i
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THAI AND INDONESIAN
UNDERGRADUATES IN PRONOUNCING PLURAL NOUN
AND THIRD SINGULAR PRESENT VERB WITH S/ES
SUFFIX DUE TO PROGRESSIVE ASSIMILATION(A Case Study
of English Department 3rd Semester Students of IAIN Salatiga)
GRADUATING PAPER
Submitted to the Board of Examiners as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Sarjana Pendidikan Islam (S.Pd.I) English Education Department of Teacher Training and Education Faculty
State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) Salatiga
By:
SOFA ZAKIYATUL MUNA 113 11 084
ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY STATE INSTITUTE FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES (IAIN) SALATIGA
v
Motto
“Treat
people like you treat yourself. If you treat them
well, then you are deserved to be treated so
”
vi
DEDICATION
This graduating paper is dedicated to:
1. My Beloved Parents (Asrori and Siti Malikah). Thanks for your
everlasting love and encouragement and for totally shaping me. You are
the reason for me to finish this graduating paper.
2. My brother and sister who always cheer me up and support me.
3. My big family of Ya Bismillah who has spent the time together whether in
happy or difficult time.
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Thanks to Allah SWT, The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful because
of His wonderful blessings and His Mercy, the writer can finish this graduating
paper successfully. The writer hopes, as Allah allow, this paper can be blessing in
the future. He always gives everything the writer need and makes everything
possible. Praise and gratitude always be with Him.
Peace and salutation always be with our prophet Muhammad SAW,
perfect person who has guided as from the darkness to the lightness. Hope we
reach his blessing in Judgment day.
However, this success would not be achieved without supports, guidance,
help, advice and encouragement both from individual and institution. Therefore,
the writer would like to express the deepest gratitude to:
1. Dr. Rahmat Hariyadi, M.Pd. as the Rector of IAIN (State Institute for
Islamic Studies) Salatiga.
2. Mr. Suwardi, M.Pd. as the Dean of Teacher Training and Education
Faculty.
3. Mrs. Noor Malihah, Ph.D. as the Head of English Education Department.
4. Mr. Ruwandi, S.Pd., M.A. as the writer counselor who has patiently
educated, supported, directed, and given the writer countless advices,
suggestion and recommendation for this graduating paper from beginning
until the end.
5. All the lecturers in English Education Department (EED).
6. All the staffs that have helped the writer in processing administration.
7. All of the respondents who have disposed to be interviewed and let the
writer conduct this research.
8. My beloved parents (Asrori and Siti Malikah) who always pray for my
successfulness and my best for the rest of their life. My lovely brother and
viii
9. My family in Ya Bismillah (Youth Association of Bidik Misi
Limardhatillah) IAIN Salatiga.
10.My kind and joyful friends (Mbk Umi, Mbk Eky, Fiza, Farrah, A‟yun,
Dewi) who always support me to finish this graduating paper as soon as
possible. And all of my friends of IAIN Salatiga, especially English
Department.
11.All of ustadz and ustadzah in Edi Mancoro Islamic boarding house and all
of my teachers who have spent their life to share their knowledge, without
them I am just nobody.
12.All of figures who cannot be mentioned in this limited paper.
From the bottom of her heart, the writer truly thanks to all individuals. The
writer feels very fortunate because she has been surrounded by such
amazing people who have helped her to accomplish her work.
Salatiga September 12, 2015
The Writer
Sofa Zakiyatul Muna
ix
ABSTRACT
Muna, S. Zakiyatul. 2015. The Differences between Thai and Indonesian Undergraduates in Pronouncing Plural Nouns and Third Singular Present Verbs with s/es Suffix Due to Progressive Assimilation (A Case Study of
English Department 3rd Semester IAIN Salatiga). A Graduating Paper.
Teacher Training and Education Faculty. English Department. State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) Salatiga. Counselor: Ruwandi, S.Pd., M.A.
Keywords: plural noun and third singular present verbs, progressive assimilation, case study.
Pronunciation is an important aspect in learning English and it is varied in different area. The geographical dialect is one of differences type. In pronouncing plural verbs and third singular present verbs in English, the differences are happened. This research investigates the differences between Thai and Indonesian undergraduates in pronouncing plural nouns and third singular present verbs with s/es ending. The aim of this research are to find out the differences and similarities between Thai and Indonesian undergraduates in pronouncing plural nouns and third singular present verbs and the factors that influence it. The design of this research is case study by investigating Thai and Indonesian undergraduates in several period of time. Data is collected through documentation and interview.
Documentation is conducted by recording respondents‟ pronunciation. The
x
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE ... i
DECLARATION ... ii
ATTENTIVE CONSELOR NOTES ... iii
CERTIFICATION PAGE ... iv
MOTTO ... v
DEDICATION ... vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... vi
ABSTRACT ... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... x
LIST OF TABLE AND FIGURES ... xiii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Research ... 1
B. Limitation of the Problem ... 5
C. Problems of Study ... 5
D. Object of the Study ... 5
E. Significance of the Study ... 6
F. Definition of Key Terms ... 7
G. Literature Review ... 9
H. Outline of Research Paper ... 10
xi
A.Pronunciation Differences ... 12
B.Indonesian Phonetics and Phonology ... 13
1. Vowel ... 14
2. Diphthongs ... 15
3. Consonants ... 16
C.Pattani Malays Phonetics and Phonology ... 17
1. Vowels ... 18
2. Diphthongs ... 18
3. Consonants ... 18
D.English Phonetics and Phonology ... 19
1. Vowels ... 20
2. Diphthongs ... 21
3. Consonants ... 22
E. Assimilation ... 22
1. Definition of Assimilation ... 22
2. Kind of Assimilation... 23
F. English Parts of Speech ... 27
G.Plural Nouns ... 28
H.Third Singular Present Verbs ... 29
I. Phonetics Rule of Pronouncing s/es Suffix ... 3
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY A.Research Approach ... 35
xii
C.Research Subject ... 36
D.Research Variable ... 37
E. Data Collection ... 37
1. Interview ... 38
2. Documentation ... 39
F. Research Instrument ... 40
G.Data Analysis ... 43
H.Assumption ... 45
CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS A.Description of IAIN Salatiga ... 47
B.Description of Thirds Semester Students ... 49
C.The Research Conduct ... 50
D.Data Analysis ... 51
E. Discussions ... 73
F. Research Limitation ... 81
CHAPTER V CLOSURE A.Conclusion ... 82
B.Suggestion ... 84
REFERENCES
xiii
LIST OF TABLE AND FIGURE
Table 2.1 Indonesian Vowel ... 14
Figure 2.2 Indonesian Diphthongs ... 16
Figure 2.3Indonesian Consonants ... 16
Table 2.4 Pattani Malays Vowels ... 17
Table 2.5 Pattani Malays Consonants ... 19
Table 2.6 English Vowel ... 20
Table 2.7 English Diphthongs ... 21
Table 2.8 English Consonants ... 22
Table 2.9 Example of Voiced and Voiceless ... 26
Table 2.10 Voiced and Voiceless Consonants ... 31
Table 2.11 Phonetic Rule of Plural Noun ... 31
Table 2.12 Phonetic Rule of Verbs ... 32
Table 3.1 List of Word ... 41
Table 4.1 Schedule of Research Conduct ... 50
Table 4.2 Indonesian Respondents ... 51
Table 4.3 Indonesian Phonetic Transcription... 51
Table 4.4 Thailand Respondents ... 55
Table 4.5 Thailand Phonetic Transcription ... 56
Table 4.6 Indonesian Phonetic Classification ... 61
Table 4.7 Thailand Phonetic Classification ... 68
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter focuses on giving introductory explanation of the research. It
presents background of the research that discusses the importance of
pronunciation in learning English, tells how the differences happen are and the
causes of pronunciation errors. In detail, it explains the phenomenon in researcher
surroundings.
