Keywords
ESL
phonology
pronunciation
second language acquisition
Sinhala
Tamil
L1 interference
Categories
How to Cite
Abstract
This study looks into the phonological challenges that Sinhala and Tamil speaking ESL students in Colombo come across when learning English pronunciation. The study targets to examine the effect of first-language interference on English-speaking skill. Using a mixed-method approach, purposive sampling was used to select participants from a private language institute in Colombo. Quantitative data suggests that common errors such as improper replacement of consonants and the application of syllable-based rhythm. Qualitative results highlighted key factors such as first-language interference, learner anxiety, limited pronunciation-focused instruction, and sociocultural attitudes toward accent. Ultimately, this leads to the fact that these pronunciation difficulties contribute to errors that become a permanent habit in learners’ speech. The study offers pedagogical recommendations, which include contrastive teaching and clear practice of English stress patterns. It also recommends prioritizing pronunciation-focused training into ESL courses and increasing teacher training to address speech issues before they become permanent. Suggestions include improving ESL teaching in multilingual environments.
References
Abeywickrama, R. (2019). Teacher engagement and professional development initiatives: A case study of university ESL teachers in Sri Lanka [Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Deakin University].
Abeywickrama, R. (2021a). Professional development and ESL teacher quality: An empirical study. Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 1(2), 51–58. https://doi.org/10.4038/sljssh.v1i2.37
Abeywickrama, R. (2021b). Perceptions, engagement, and productivity of teacher professional development (PD). Journal of Faculty of Humanities, 27, 93–117.
Aissat, I. S., & Tayeb, Y. (2024). Second language learning and errors fossilization: Case study of first- and third-year students at Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret [Master’s thesis, Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret]. DSpace de l’Université Ibn Khaldoun de Tiaret. https://dspace.univ-tiaret.dz/bitstream/123456789/14922/1/TH.M.ENG.2024.19.pdf
Arachchi, N. W. (2020). A study to identify Sri Lankan dialects of English: A linguistic exploration based on tertiary level students in SLIATE, Sri Lanka. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 10(4), 319–325. https://doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.10.04.2020.p10037
Ariyasinghe, D., & Widyalankara, R. C. (2016). Awareness and attitude of undergraduates towards Sri Lankan English. Scholars Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(10), 1263–1278. https://doi.org/10.21276/sjahss.2016.4.10.8
Best, C. T. (1994). The emergence of native-language phonological influences in infants: A perceptual assimilation model. In J. C. Goodman & H. C. Nusbaum (Eds.), The development of speech perception: The transition from speech sounds to spoken words (pp. 167–224). MIT Press.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2015). Pronunciation fundamentals: Evidence-based perspectives for L2 teaching and research. John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.42
Ellis, R. (1994). The study of second language acquisition. Oxford University Press.
Fernando, S. (2023). Teachers’ perspectives and strategies on teaching dyslexic students in an ESL context: A case study [Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Sri Jayewardenepura].
Flege, J. E. (1995). Second-language speech learning: Theory, findings, and problems. In W. Strange (Ed.), Speech perception and linguistic experience: Issues in cross-language research (pp. 233–277). York Press.
Gass, S. M., & Selinker, L. (2008). Second language acquisition: An introductory course (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Gilbert, J. B. (2012). Clear speech: Pronunciation and listening comprehension in North American English (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Gunasekera, M. (2005). The postcolonial identity of Sri Lankan English. Katha Publishers.
Halik, A. F. A., & Umashankar, S. (2022). Challenges in pronouncing words that consist of multiple consonant clusters: A study based on ESL learners of NAITA, Kinniya, Sri Lanka. In Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium of FIA, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka (pp. 111–120). South Eastern University of Sri Lanka. https://ir.lib.seu.ac.lk/bitstream/123456789/6478/1/9th%20intsymfia%20-%202022%20%28finalized%20UNICODE%20-%20Proceeding%29%20111-120.pdf
Hettiarachchi, S., Ranaweera, M., Saleem, S., & Krishnaveni, K. (2024). When no speech norms exist: Observations from Sinhala. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 33(6), 2767–2792. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_AJSLP-23-00359
Jayasingha, D. G. M. S., & Suraweera, S. M. B. L. (2020). An analysis of the factors affecting the graduates’ employability in the case of Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. Iconic Research and Engineering Journals, 3(12), 10–24.
Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a lingua franca: Attitude and identity. Oxford University Press.
Kenworthy, J. (1987). Teaching English pronunciation. Longman.
Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon Press.
Lado, R. (1957). Linguistics across cultures: Applied linguistics for language teachers. University of Michigan Press.
Lenneberg, E. H. (1967). Biological foundations of language. John Wiley & Sons.
Levis, J. M. (2018). Intelligibility, oral communication, and the teaching of pronunciation. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108241564
Lord, G. (2005). (How) can we teach foreign language pronunciation? On the effects of a Spanish phonetics course. Hispania, 88(3), 557–567. https://doi.org/10.2307/20063159
Nation, I. S. P., & Newton, J. (2008). Teaching ESL/EFL listening and speaking. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203891704
Odlin, T. (1989). Language transfer: Cross-linguistic influence in language learning. Cambridge University Press.
Parakrama, A. (1995). De-hegemonizing language standards: Learning from (post)colonial Englishes about “English”. Macmillan Press. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230371309
Roach, P. (2009). English phonetics and phonology: A practical course (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Scovel, T. (2000). Psycholinguistics (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Selinker, L. (1972). Interlanguage. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 10(1–4), 209–231. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral.1972.10.1-4.209
Senaratne, C. D. (2014). A study of Sinhalizations in Sinhala-English mixed discourse. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 5(6), 10–17. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.5n.6p.10
Thakur, V. S. (2020). Phonological problems of Omani EFL learners: Pedagogical perspectives and implications. Arab World English Journal, 11(1), 29–43. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no1.3
Thampoe, H. D. (2017). Sinhala and Tamil: A case of contact-induced restructuring [Doctoral thesis, Newcastle University]. Newcastle University eTheses. https://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/3552
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (M. Cole, V. Jolm-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman, Eds.). Harvard University Press.
Walisundara, D. C., & Hettiarachchi, S. (2016). English language policy and planning in Sri Lanka: A critical overview. In R. Kirkpatrick (Ed.), English language education policy in Asia (pp. 301–332). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22464-0_14
Wasala, A., & Gamage, K. (2005). Research report on phonetics and phonology of Sinhala. Language Technology Research Laboratory, University of Colombo School of Computing.
Wijesekera, H. D. (2014). Dreams deferred: English language teaching in Sri Lanka. Vistas: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 7/8, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2438893
Wijetunge, S. N. (2008). The stigma of “not pot English” in Sri Lanka: A study of production of /o/ and /ɔ/ and implications for instructions [Master’s thesis, Georgia State University]. ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/alesl_theses/1
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fathima Fazna Jawzi, Rohan Abeywickrama (Author)