Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume.8 Number.2  June, 2017               Pp. 119- 131
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no2.8

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Pronunciation Errors Committed by Palestinian Students at An-Najah National University: An Analytical Approach  

 Oqab Mahmoud Jabali
Director of Language Centre
An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine

Yousif Jamal Abuzaid
Nablus, Palestine

 

 

 

Abstract:
This empirical study aims at identifying the English consonant sounds that are mispronounced by native speakers of Palestinian Arabic. It also aims to explore the pattern of errors that Palestinian speakers follow in speaking English. Two main questions have been explored in the study: 1) what are the most common mispronounced English consonants produced by Palestinian students? and 2) what patterns do these students follow in so doing? 20 undergraduate students from the English Department at An-Najah National University are observed and their English is recorded to identify the problematic consonant sounds. The study results show that the most problematic sounds include /p/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/, /ɹ/, and /ŋ/. In the light of the findings, the researchers recommend that the best way to learn the pronunciation of a second language is by listening to native speakers of that language and by practicing it regularly.
Keywords: Consonants, mother tongue interference, Palestinian spoken Arabic, problematic sound(s), pronunciation mistakes  

Cite as: Jabali, O. M., & Abuzaid, Y.J.(2017). Pronunciation Errors Committed by Palestinian Students at An-Najah National University: An Analytical Approach. Arab World English Journal, 8 (2).
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no2.8

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https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no2.8

Dr. Oqab Jabali is the director of the Language Center and instructor of English in the
Department of English at An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. Besides teaching
translation and linguistic courses, he is a freelance translator and he teaches English for specific
purpose in the language center. He holds a PhD in Cultural Studies and Political Sciences from
the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. His major publications include women studies
and translation studies.