A.Background of the Study
People speak language as the way to communicate and a tool to express
their ideas and whishes. Without language it is hard to imagine how people can
cooperate and get along with one another. The signals used to convey message
in language are speech sounds and it is produced by speech organs. In English,
the study of phones or speech sound is called Phonology. The study of speech
sound as sound without regarding their function as signaling unit of language is
called Phonetics while the study of speech sound as sounds by regarding their
functions as signaling units of language in a given language is called
Phonology(Ramelan, 2003:4).
When someone wants to learn a foreign language, in this case, English,
he has to learn to speak it properly as the way the native speakers speak the
language. It can be achieved by imitating and mimicking the native speakers‟
pronunciation. He has to be able to distinguish the contrastive sounds that
2
language can be mastered by studying the theories of the ways of producing
English sound, so the goals of learning foreign language which is to master,
produce and speak it correctly can be achieved.
Although pronunciation is an important matter in English since it is
spoken by people all over the world, it cannot be expected to be homogeneous
and it is natural that it varies in time and places. The differences in
pronunciation do not matter as long as the language is understandable. There
are no people who speak exactly alike. The differences of pronunciation are
influenced by some factors, they are geographical, social and historical factors
or they may also be influenced by individual peculiarities such as stuttering,
lisping, or other speech deficiencies.
Having difficulties in the process of learning a foreign language can be
easily understood since people have been speaking their mother tongue, which
has been deeply implanted in them as part of their habits. Pronouncing the
speech sounds of foreign language which is completely different from their
mother tongue will be difficult because their speech organ has been set to
produce the speech sounds of their own language.
Ramelan (2003:5) states that although people have an inborn skill or
potential ability to speak a language called Language Acquisition Device
(LAD) as Chomsky‟s theory, the process of learning a new language will be
interfered with old established habits in producing the sounds system which is
called “habit interference”. In producing the foreign sounds, they used to
3
Plural nouns and third singular present verbs are often used in daily
conversation. In English grammar, the general rule for writing the plural of
English noun is to add s to the singular form (e.g. boy-boys, apple-apples), but
there are some words that was added by -es for (churches, dishes, classes, etc)
(Frank, 1972:3). In present tense, verb for third singular person also added with
s/es, based on the root verb. Beside the grammar rule, students should pay
attention to the spelling or phonological rules for adding inflectional suffixes
too. This rule influences how the pronunciation of plural form and third
singular present verbs was. The general rule of the pronunciation is it can be
pronounced with three forms, those are /s/, /z/ and /iz/.
Sometimes students and undergraduates get difficulties in pronouncing
word ended with s/es such in plural form and present verb correctly. The
common mistakes are substituting the “s” sound where the “z” should be, some
words that should be spelled with an “s” sound but pronounced with “z” sound.
They also don‟t spell the /iz/ sound properly.
Pronunciation problem is also faced by the students in IAIN Salatiga.
They do not pay attention to the pronunciation of –s or –es ending. They ignore
the phonological rule of these suffixes in different words. They only apply the
same rule for every word ended with –s or –es, adding the sound “s” in the end
of the word without knowing the phonological rules. They do not recognize
when they have to use “z” sound or “iz” sound.
Having Thai undergraduates in IAIN Salatiga is completely priding for
4
international university because the undergraduates are not only from domestic,
but also from foreign. At present, IAIN Salatiga consists of Indonesia and some
Thai undergraduates. Come from different country means that the
undergraduates have different background of languages. Absolutely their
native language differences will influence their English pronunciation.
The writer chooses progressive assimilation as the focus of the research
because it is simple but complicated for the undergraduates who learn a foreign
language, in this case English. The writer also limits the discussion on the
pronunciation of general plural form and third singular present verb because it
is pronounce most of the time since the term is present and of course, plural
forms are often used in daily conversation.
The writer is interested to conduct a case study of Thai and Indonesian
undergraduates in pronouncing progressive assimilation to find out in what
aspects they are different from or similar to each other. Johnson as stated by
Mackey and Gass (2005: 171) propounds that from case study, the researcher
are able to focus on the individual who is rarely possible in group research such
as survey and experimental research. Because the researcher compares two
groups, Thai and Indonesian undergraduates, automatically it will contrast two
languages. Richard (1974: 154) states that contrastive analysis of the sound
systems of the two languages is important for the undergraduates to facilitate
them improving their ability of pronouncing foreign language.
Based on the background above, the writer critically analyze the case
5
research entitled: The Differences Between Thai and Indonesian
Undergraduates in Pronouncing Plural Noun and Third Singular Present Verbs with s/es Suffix Due to Progressive Assimilation (A Case Study of English Department 3rd Semester IAIN Salatiga).
