difficulties for certain regional dialects which lack /h/, such as in Zeelandic and West Flemish.Template:Sfn
  • {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is replaced by Template:IPAblink, which English listeners may perceive as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • The alveolar consonants /t, d, n, s, z, l/ are articulated with the blade of the tongue, rather than the tip as in English.Template:Sfn
Vowels
  • Speakers confuse between {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, so that man and men are both pronounced as the latter.Template:Sfn
  • Speakers confuse between {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, so that pool and pull are both pronounced with {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn Some advanced speakers may employ a glide [ʉy].Template:Sfn
  • /iː/ is pronounced closer, tenser, and sometimes shorter than usual. Some advanced speakers might over-compensate for the length with a diphthong like [ëi].Template:Sfn
  • {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is replaced by {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. Spelling might cause confusion with /ɒ/ in words like wonder, nothing and lovely.Template:Sfn
  • British English /ɒ/ is replaced by [ɔ].Template:ClarifyTemplate:Sfn
  • British English /ɜː/ is replaced by the sequence in Dutch /ør/, with significant lip-rounding and r-insertion.Template:Sfn
  • /eɪ/ is replaced by [eː].Template:Sfn
  • /əʊ/ is replaced by [oː]. More advanced speakers might use the Dutch diphthong [eːu].Template:Sfn
  • /aɪ/ tends to be overly long before fortis consonants, giving the impression of a following lenis consonant.Template:Sfn

German

Template:See also {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=Template:AmboxTemplate:Main other }}

General
Consonants
  • Speakers may not velarize Template:IPAslink in coda positions as most native speakers do.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>
  • German features terminal devoicing, which is often carried over to English (creating homophones in cub/cup, had/hat, etc.)<ref name="pronstudio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="hickeydue">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • German features neither Template:IPAslink ("the") nor Template:IPAslink ("think"), and both are often realised as either /s/ or /f/ (think/sink, thought/fought, etc.)<ref name="pronstudio" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • German speakers tend to realise {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (written Template:Angbr in English) as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (also written Template:Angbr in German) when speaking English.<ref name="pronstudio" /><ref name="hickeydue" />
  • The German /r/ is realised differently from the English /r/. Whereas in the former case the tongue touches the uvula, in the latter case it does not.<ref name="pronstudio" />
  • After German speakers master the pronunciation of [w], some of them hypercorrect to incorrectly pronounce the [v] phoneme in English as [w] without realizing it.<ref name="chamson-2016">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Romance languages

Catalan

Template:See also

Consonants
  • Devoicing of final consonants:Template:Sfn {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} to {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
E.g. phase can be pronounced like face (even though Catalan has both {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} phonemes).Template:Sfn
  • Confusion of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, usually realized as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} ({{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are only distinguished in Valencian and Balearic).Template:Sfn
  • Rhotic pronunciation, with {{#invoke:IPA|main}} pronounced as a trill {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or a flap {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • Difficulties with word-initial clusters involving {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, where an epenthetic e is usually added.Template:Sfn
E.g. stop being pronounced estop.Template:Sfn
E.g. instant being pronounced instanTemplate:Sfn
Vowels
  • Vowel length confusions.Template:Sfn
  • Confusion of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, usually realized as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}Template:Sfn
  • Confusion of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, usually realized as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • Confusion of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, usually realized as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • Confusion of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, usually realized as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
Suprasegmental features
  • Narrower pitch range, with emphasis marked with extra length instead of extra pitch variation.Template:Sfn
  • Problems with variable stress.Template:Sfn
E.g. the blackbird vs. the black bird.Template:Sfn
E.g. with sugar or without sugar? (the second sugar is more heavily stressed)Template:Sfn

Italian

Template:See also Studies on Italian speakers' pronunciation of English revealed the following characteristics:<ref>Martin Russell, Analysis of Italian children's English pronunciation Template:Webarchive. Accessed 2007-07-12.</ref><ref name="pronunciationstudio.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

General

Italians learning English have a tendency to pronounce words as they are spelled, so that walk is {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, guide is {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, and boiled is {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. This is also true for loanwords borrowed from English as water (water closet), which is pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.

