8 Lenition weakening
According to Campbell, Lenition is a process that involves some weakening of sounds 2004:44. Lenition typically include voicing or sonorization
refers to changes of voiceless sounds to voiced as in [f] Æ[v], affrication refers to
changes of a stop or fricative to affricative as in [t] Æ[ts] and [k]Æ[ ],
deaffrication refers to changes of a affricatives to a fricative as in [ ]
Æ[ ], and deaspiration
refers to changes of an aspirated sound to an unaspirated sound.
9 Strengthening
“Strengthening shares a loosely defined notion which the resulting sound is somehow stronger in articulation than the original sound Campbell, 2004:
44”. Fro example in Mayan language the sound [w] Æ[kw] as in winqÆkwi:nq
means person and [y] Æ[ty] as in iyaxÆityax. The sounds [kw] and [ty] are
stronger than the sounds [w] and [y].
2. The Potential Problems in learning English pronunciation Languages all over the world have sounds that other languages do not
have. English language also has sounds that Indonesian language does not have. So, Indonesian students find difficult to pronounce new English sounds because
students are not familiar with those sounds. Here are some of the new English sounds for Indonesian students. It does
not explain all sound.
a. The sounds [ θ] and [ð] by the initial letter ‘th’
According to Syafei 1988:2 [ θ] and [ð] are new sounds for Indonesian
students and they often substitute those sounds with [t] and [d] sounds which almost similar to pronounce. As an example is in the word think [
θ ŋk] and that [ðæt], students tend to substitute the sound [
θ] in the word think with the sound [t] and the sound [ð] is substituted with [d]. As a result students might pronounce the
word think as ting and that as dat.
b. The sounds [ ∫], [ʒ], [z] and [v]
In Putut’s study, he finds that the Indonesian students find difficult to
pronounce the sounds [ ∫] and [ʒ] because of the absence of those sounds in
Indonesian sounds. Students tend to substitute sound [s] for [ ∫] as in the word shop
and they might pronounce it as sop. The sound [ʒ] is substituted with [s] or [z] sounds as in the word usually which might sound as usuali or uzuali. The sound
[z] is often substituted with the sound [s] as in the word rose which might pronounce as ros. [f] and [v], these sounds articulate each pair similarly but in fact
they are different.
c. The sounds diphthong and vowel
There are English vowel and diphthong which are often mispronounced and confused by the Indonesian students. The difficulty in diphthong sounds may
be caused the absence of English diphthong sounds in Indonesian language. While the difficulty in vowel sounds may be caused by the absence of long vowel in
Indonesian language. There are vowel and diphthong which are difficult to pronounce for Indonesian students as follows.
1. The absence of long vowel in Indonesian language, so students often pronounce the long and short vowel with the same sounds.
[I] and [i:] often pronounce as [I]: thisthese, [e] and [æ] often pronounce as [e]: bedbad,
[ ] and [u:] often pronounce as [ ]: footfood, [ ] and [ :] often pronounce as [ ]: dondawn,
[ ] and [a:] often pronounce as [ ]: catcart. 2. Students often pronounce the vowel sounds as in written form.
world [w :ld] students read it as w ld,
women [w m n] students read it as women,
household [ha sh ld] students read it as hoshold,
hugs [h gz] students read it as hugs.
3. The absence of the English diphthongs [e ə], [ ə], [ ə], [e ], [a ], [ ], [ə ], and [ ]
in Indonesian sounds. Students often pronounce those sounds as in written form.
phone [f
ə n] students read it as pon, sound
[sa nd] students read it as son, clothing
[kl ə ð ŋ] students read it as klot ng.
3. The English Sounds Production
There are four parts of the English sound production; they are the English consonant, the English cluster, the English vowel and the diphthong.
a. Consonant
Consonant is a type of sounds used before or after a vowel or diphthong to form a syllable. Figure 2.1 shows the articulation of the English consonant
sounds. The figure of phonetic chief English consonantal articulation was taken from Indriani’s 2003:11.
According to O’grady 2001:7, there is constriction or complete closure in the vocal tract, which might be at the lips, at the back of the mouth and on the
teeth, that interferes the flow air out the mouth when produces the consonant sounds. In this part the consonant sounds would be discussed based on the place
of articulation and the manner of articulation. Here are the details of the English consonant sounds.
Figure 2.1. English Consonant Articulation Indriani, 2003: 11
1 Bilabial plosives [p,b]
According to Fromkin 2000:215-221 based on the place of the articulation when we produce [p,b] sounds, we articulate by bringing both
lips together which is called bilabials. Based on the manner of the articulation the sound [p,b] are called plosives because the air that is
blocked in the mouth explodes when the closure is released.
[p,b] are two examples sounds of the English consonants. [p] is voiceless sound and [b] is voiced sound. Those sounds are produced by involving two lips
which causes the air stream stop at the mouth; for example, path [pæt], part [p :t], but
[b ət], and both [bə θ].
2 Alveolar plosives [t,d]
Fromkin 2000:221 explains that “these sounds are produced by blocking the air in the mouth and exploding when the closure is released”. Fromkin
2000:215 states that based on the place of the articulation [t,d] sounds are
produced by bringing the tongue to the alveolar ridge and complete stop of the air stream and let it goes suddenly. Based on the manner of the articulation, [t,d]
sounds are called plosives; for example, time [ta m], take [teik], and day [dei].
3 Velar plosives [k,g]
Fromkin 2000:216 states that [k, g] sounds are produced with the back of the tongue against the velum. Based on the manner of the articulation “[k,g]
sounds are called plosives because these sounds are produced by blocking the air in the mouth and exploding when the closure is released Fromkin, 2000:221”;
for example, come [k m], close [klous], go [go ], and good [g d].
4 Palato - alveolar affricates [t ∫
,
] According to Fromkin based on the place of the articulation to produce
these sounds, the front part of the tongue, tip and blade, is raised to the heard palate 2000:216; for example, choice [t
∫ s], cheap [t∫i:p], joke [ ə k], and subject [s
əb ekt]. Based on the manner of the articulation, “[t∫, ] include as affricates sound, because these sounds are produced by a stop closure followed immediately
by a slow release of the closure characteristic of a fricative Fromkin, 2000:222”.
5 Labio - dental fricatives [f,v]