B.Limitation of the Problem
The writer would like to focus the research on the rules of progressive
assimilation pronunciation, especially the differences and similarities between
Thai and Indonesian undergraduates of IAIN Salatiga in pronouncing plural
nouns and third singular present verbs with s/es suffix.
C.Problems of Study
In this study, the writer wants to focus on the following problems:
1. What are the differences and similarities between Thai and Indonesian
undergraduates of IAIN Salatiga in pronouncing plural nouns and third
singular present verbs due to progressive assimilation?
2. What are the factor that influences the differences and similarities of Thai
and Indonesian undergraduates of IAIN Salatiga in pronouncing plural
nouns and third singular present verbs due to progressive assimilation?
D.Object of the Study
From this research, the writer wants to achieve some objectives; they are as
6
1. To find out the differences and similarities between Thai and Indonesian
undergraduates of IAIN Salatiga in pronouncing plural nouns and third
singular present verbs due to progressive assimilation.
2. To find out the factors that influences the differences and similarities of
Thai and Indonesian undergraduates of IAIN Salatiga in
pronouncingplural nouns and third singular present verbs due to
progressive assimilation.
E.Significance of the Study
The research can be beneficial as follows:
1. Practically
a. For The Writer
The findings of the research can be used as starting point in
improving writer‟s comprehension about pronunciation of
progressive assimilation especially in plural nouns and third
singular present verbs by Thai and Indonesian undergraduates of
IAIN Salatiga.
b. For The Undergraduates
The positive result of this research can support the students in
improving their comprehension about the rule of pronouncing
progressive assimilation especially in plural nouns and third
singular present verbs, so they are able to pronounce the words
7
c. For The Educators
The findings of this research can be a reference for them to
correct students‟ pronunciation and give them information about
the rule of correct pronunciation especially s and es endings. After
finding the differences and similarity of Thai and Indonesian
undergraduates in pronouncing s/es ending in plural nouns and
third singular verbs, the educators can identify and implement the
appropriate method to teach Thai and Indonesian undergraduates
regarding with their comprehension of pronunciation.
2. Theoretically
The findings of this research can give information about rule of
progressive assimilation pronunciation specifically in plural nouns and
third singular present verbs.
F. Definitions of Key Terms
To clarify and keep clear of any mistakes in interpreting this research, it
is necessary to explain the terms regarding with the study. To understand this
study easier, the writer presents some description and explanation of related
terms. They are as follows:
1. Plural Words
Plural is form of word used with reference to more than one
(Hornby: 1974). In this research, the term of plural only focus on the
8
2. Present Verbs
Hornby (1974: 953) states that verb is word or phrase indicating
what somebody or something does, what state somebody or somebody or
something is in, what is becoming of something or somebody. In this
research what is meant by present verb is the verb in present tense. In
detail, the verbs in third singular person those are as he, she, it, name of
people or thing, etc.
3. Suffix
According to Oxford dictionary (2008:444), suffix is letter or a
group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning.
4. Progressive Assimilation
According to Roach (2009:7), assimilation is what happens to
sound when it is influenced by one of its neighbors. Progressive
assimilation is an assimilation when the features of the phoneme
immediately before it(Hamann and Schmitz:2005).
5. Case Study
a. Case is particular situation or a situation of particular thing (Oxford,
2008: 62).
b. Study is pieces of research that examines a subject in detail (Oxford,
2008: 441).
c. Mackey and Gass (2005:171) make the definition of the term clearly
bytheir statement that case study is kind of research that aim to
9
specific population and setting. In this research, the writer try to
investigate pronunciation of people, they are Thai and Indonesian
undergraduates.
6. Thai Undergraduates
According to Hornby(1974: 938), undergraduate is university
student working for a bachelor‟s degree, so Thai undergraduate is student
from Thailand who reach their bachelor degree in this case IAIN
Salatiga.
7. Indonesian Undergraduates
Indonesian undergraduate is the original student from Indonesia
that reaches their bachelor degree precisely in IAIN Salatiga.
G.Literature Review
In this research, the writer reviews previous research which discusses the
similar topic discussion about pronunciation of progressive assimilation as
comparison, those are:
The research entitled “Systematic Investigation of Voicing Assimilation
of Spanish /s/ in Mexico City” conducted by Lauren B. Schmidt and Erik W.
Willis. The researcher investigates the assimilation of Spanish /s/ to the
homogenous informant groups. This research is focus on the pronunciation
assimilation of Spanish /s/ in Mexico City. This research focuses on the general
10
The differences of this research from the previous research are the
method and the variable. In this research, the researcher focuses only on
progressive assimilation and limits the study in plural nouns and third singular
verbs. The writer uses case study which is conducted in a period of time and
concern on the pronunciation of progressive assimilation in plural forms and
third singular present verbs, so the writer conduct a research which combine
contrastive analysis of undergraduates and progressive assimilation. The writer
compares the pronunciation between Thai and Indonesian Undergraduates of
IAIN Salatiga.
H.The Outline of Research Paper
This graduating paper will consist of five chapters. Each chapter will be
discussed as follow:
Chapter I presents introduction. In this chapter the researcher explain
about the background of this research, which discusses the reasons why the
researcher intends to conducting a comparative research of progressive
assimilation pronunciation. This chapter also covers the limitation of the
problem, statement of the problems, objectives of the study, definition of key
terms and organization of the paper.
Chapter II presents some related theories regarding with pronunciation of
progressive assimilation especially about –s ending in plural forms and present
verbs. The first point is explanation about pronunciation differences; kinds of
pronunciation differences and more detail give information about geographic
11
Indonesian phonetics and phonology, Pattani Malays phonetics and phonology,
English phonetics and phonology, detail information about progressive
assimilation, English part of speech, plural nouns, third singular present verbs.
The last is about phonetic rule of pronouncing s/es suffix that is completed
with some tables of phonetic rule.
Moving to chapter III, presents research methodology. It explains the
research approach that is used in this research and the reason why the writer
uses interview and documentation as the way to collect the data.
Comprehensive explanations are split into research approach, type of research,
research subject, research variable, data collection, research instrument, data
analysis, and assumption.