Consonants
Vowels

French

Template:See also {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=Template:AmboxTemplate:Main other }}

Consonants
  • Because of the phonetic differences between English and French rhotics, speakers may perceive English Template:IPAslink, allophonically labialized to {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, as Template:IPAslink-like and have trouble distinguishing between {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>
  • French speakers have difficulty with Template:IPAslink and many delete it, as most French dialects do not have this sound.<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt, citing Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>
  • French speakers have difficulty with dental fricatives {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (since these sounds do not exist in French). In France they may be pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}},<ref name="pronunciationstudio1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> while in Quebec, Canada, the usual substitution is {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn

  • Speakers tend not to make a contrast between {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (as in ship) and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. (as in sheep).<ref name="pronunciationstudio1"/>

Portuguese

Template:See also

Brazilian speakers of English as a second language are likely to exhibit several non-standard pronunciation features, including:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Vowels
  • Confusion of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, usually realized as Template:IPAblink, and of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, usually realized as Template:IPAblink.
  • Especially in a British context, confusion of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. The Brazilian {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is equivalent to RP English {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, and English orthography rarely makes a clear demarcation between the phonemes, thus cold (ideally {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) might be homophone with called {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. The North American equivalent of British {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, may be easier to perceive as it closely resembles the Portuguese diphthong {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. Speakers may also have trouble distinguishing between schwa and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • In a British context, the diphthong {{#invoke:IPA|main}} might also be pronounced as the Portuguese diphthong eu, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • Persistent preference for {{#invoke:IPA|main}} over {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (even if the target pronunciation is England's prestige accent), and use of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} within the IPA {{#invoke:IPA|main}} space (Portuguese {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is often {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, what makes it even more due to confusion in production and perception), so that can't, even in RP, might sound like an American pronunciation of Kent. Some might even go as far as having {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} for last.
Consonants
  • Difficulty with dental fricatives {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. These may be instead fronted {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, stopped {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or hissed {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • Speakers may pronounce word-initial r as a guttural r pronunciations or a trill. These often sound to English speakers as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, leading to confusion between ray and hay, red and head, height and right, etc.
  • Neutralization of coda {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, giving preference to a multitude of nasal vowels (often forming random diphthongs with {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, or also randomly losing them, so that sent and saint, and song and sown, are homophonous) originating from their deletion. Vowels are also often strongly nasalized when stressed and succeeded by a nasal consonant, even if said consonant starts a full syllable after it.
  • Fluctuation of the levels of aspiration of voiceless stops {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, that might sound like {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • Loss of contrast between coronal stops {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and post-alveolar affricates {{#invoke:IPA|main}} due to palatalization of the earlier, before vowels such as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}},<ref>Palatalization in Brazilian Portuguese/English interphonology</ref> and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • The insertion of [i] to break up consonant clusters.
  • Palatalization due to epenthetic {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, so that night sounds slightly like nightch ({{#invoke:IPA|main}} rather than {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) and light sounds like lightchie ({{#invoke:IPA|main}} rather than {{#invoke:IPA|main}}).
  • Loss of unstressed, syllable-final {{#invoke:IPA|main}} to palatalization, so that city sounds slightly like sitch ({{#invoke:IPA|main}} rather than {{#invoke:IPA|main}}).
  • Post-alveolar affricates {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are easily confused with their fricative counterparts {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, often merging chip and ship, cheap and sheep, and pledger and pleasure.
  • Absence of contrast of voice for coda fricatives. He's, hiss and his are easily confused with each other. Spelling pronunciations are also possible, in which all words that historically contain schwas in their orthography are pronounced as /z/, even when the usual pronunciation would be /s/.
  • English is less prone to perfect liaison-style sandhi than Portuguese, Spanish and French might be. Often, two identical or very similar consonants follow each other within a row, each in a different word, and both should be pronounced. Brazilians might either perform epenthesis or delete one of them. As such, this stop is produced either {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, instead of the native {{#invoke:IPA|main}}
  • In Portuguese, the semivowels {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} may be vocalized to their corresponding vowels ({{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, respectively).<ref>Preceding phonological context effects on palatalization in Brazilian Portuguese/English interphonology Page 68.</ref> so that I love you is pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. These semivowels may also be epenthetically inserted between vowels of very dissimilar qualities.
  • With the exception of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (here represented with a loss of contrast at the end of a word) and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, consonants tend to not elide corresponding to or assimilate to the next word's phoneme, even in connected speech. This means, for example, occasional epenthesis even if the following word starts in a vowel, as in their native language (not{{#invoke:IPA|main}} really).

