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For future researchers, hopefully this study can provide several new significant ideas and data to be investigated further at the other fields or language
backgrounds.
F. Definition of Terms
This study used several terms to discuss the topic. Therefore, it is important to give appropriate information about the definition that the researcher
mentioned in this study to avoid misunderstanding and to lead readers to a better understanding on the topic being discussed. The definition terms used in this
thesis are:
1. Language Change
Croft 2000, p. 1 mentiones that language change is a historical phenomenon, which becomes a thing to be dealt with historical linguistics.
Historical linguistics is sometimes called diachronic linguistics which is more concerned with changes in languages over time and synchronic linguistics that
deals with languages at a single period of time Campbell 2004, p. 4. This research use a synchronic perspective as it is conducted to describe the actual
pronunciation of present-day English spoken in a particular speech community.
2. Phonological Change
Phonological change refers to any change in the sound system Fasold and Linton 2006, p. 281. Moreover, Fromkin, Rodman and Hyams 2003, p. 504
mentiones that changes in phonological rule can result in dialect differences.
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3. Negative Transfer
In the process of transfering language from source language to the target language, an individual will experience either positive of negative transfer. According to
Wilkins 1992, the transfer may prove unjustified because the structure of the two languages are different
– in that case we get “negative transfer” or “interference” p. 199
4. English Sound Change
Sound change is a change in the way members of a speech community pronounce particular sounds. Sound changes result in phonological changes
Fasold and Linton 2006, p. 285. In this research, sound change refers to the change of the sounds produced by some English department students as the
speech community with the background mother tongue is Papua-Malay Dialect.
5. Papua-Malay Dialect
Papuan Malay is a Malay –based language spoken in the Western part of
Papuan Island, Indonesia. It is one of the Austronesia languages of New Guinea Foley, 1976. In the past, it was a pidgin used as a lingua franca along the coastal
areas, where there was a lot of trade between the people from the island and seafaring Malay traders from the west Roosman, 1982, p. 95. During the time
the island was a colony of the Netherlands, it was used by missionaries to spread the Scriptures of God among Papuan people, especially among those living in the
coastal areas in the North. It was at the time also enforced through education and administration Adelaar and Prentice 1996. At this moment, Papuan Malay
becomes the mother tongue of the younger generations of the Papuan, as well as of other ethnical groups living in Papua Saragih n. d.