Chapter IV consists of research findings and discussion, reports the
findings and discussionwhich is obtained from all collected data from both
documentation and interview. This chapter is aimed to give detailed
information of the Thai and Indonesian undergraduates‟ in pronouncing
progressive assimilation. From the discussion, the researcher is able to draw
the conclusion of the research.
Chapter V, the last part of this outline is closure that consists of
conclusion and suggestion for the development of the pronunciation of
12
places will create the differences. Some English vocabularies are spoken
differently by different speakers of English.
According to (Kreidler, 2004:2), there are three kinds of differences in
speaking English; they are geographic dialects, social dialects, age dialects and
sex dialects. Regarding with geographic dialects, Kreidler (2004:2) says:
“People who live in different areas speak different geographical
dialects. The geographic differences in English reflect the different times in which speakers of English settled in an area, how diverse they were in the origins, how much contact they have had with other speakers of the language and what influence
there has been from speakers of other languages”.
It means that people‟s original areas will influence their English
pronunciation. The interaction of people with other speaker and other language
will influence English pronunciation too.
Social dialect is the differences between educated and less educated
people. Educated people will be considered more prestigious than less educated
people. Age dialect is the differences that occur in different ages, teenagers will
speak different talk from their grandma. Sex dialect is the differences between
13
In speaking English, there are some pronunciation errors faced by the
learner. According to Astuti Pulukadang (2013:15), there are two kinds of
pronunciation error causes, those are:
1. Interlingual error
Interlingual error is a pronunciation error caused by the influence
of mother tongue with the foreign language which is being learned.
2. Intralingual and development error
Intralingual error is an error caused by students‟ ability, this
pronunciation error focus on students‟ process in learning foreign
language. Development error is caused by the students‟ hypothesis of
foreign language based on their previous experience.
B.Indonesian Phonetics and Phonology
Indonesian language (Bahasa Indonesia) is a language which is spoken
by more than 230 million people throughout the Indonesian archipelago. This
language has similar dialect with Malay, language which is used in Malaysia,
Singapore, Brunei and Southern Thailand. The origin of Indonesia and Malay
is from Old Malay that was used in Srivijayan Empire during the seventh
century and later in the powerful trading kingdom of Malacca. It is declared as
the national language on 1928. Along with Indonesian independence, Bahasa
Indonesia was adopted as the new nation‟s official language, education,
business and the media.
Bahasa Indonesia has been and continues to be shaped (for example in
14
languages, most significantly Javanese, Dutch, Arabic and English. It is written
in Roman alphabet. There is a clear correlation and degree of consistency
between its sound and its written form (ACARA, 2014:1-2).
According to Jones as quoted by Marsono (1999:16), language can be
classified into three parts based on the obstruction (articulation process) in the
speech organs; those are vowel, consonant and diphthong.
15
Diphthong is sound which consist of movement or glide from one
vowel to another (Roach, 2000:20). As stated by Marsono (1999:50)
there are two kinds of diphthong, those are rising and falling diphthong.
Rising diphthongs occur when the second vowel is uttered with higher
position of tongue than the previous vowel. Falling diphthongs occur
when the tongue position of second vowel is lower than the first vowel.
In Bahasa Indonesia, there only rising diphthongs and there are no falling
16
Marsono quotes from Soebardi(1999:51) that Bahasa Indonesia has
three kinds of rising diphthongs, those are:
a. Front-closed-rising diphthongs [aІ], e.g. pakai, lalai, pandai, nilai,
tupai, sampai.
b. Front-closed-rising diphthongs [oi], e.g. amboi, sepoi-sepoi.
c. Back-closed-rising diphthongs [aU] e.g. saudara, saudagar, lampau,
surau, pulau, kacau.
Figure 2.2
3. Consonants
Here is the chart of consonants in Bahasa Indonesia according to
Cf. Aminoedin etal as cited by Marsono (1999:101).
Bahasa Indonesia Consonants (Table 2.3)
17
Note: *) Does not exist in Bahasa Indonesia
C.Pattani Malays Phonetics and Phonology
Tarling, as cited by Rappa and Wee(2006:117) states that as a result of
the various historical waves of cultural and religious influence since the onset
of Thailand‟s pre-modern period, the Thai Malay communities are primarily
located around the southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, and
Satun, with the majority of them being Muslims. Among this area, Pattani is
the most dominant of Thai Malays speakers in Thailand. There are
approximately one million Malay speakers in Thailand and over 800.000 are
Pattani Malay speakers.
Because southern Thailand shares its border with Malaysia, most of
Pattani Malays send their children to get Malay education in Malaysia and one
where Islam is not merely a school subject, but part of a larger cultural world
view. This is not to say that no linguistics differences exist between Pattani
Malays and Standard Malay, those are the pronunciation and grammatical
18
1. Vowel
Yupho(1989:126-127) asserts that there are 12 simple vowels in
Pattani Malay: they are 8 single non-nasalized vowels /i, e, ɛ, ɨ, a, u, o, ↄ/
and 4 simple nasalized vowels /έ, ã, ũ, ↄ/.
Vowel length is predictable. That is, in closed syllables the vowel
are short, but they are long in open syllables, except / ɨ/, which is
relatively short even in open syllables. The following chart is about the
vowel of Pattani Malays (PM). (Table 2.4)
Height of
nucleus of as syllable. In other words, they are considered in this paper as
phonemically clusters of two vowels; for example, /ai, ae, aέ, ao, au/ are
two syllables each(Yupho, 1989:127).
3. Consonants
Pattani Malays(PM) has the following consonant phonemes: /p, b,
t, d, c, Ɉ, k, g, ?, s, ˠ, h, m, n, ɲ,ŋ, r, l, w, y, z/ as presented in the
19
PM Consonants (Table 2.5)
Manner of
Articulation
Bilabial Alveolar
Palato-Alveolar
Palatal Velar Glottal
Voiceless which case they would normally occur in free variation with [k, p, t, c, d]
respectively. Some sounds, such as [f, ph, th], may also occur as the result of fast speech, and thus may occur as free variants of other sounds, or
they may occur in loanwords(Yupho, 1989:126). [z] is found in loan
words.
D.English Phonetics and Phonology
Most human used sound for linguistics signaling and the structure of the
20
and they are also put together in an extraordinarily sophisticated way. There
are two studies of linguistics which deal with sound, namely phonetics and
phonology (McMahon, 2002:1). Clark and Yallop(1990:1) states that phonetics
and phonology are concerned with speech-with the ways in which human
produce and hear speech.