Romanian

Template:See also {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=Template:AmboxTemplate:Main other }}

Consonants
Vowels

Spanish

File:Non-native English reading by Spanish native speaker 001.ogg
An excerpt of J.D. Salinger's ''The Catcher in the Rye'' as read in English by a person whose mother tongue is Spanish

Template:See also

Consonants
  • Since Spanish does not make voicing contrasts between its fricatives (and its one affricate), speakers may neutralize contrasts between Template:IPAslink and Template:IPAslink; likewise, fricatives may assimilate the voicing of a following consonant.<ref name="ReferenceC">Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>
  • Rhotic pronunciation, with /r/ pronounced as a trill [r] or a flap [ɾ].Template:Sfn
  • Cuban and Central American speakers tend to merge Template:IPAslink with Template:IPAslink, and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} with Template:IPAslink.<ref name="ReferenceC"/>
  • {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and Template:IPAslink often have a fluctuating degree of closure.<ref name="ReferenceC"/>
  • For the most part (especially in colloquial speech), Spanish allows only five (or six) word-final consonants: Template:IPAslink, Template:IPAslink, Template:IPAslink, Template:IPAslink, Template:IPAslink and Template:IPAslink; speakers may omit word-final consonants other than these, or alter them (for example, by turning Template:IPAslink to {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}).<ref name="Goldstein 2005 203"/>
  • In Spanish, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} must immediately precede or follow a vowel; often a word beginning with {{#invoke:IPA|main}} + consonant will acquire an epenthetic vowel (typically Template:IPAblink) to make stomp pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}} rather than {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref name="Goldstein 2005 203"/>
  • In Spanish, the {{#invoke:IPA|main}} phoneme exists only in (most dialects of) Spain; where this sound appears in English, speakers of other Spanish dialects replace {{#invoke:IPA|main}} with Template:IPAslink or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref name="ReferenceC"/>
  • Speakers tend to merge Template:IPAslink and Template:IPAslink, pronouncing both as a plosive unless they occur in intervocalic position, in which case they are pronounced as a fricative.<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> A similar process occurs with Template:IPAslink and Template:IPAslink,<ref name="ReferenceC"/> because Template:IPAslink does not exist in Spanish.
  • The three nasal phonemes of Spanish neutralize in coda-position; speakers may invariably pronounce nasal consonants as homorganic to a following consonant; if word-final (as in welcome) common realizations include Template:IPAblink, deletion with nasalization of the preceding vowel, or Template:IPAblink.<ref name="ReferenceC"/>
  • Devoicing of final consonants.Template:Sfn
Vowels
  • Vowel length confusions.Template:Sfn
  • Confusion of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, usually realized as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}Template:Sfn
  • Confusion of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, usually realized as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • Confusion of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, usually realized as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
  • Confusion of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, usually realized as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.Template:Sfn
Suprasegmental features
  • Narrower pitch range, with emphasis marked with extra length instead of extra pitch variation.Template:Sfn
  • Problems with variable stress.Template:Sfn
E.g. the blackbird. vs. the black bird.Template:Sfn
E.g. with sugar or without sugar?
(the second sugar is more heavily stressed)Template:Sfn