1. Vowels
In English phonetics and phonology, vowels are categorized by
their height (high, mid, low), frontness (front, central, back) and rounding
(rounded, unrounded, spread). In addition, vowels can be characterized as
tense or lax (Reetz and Allard, 2009:31). According to Roach (2000:18),
English vowel can be divided into long and short vowels.
Short vowels are relatively short; vowels can have quite different
length in different context. Long vowels consist of five vowels which
tend to be longer than the short vowels in similar context. The symbol of
long vowel consists of one vowel symbol plus a length mark made of two
dots (:).Table 2.6 is the chart of English vowels!
Category Vowel Example
Short ɪ Sit, bit, pin, fish
i Happy
e Ten, bet, men, yes
ӕ Had, bat, man
ɒ Dog, pot, gone, cross
21
u Actual
ʌ Cup, but, some, rush
ə Away, about,
Long i: Beat, mean, peace
з: Bird, fern, purse
ɑ: Card, half, pass
ↄ: Board, torn, horse
u: Food, soon, loose
(Roach, 2000:14-18).
2. Diphthongs
The total number of diphthongs is eight (Roach, 2000:20). The
easiest way to recognize the diphthongs of English can be explained
trough Table 2.7 as follows!
Kinds Diphthongs
Centering Diphthongs Ending in ə Іə
eə
ʊə
Closing Diphthongs Ending in І eІ
aІ
ↄІ
Ending in ʊ eʊ
22
3. Consonants
The list of English consonants can be simply explained by this
following table (Table 2.8) as stated by Roach (2000:52).
Bilabial Labiod
In English phonetics and phonology, we can find many connected
speech phenomena and it is usually described in terms of some kind of
process or change. The connected speech phenomena can be in the level
of syllable, morpheme and word. According to Lodge(2009:145), it is
possible to find alternations in any of parametric features, but perhaps the
most common is variation in the place of articulation. This phenomenon
is commonly known as assimilation.
In the glossary of phonetic term by Lodge (2009:226), assimilation
is a term that refers to cases where there are alternative pronunciations of
23
of contiguous syllable places, for example, place of articulation, nasality.
There will be various sound of a lexical item because it is influenced by
its surrounding sound of the lexical item. Ramelan (1977:172) defines
assimilation as the process in which one phoneme is replaced by another
phoneme as the result of combining one morpheme with another.
We can conclude that assimilation is a process that occurs when a
word‟s pronunciation is affected by sounds in a neighboring word. It is
concerned with one sound becoming phonetically similar to the
neighboring sound. Sounds that belong to one word can cause changes in
sound of other words. In rapid and casual speech, the assimilated form is
more typical of connected speech.
Assimilation is something which varies in extent according to
speaking rate and style; it is more likely to be found in rapid, casual
speech and less likely in slow, careful speech. Sometimes the difference
caused by assimilation is very noticeable and sometimes it is very slight.
Generally speaking, the cases that have most often been described as
assimilation affecting consonants (Roach, 2000:124).
2. Kind of Assimilation
As stated by Roach (2000:124), if there are two words are
combined, the first word is ended with a single final consonant (we call it
Cf) and the second one is started with a single initial consonant (we call
it Ci). Based on the direction of change, kinds of assimilation can be
24
_ _ _ _ _ Cf Ci _ _ _ _
word boundary
a. Regressive assimilation: If Cf changes to become like Ci in some
ways. The phoneme that comes first is affected by the one that comes
after it.
b. Progressive assimilation: if Ci changes to become like Cf in some
ways. The phoneme is affected by one that comes earlier in the
utterance.
The main differences between consonants are of three types, they are:
a. Differences in place of articulation
b. Differences in manner of articulation
c. Differences in voicing
In this research, the writer will only discuss about the
assimilation of voice although it only occur in a limited way. Regressive
assimilation of voice is found across word boundaries and it is only one
type. If Cf is a voiced consonant and Ci is voiceless consonant. Since
voiced consonant has no voicing, this is not a very noticeable case of
assimilation. As stated by Roach (2000:125), initial and final voiced
consonant usually have little or no voicing. When Cf is voiceless and Ci
is voiced, a context in which in many languages Cf would become
25
As an example, there is a sentence “I like that black dog” /aɪ laɪk
ðæt blæk dↄg/. It is typical of many foreign learners of English to allow
regressive assimilation of voicing to change the final k of „like‟ to g, the
final t of „that‟ to d and the final k of „black‟ to g. This creates a very
strong impression of a foreign accent and is something that should be
avoided.
Assimilation is not only occurred in word boundaries, it is also
observable across morpheme boundaries and to some extent also within
the morpheme. Sometimes it is little different from the word boundary,
for example if in a syllable-final consonant cluster a nasal consonant
precedes a plosive or a fricative in the same morpheme, the place of
articulation of the nasal is always determined by the place of articulation
of the other consonant. Thus: „bump‟/bᴧmp/; „tenth‟/tɛnθ/; „hunt‟/hᴧnt/;
„bank‟/bæɳk/. It could be said that this assimilation has been fixed as part
of the phonological structure of English syllable, since exceptions are
almost non-existent.
A similar example of a type of assimilation that has become fixed
is the progressive assimilation of voice with the suffixes s and z when the
verb carries third person singular –s suffix, or a noun carries an –s plural
suffix or an –s possessive suffix, that suffix will be pronounced as s if the
preceding consonant is voiceless and z if the preceding consonant is
voiced. Lorenz (2009:17) calls this kind of assimilation with
26
Assimilation creates some problems for phoneme theory, when, for
example, d in „good‟/gʊd/ becomes g in the context „…girl‟ / gʊg gə:(r)l/
or b in the context „… boy‟/gʊb bↄɪ/, it cannot be said that one phoneme
has been substituted for another because how we will describe the
assimilation in „good thing „ where d becomes dental d before the θ of
„thing‟ or in „good food‟ , where d becomes a labiodentals plosive before
the f in „food‟. English has no dental or labiodentals plosive phonemes,
so in these cases, although there is clearly assimilation, there could not be
said to be a substitution of one phoneme for another. The alternative is to
say that assimilation causes a phoneme to be realized by a different
allophone, in this case gʊg gə:(r)l and gʊb bↄɪ, the phoneme d of „good‟
has velar and bilabial allophone. Traditionally, phonemes were supposed
not to overlap in their allophones, so that the only plosive that could have
allophones with bilabial place of articulation were p and b; this restriction
27 F. English Parts of Speech
The sentence may be further divided according to the function each word
has in the subject-predicate relationship. Each of these functions is classified as
a different part of speech. The words that form a central core of the
sentence-around which all the other words “cluster” – are the parts of speech known as
nouns (or pronouns) and verbs; the words that modify the central core words
are the parts of speech called adjectives and adverbs; the words that show a
particular kind of connecting relationship between these four parts of speech
are called prepositions and conjunctions (Frank, 1972:1).
In English, there are 8 part of speech, those are
1. Verb; a word which expresses action or some other kind of events and
functioning as the predicating word. E.g. walk, sweep, study, sing, etc.
2. Noun; a word functioning as a subject, object, or subjective complement
in a central core. E.g. cat, broom, tree, Marry, girl, etc.
3. Pronoun; the substitutes of noun. E.g. I, you, they, we, he, she, it.
4. Adjectives; the words that modify the nouns. E.g. green, big, small, etc.
5. Adverbs; words that modify the verbs. E.g. there, quickly.
6. Preposition; the words that indicates a physical relationship between two
other words. e.g. into
7. Conjunction; the word that connects words or group of words whether
equal grammatically (coordinate conjunction) or not equal grammatically
28
8. Interjection; some expression of emotion or feeling, usually occurring at
the beginning of the sentence and does not perform any grammatical
function. E.g. oh, hurrah, ouch, etc. (Frank, 1972: 1-4).
G.Plural Nouns
According to Murphy (1994: 156), plural noun is a noun that names more
than one thing. There are two kinds of plural nouns; they are regular and
irregular form. This research will focus on the regular form. The general rule of
plural nouns is to add s to the singular form, but there are some exceptions as
follow:
1. The word ended with s, z, ch, sh, x should be added with es for example
classes, churches, dishes, etc. However, if final ch is pronounced [k] such
as in monarch, stomach, epoch, etc; it is only added with s.
2. If y is preceded by consonant, the y is changed to i and es is added in the
word. For example: lady-ladies, country-countries. If final y is preceded
by a vowel, no change is made, only added with s. for example:
attorney-attorneys, valley-valleys
3. In one-syllabic words, final f or fe becomes ves in the plural (wife-wives,
leaf-leaves, thief-thieves). However, some such words take the regular s
ending (chief-chiefs, roof-roofs). A few words have either form for the
plural (wharves or wharfs, scarfs or scarves)
4. If the words are ended with o, it should be added by es, for example:
29
with vowel or if the word is in term of music, only s is added, as in
example studios, zoos, pianos, sopranos, etc. Sometimes it can be both s
either es ending, such as cargoes or cargos, mottoes or mottos, volcanoes
or volcanos.
5. Some words endings in s are used chiefly as plurals such as ashes, brains,
goods, riches, etc. Beside of that, the words for items that have two parts
such as scissors, spectacles, pliers, trousers, slippers, etc(Frank,
1972:13-14).
H.Third Singular Present Verbs
In present tense, the verbs are conjugated based on the subject. It will be
added by s/es if the subjects are third singular person; those are he, she, it,
noun, people‟s name, etc. There are some rules in adding s/es in verb form,
those are:
1. If the verb ended with sibilant sound such as s, z, ch, sh, x; it should be
added with es. Example: passes, buzzes, catches, pushes, mixes, etc.
2. The verb which has a consonant before y, it should be changed into i and
should be added by es like carries, tries but not for plays.
3. The verb beside those exceptions, only added with -s(Frank, 1972:55).
I. Phonetic Rule of Pronouncing s/es Suffix
Hamann and Schmitz state that the morpheme of the plural spelled as –s
30
progressive assimilation. This suffix is voiceless [s] when it is preceded by a
voiceless consonant and voiced [z] when preceded by a voiced
consonant(2005:52). The sound of the –s ending is [s] only if it follows a
voiceless consonant. Otherwise, it becomes a z in disguise. When –s ending
follows a vowel, voiced consonants, or another s, it turns into a [z](Cook,
2000:118).
Concerning with the phonetic rules above, we have to understand about
voiced and voiceless consonant in order to distinguish the determination of /s/
or /z/ sound. Based on Hamann and Schmitz (2005:6) consonant are often
classified by VPM, stand for Voicing, Place and Manner. Voiced and voiceless
consonants belong to voicing classification in which related to the use of vocal
cord. The classification of consonant whether it is voiced or voiceless can be
known through some way. According to McMahon (2002: 26), it can be known
by putting our fingers on „Adam‟s apple‟ or „voicebox‟ and produce the
consonant. If vibration is there, it shows that it is a voiced consonant. On the
other hand, if there is no that sort of activity, it is a voiceless consonant.
Ramelan (2003:105) clarifies that apart from the obstruction that takes
place in the mouth cavity for the production of consonant; the vocal cord in the
larynx may or may not be made to vibrate simultaneously. When the
production of a consonant is accompanied by the vibration of the vocal cords,
the consonant is classified as voiced, when it is not, it is said to be voiceless.
The following table is the list of English voiced and voiceless consonants as
31
(Table 2.10)
Voiced Consonants Voiceless Consonants
b
32
Verbs Spelling Rule Examples Pronunciation
34
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
According to Hillway as quoted by Darmawan, research is a method of
study by which trough the careful and exhaustive investigation of all ascertainable
evidence bearing upon a definable problem, we reach a solution to the
problem(2014:2). Knowledge always develops as the world changing. Research
comes as solution of various problems faced by people and obtains the useful
knowledge regarding how the world operates. These are the ultimate goal of it.
Method is very needed to get solution of the problems.
In this chapter, the writer would like to explain methodology which is used
in this research. It consists of research approach, type of research, research
subject, research variable, data collection, research instrument, data analysis and
assumption.
The purpose of this research is to investigate and describe the differences
between Thai and Indonesian undergraduates of IAIN Salatiga in pronouncing
plural nouns and third singular present verbs due to progressive assimilation.