Semitic languages

Arabic

Template:See alsoGeneral features among most or all Arabic speakers:

Consonants
  • Speakers tend to speak with a rhotic accent and pronounce Template:IPAslink as Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink.<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>
  • There is struggle in pronouncing {{#invoke:IPA|main}} alone in its final position; the “ing” syllable. It is often immediately related to the {{#invoke:IPA|main}} sound, like in: "waiting" {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and "something" {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
  • A study conducted with 45 subjects from Egypt, Libya and Saudi Arabia found that speakers had difficulty in pronouncing some English consonants such as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, dark {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Vowels

Hebrew

Template:See also {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=Template:AmboxTemplate:Main other }}

Consonants
Vowels
  • The lack of discrimination in Hebrew between tense and lax vowels makes correctly pronouncing English words such as hit/heat and cook/kook difficult.<ref name="Shoebottom">Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>
Suprasegmental features
  • In Hebrew, word stress is usually on the last (ultimate) or penultimate syllable of a word; speakers may carry their stress system into English, which has a much more varied stress system.<ref name="Shoebottom"/> Hebrew speakers may also use Hebrew intonation patterns which mark them as foreign speakers of English.<ref name="Shoebottom"/>

Slavic languages

Czech

Template:See also These are the most common characteristics of the Czech pronunciation of English:<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>

Consonants
  • Final devoicing of voiced consonants (e.g. "bet" and "bed" are both pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), since non-sonorant consonants are always voiceless at the end of words in Czech. Some speakers may pronounce consonant-final English words with a strong vocalic offset,Template:Definition needed especially in isolated words (e.g. "dog" can be {{#invoke:IPA|main}}).
  • Czech {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is alveolar trill. There is a tendency to pronounce the trill in English and in all positions where Template:Angle bracket is written.
  • Final -er (-or) pronounced as syllabic alveolar trill {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (e.g. "water" sounds {{#invoke:IPA|main}}). Stressed {{#invoke:IPA|main}} tends to be realized as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (e.g. "bird" {{#invoke:IPA|main}}).
  • Tendency to realize both {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, since {{#invoke:IPA|main}} does not exist in Czech.
  • Tendency to pronounce the initial Template:Angle bracket cluster as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (e.g. "write" {{#invoke:IPA|main}}).
  • Tendency to realize {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, since {{#invoke:IPA|main}} does not exist in Czech.
  • Tendency to substitute {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, since {{#invoke:IPA|main}} does not exist in Czech.
  • Tendency to pronounce {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as voiced (e.g. "how" {{#invoke:IPA|main}}).
  • Tendency not to aspirate the stops {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (e.g. "keep" sounds {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), since these stop consonants are not aspirated in Czech.
  • Tendency to realise {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (e.g. "singing" {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), because Czech {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is an allophone of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} before velar stops.
Vowels
  • {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is often realised as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, so that "had" sounds like "head" {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, homophonous with "hat".
  • Schwa {{#invoke:IPA|main}} does not exist in Czech. Speakers tend to pronounce it as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (e.g. "a table" {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) or {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (e.g. "China" {{#invoke:IPA|main}}).
Suprasegmental features
  • Tendency to isolate all words in speech, because the liaison is unusual in Czech. For instance, "see it" tends to be pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, rather than {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • The melody of the Czech language is not so strong as in English. Czech speakers may sound monotonous to an English ear.