There were two questions that are attempted to be investigated in this
research, those are:
1. What are the differences between Thai and Indonesian undergraduates of
IAIN Salatiga in pronouncing plural nouns and third singular present
35
2. What is the factor that influences the differences and similarities of Thai
and Indonesian undergraduates of IAIN Salatiga in pronouncing the
plural nouns and third singular present verbs due to progressive
assimilation?
A.Research Approach
Every research uses research methodology to solve the problems. In
research methodology, there are two kinds of research approach, those are
qualitative and quantitative. To answer the research questions, the writer uses
qualitative approach in this research. This approach is concerned with
subjective assessment of attitudes, opinions and behavior.
According to Bogdan and Taylor as stated by Moleong, qualitative
method is a research method which produces descriptive data in the form of
written or oral words of observed people and their behavior (2010:4). They
assumed that this research approach is intended to see the individual
background holistically. Thus, this research should not isolate individual or
groups into some variables or hypothesis. It is concerned with qualitative
phenomenon, i.e., phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind. It tends
to be in the form of words than number (Kothari: 2004).
B.Scope of Research
In this research, the writer uses case study as the type of research.Case
36
use within a specific population and setting. It tends to provide detailed
descriptions of specific learners (or sometimes classes) within their setting
learning. In case study, the observation of phenomena is made at periodic
intervals for an extended period of time.
Case study focuses on the individual in a way that is rarely possible in
group research but it also can be conducted with more than one individual
learner or more than one existing group of learners for the purpose of
comparing and contrasting their behaviors within their particular context
(Mackey and Gass, 2005:171).
Because the term of this research is case study, the writer intends to
investigate, compare and analyze the differences of Thailand and Indonesian
undergraduates in pronouncing progressive assimilation especially plural noun
forms and third singular present verbs. Beside the considerations of
assimilation, plural and present verbs, the combination of descriptive and
qualitative research considered as the grand design for this research.
The findings of the present study illustrates the common similarities and
differences between Thailand and Indonesian students in pronouncing s and es
ending due to progressive assimilation. It is expected to help teacher in
understanding the similarities and differences between Thailand and
Indonesian undergraduates to improve their ability in pronouncing –s and –es
ending in plural nouns and third singular present verbs.
37
For the purpose of this study, the subjects comprising 4 Thailand and
Indonesian undergraduates from English department in third semester were
chosen. 4 Thailand undergraduates speak same native language and come from
same area of Southern Thailand, precisely in Pattani. 4 Indonesian
undergraduates also speak the same native language and come from the same
province, Central Java. They have learned English from secondary education
and English position is a foreign language.
D.Research Variable
According to Sugiyono as stated by Widoyoko, research variable can be
defined as an attribute, characteristics or values of person, object or activity
which have certain variation determined by the researcher to be discussed and
concluded (2014:1). It can be stated that variable is a concept which has
variation of value, so any concept which has variation of value can be included
as variable.
Based on the definition above, we can see that the concept of this
research is pronunciation. From this concept, the researcher can draw a
variable that is pronunciation of plural noun and third singular present verbs
due to progressive assimilation.
E.Data Collection
Collecting data is very important in conducting a research. According to
38
observation method, interview method, questionnaire, schedule, and other
method which include warranty cards, distributor audits, pantry audits,
consumer panels, mechanical devices, projective technique, depth interview,
and content analysis(2004: 96).
In qualitative approach, data collection can be included: ethnographies,
interviews, diaries/journals, case studies and observational techniques (Mackey
and Gass, 2005: 167). Because this is qualitative study, the writer uses
interview and documentation to collect the data.
1. Interview
Interview is a dialog between interviewer and interviewee with
certain purpose(Moleong, 2010:186). Interviewing is a basic mode of
inquiry. The purpose of in-depth interviewing is not to get answers to
questions, nor to test hypotheses, and not to “evaluate” as the term is
normally used. At the root of in-depth interviewing is an interest in
understanding the experience of other people and the meaning they make
of those experiences.
There are three kinds of interview; those are structured
(standardized) interview, semi structured interview and unstructured
interview. In structured (standardized) interview, researcher usually asks
an identical set of questions to all respondents. In semi structured
interview, the researcher uses a written list of questions as a guide, but
still having the freedom to deviate and investigate for more information.
39
their own questions, helping respondents to open up and express
themselves in their own term and their own speed (Mackey and Susan,
2005:173).
In this research, the writer uses semi structured interview. The
writer has a list of questions to ask t the subject but still be able to ask
other questions which are not available in the list. The interview is based
on the dialog with 4 Thai undergraduates and 4 Indonesian
undergraduates.
2. Documentation
In documentation, the researcher is doing a recording process to get
the data to be analyzed. A software application for audio editing named
Audacity is used to record the subject‟s pronunciation. A list of word
consists of 30 words for each category (30 words of plural nouns and 30
words of third singular present verbs) and a paragraph is given to the
subjects. The words prepared in the word list are the common word of
English. The paragraph comes as completion of 30words to diagnose
subject‟s pronunciation in order to be more sufficient and valid.
Before the recording process, the subjects are asked to read the
word list once in order to make them familiar with the words. The
recording is conducted in quiet room and takes for about 5 minutes for
each subject and they are asked to read in normal speed. The recording is
40
After the subjects being interviewed, in the next cycle each
undergraduate is asked to read a list of words and a paragraph which
contains plural forms and present verbs and will be documented by
recording it with an application called Audacity.
In this research, the writer focuses on 4 Thai undergraduates and 4
Indonesian undergraduates. The writer observes and investigates the subject in
a period of time. The purpose of this research is to compare Thai and
Indonesian students in pronouncing s/es ending especially in plural nouns and
third singular present verb.
F. Research Instrument
Research instrument is a helpful instrument that was used by the
researcher to collect the data by conducting a measurement. According to Gulo
as stated by Widoyoko(2014:51), research instrument is written guidance about
interview, observation or list of questions that is prepared to get information
from the respondents. By using instrument, the researcher gets objective data
which can deliver the objective research; enable the researcher to collect the
data and the result is accurate, complete, and systematic so it is easier to be
analyzed and identified.
There are two kinds of research instrument in social science; those are
test instrument and non-test instrument. The examples of non test instrument
are questionnaire, interview guide and observation guide(Widoyoko, 2014: 52).
41
Because the method of collecting data in this research is interview, the
instrument is interview guide and the writer provides a list of word and
paragraph to be documented and analyzed. The instruments are as follow:
Table 3.1 List of words
Third Singular Present Verbs Nouns
43 G.Data Analysis
After collecting data, the writer needs to analyze the data. According to
Bogdan and Briklen as stated by Kasiram (2010: 355), Data analysis is the
process of systematically searching and arranging the interview based on your
own understanding of them to enable you to present what you have discovered
to others. There are two models of data analysis; those are statistic and non
statistic. Statistic model is used to analyze numeric data and non statistic model
is for qualitative data. In analyzing the data, the writer uses non statistic model
because the collected data is in verbal form or expression (Setyosari, 2013:
218).
According to Kasiram (2010: 379), non statistic analysis of qualitative
data is not as structured as quantitative data. Generally, qualitative data is
analyzed based on the content which is called content analysis. There are three
kinds of data analysis; those are deduction, induction and the combination of
both deduction and induction. In this research, the researcher uses inductive
analysis.
In inductive data analysis, the goal is generally for research findings to
emerge from the frequent, dominant, or significant themes within the raw data
without imposing restraints as is the case with predetermined coding or
analysis schemes. Inductive data analysis is determined by multiple
examinations and interpretations of the data in the light of the research
44
analysis is often shaped by the assumptions and experiences of the individual
researcher (Mackey and Gass, 2005:179).
Analyzing qualitative data means that the process of systemize what is
being investigated and manage the result of interview to be presented in
understandable information for others. The processes of data analysis are
recognizing, organizing, split, synthesizing the data one another and find out
the important thing to be investigated and to be informed. The main purpose of
data analysis in qualitative data is to find out sense behind the data (Kasiram,
2010: 355).
In analyzing qualitative data, researchers often make use of cyclical data
analysis. Basically, this refers to the process of data collection, followed by
data analysis, and a hypothesis-formation stage based on the first round of data
collection, followed by a second and more focused round of data collection in
which hypotheses are tested and further refined, with the process continuing
until a rich and full picture of the data is obtained (Mackey and Gass,
2005:179).
According to Watson-Gegeo as stated by Mackey and Gass (2005:179),
three stages of qualitative data analysis are:
a. Comprehensive: in which all possible aspects of chosen context are
researched.
b. Topic oriented: in which the topic is clarified through preliminary
45
c. Hypotheses oriented: in which hypotheses are generated based on the
data.
The hypotheses are then tested trough further focused and structured
interviews, observations, and systematic analysis. Cyclical research is the process
by which researchers bring increasing focus to their topic of interest.
A similar approach that guides qualitative data analysis is known as
grounded theory. This also involves developing theory based on the data that have
been systematically gathered and analyzed. Grounded theory attempts to avoid
placing preconceived notions on the data, with researchers preferring to let the
data guide the analysis. By using grounded theory, researcher often aim to
examine data from multiple vantage points to help them arrive at a more complete
picture of the phenomena under investigation.
In this research, the writer gets the data from Audacity recording. The
recording of the pronunciation of the word list will be classified, compared and
analyzed using contrastive method. The analysis is focus on the pronunciation of
progressive assimilation in plural form and present verb. It emphasizes on the
pronunciation of s/es ending. From the analysis, the differences between Thai and
Indonesian undergraduates in pronouncing s/es ending in plural and third singular
verbs due to progressive assimilation will be found.
H.Assumptions
There were some predictions of Thai and Indonesian undergraduates‟
46
significant differences in pronouncing progressive assimilation in plural noun
and third singular present verbs. There are sounds of English phonetics which
do not exist in both languages.
The subjects might encounter problems with the pronouncing of s/es
ending. They are also expected to show their failure in pronouncing whether it
is /s, z, or Іz/. For Thai undergraduates, they are expected to have more errors
in pronouncing the words than Indonesian undergraduates because in IAIN
Salatiga, they have to learn Bahasa Indonesia as their daily communication tool
47 CHAPTER IV
RESEACH FINGDING AND DISCUSSIONS
This chapter focuses on presenting the findings and discussions of this
study, which is indeed regarded as the core of the conducted research. It displays
the detail of research findings at the beginning and data analysis coming along
afterwards. This chapter consists of description of IAIN Salatiga, description of
third semester students, the research conduct, data analysis, discussion and
research limitation.
After the researcher describes about IAIN Salatiga generally, the researcher
describes about third semester students and research conduct come along
afterwards. In data analysis, the researcher presents the findings and it will be
explained deeper in the discussion. After all, research limitation becomes the
closure of this chapter.
A.Description of IAIN Salatiga
To help the reader understand more about this research, the researcher
presents the description of IAIN Salatiga which consists of history and its
location, in detail, the location of campus I and campus II.
Since the date of establishment, STAIN Salatiga had gone through a long
history and several institutional changes. Formerly, Salatiga Islamic society
intended to have an Islamic college. Therefore, Education Faculty and
Education Science “Nahdlatul Ulama” were set up in Salatiga. This institution
48
No 64 Salatiga. This institution developed as the support from many
stakeholders, especially from the scholars and administrators of Nahdhatul
Ulama in Central Java.
Educational faculty of Salatiga became the branch of IAIN Walisongo
Semarang after IAIN Walisongo had completed the establishment based on the
statement of Minister of Religious Affairs No 30 in the year of 1970 dated
April 16.
Educational faculty of IAIN Walisongo officially became STAIN
Salatiga in March 21st 1997 based on the President Decree of the Republic of
Indonesia No 11 Year 1997. The decree mentioned that STAIN Salatiga is a
college under Religious Affair of the Republic of Indonesia shade. As another
college, STAIN Salatiga also still have equal position and function.
IAIN Salatiga is the outcome of status shift from STAIN Salatiga based
on PP No. 143 Year 2014, on October 17 2014. IAIN Salatiga is a state Islamic
college which located in Salatiga city. IAIN Salatiga attempts to guarantee
education process and output quality. IAIN Salatiga expects that graduates are
able to extend whether in working and science world with high competencies
and good characters.
IAIN Salatiga consists of 2 campuses, they are:
1. Campus I
Jl. Tentara Pelajar No. 2 Salatiga 50721
Telp. (0298) 323706 – Fax. (0298) 323433