Russian

Template:See also {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=Template:AmboxTemplate:Main other }}

Consonants
  • There is no Template:IPAslink in Russian; speakers typically substitute Template:IPAblink.<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>
  • Native Russian speakers tend to produce an audible release for final consonants and in consonant clusters and are likely to transfer this to English speech, creating inappropriate releases of final bursts that sound overly careful and stilted and even causing native listeners to perceive extra unstressed syllables.<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>
  • Word-initial voiceless stops Template:IPAslink, Template:IPAslink, Template:IPAslink may not be aspirated by Russian speakers (following the pattern in Russian), which may sound to native English speakers as Template:IPAslink, Template:IPAslink, Template:IPAslink instead.<ref name="languagelink.ru"/>Template:Better source needed However, at least one study challenges this, with Russian-accented English speakers in the study aspirating the voiceless consonants just as much as General American English speakers, and Template:IPAslink even more than General American speakers.<ref>Sukmawijaya, Jeri, Sutiono Mahdi, and Susi Yuliawati (2020). "AN ACOUSTIC ANALYSIS OF VOICELESS ALVEOLAR PLOSIVE/t/IN SUNDANESE, INDONESIAN, AND ENGLISH BY SUNDANESE SPEAKERS." Metahumaniora 10.1: 1-13.</ref>
  • Russian exhibits final-obstruent devoicing, which may also be used by speakers in English.<ref name="languagelink.ru">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="litera.in.ua">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Vowels

Languages from other language families

Cantonese

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

Consonants
Vowels
  • /ə/ tends to be [a], so whether is Template:Ipa.<ref name="DWK2008">Deterding, D., Wong J., & Kirkpatrick, A. (2008). The pronunciation of Hong Kong English. English World-Wide, 29, 148–149.</ref>
  • There is less vowel reduction in unstressed syllables, and some variation in the placement of stress. For example, chocolate may be pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}} instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref name=Sewell>Template:Cite book</ref>

Greek

Template:See also

Consonants
Vowels

Hungarian

Template:See also {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=Template:AmboxTemplate:Main other }}

Consonants
  • The dental fricatives Template:IPAslink and Template:IPAslink may be realised as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and Template:IPAblink respectively.<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>
  • Since Hungarian lacks the phoneme Template:IPAslink, many Hungarian speakers substitute Template:IPAslink for {{#invoke:IPA|main}} when speaking in English. A less frequent practice is hypercorrection: substituting {{#invoke:IPA|main}} for {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in instances where the latter is actually correct.<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>
  • In Hungarian phonology, in obstruent clusters, retrograde voicing assimilation occurs,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> so voiced consonants change to their voiceless counterparts if a voiceless consonant follows them and voiceless consonants change to their voiced counterparts if a voiced consonant follows them. While in English, it's the other way around. e.g. pronouncing dropped as [d r ɔ́ b d] instead of [d r ɔ́ p t]<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Indonesian

Template:See also The following are some characteristics of the English pronunciation by Indonesian speakers:<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Consonants
Vowels
  • Difficulty with English vowels, including lack of vowel length.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

    • {{#invoke:IPA|main}} → {{#invoke:IPA|main}}
    • {{#invoke:IPA|main}} → {{#invoke:IPA|main}}
  • Common occurrence of unusual spelling pronunciations (e.g. eleven as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, cow as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, bite as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or even what as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}).

Japanese

Template:See also {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=Template:AmboxTemplate:Main other }}

Consonants
Vowels
  • Tendency to realize syllables containing unstressed central vowel /ə/ with a vowel based on the written form
  • Tendency to insert a vowel, typically /o/ or /ɯ/, after consonants other than moraic nasal /ɴ/, as Japanese lacks syllable-final consonants.
Suprasegmental features

Vietnamese

Template:See also Note: There are three main dialects of Vietnamese, a northern one centered on Hanoi, a central one centered on Huế, and a southern one centered on Ho Chi Minh City.

Consonants
Vowels
Suprasegmental features
  • Vietnamese being a tonal language, speakers might try to apply the Vietnamese tonal system or use a mid tone with English words. However, they produce a high tone when the closed syllable is followed by /p, t, k/. They may also associate tones with the intonational pattern of a sentence and become confused by inflectional changes.<ref name="Hwa-Froelich 2003 271"/>Template:Clarify

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Bibliography

Further reading

Template:English dialects by continent

Retrieved from "https://wiki.sarg.dev/index.php?title=Non-native_pronunciations_of_English&oldid=155850"