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DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.69.09.9
How to Cite:
Rybakova, L.V., & Neverova, N.V. (2023). An exclusive phonological method of teaching a foreign language with a professionally
oriented approach. Amazonia Investiga, 12(69), 106-119. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.69.09.9
An exclusive phonological method of teaching a foreign language with
a professionally oriented approach
Эксклюзивный фонологический метод обучения иностранному языку с профессионально-
ориентированным подходом
Received: July 2, 2023 Accepted: September 18, 2023
Written by:
Lyudmila V. Rybakova1
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9872-1310
Natalia V. Neverova2
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5286-4615
Abstract
The relevance of the topic of the article is due to
the reassessment of the goals and objectives of
professionally oriented language education at the
undergraduate level in the light of UNESCO
initiatives. The hypothesis: use of the proposed
methodology in the course of teaching English
with the indicated approach at a technical
university can significantly improve
pronunciation. The purpose is to determine the
effectiveness of the phonological methodology
in teaching a foreign language based on a
professionally oriented approach.
Methodology: pilot experiment, comparison,
observation, description, Wilcoxon's T-test,
induction. The experiment in 2019-2020
involved 60 students of the Moscow Aviation
Institute (National Research University).
Most relevant results: repeated control testing
revealed an increase in the level of foreign
language proficiency. The Wilcoxon t-test
confirmed the significance of differences in the
results: Temp=0< Tcr (n=4; p≤0.01)=1. Practical
testing of this study showed that the vocalism
technique provides effective opportunities for
implementing an individual learning path.
Thus, future research suggested by the results
will continue to improve the phonology of
pronunciation.
The novelty of the study lies in the fact that this
experiment was conducted for the first time at an
aerospace non-linguistic university.
1
Ph.D. (in Pedagogical Sciences), Associate Professor, Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), Moscow, Russian
Federation. WoS Researcher ID: GLU-1257-2022
2
Ph.D. (in Pedagogical Sciences), Associate Professor, Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), Moscow, Russian
Federation. WoS Researcher ID: S-9833-2019
Rybakova, L.V., Neverova, N.V. / Volume 12 - Issue 69: 106-119 / September, 2023
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Keywords: phonetical aspect of speech,
professionally-oriented approach, vocalism,
Wilcoxon rank sum test.
Introduction
One of the main problems of teaching a foreign
language, in particular English, is the difficulty
in pronunciation, the difference in the sound of
vowels and consonants in languages. In
connection with this, a phonological method of
teaching is required. On the one hand, a lot of
methodological literature has been written by
innovative teachers, but on the other hand,
specific methods for improving pronunciation
are not enough. The topic is quite debatable and
discussed, since each language other than
English has its own melody, rhythm, duration of
sounds, softening, hardness, that is, its own
specifics. These linguistic features make learning
English as a foreign language quite difficult in
terms of pronunciation. In addition, in non-
linguistic institutions, the number of hours for a
foreign language is less than for exact sciences.
The question arises: how to solve the problem of
pronunciation? Considering the teaching of
students with a professionally oriented approach,
we have developed an Exclusive phonological
method of teaching a foreign language for
students of technical institutes.
The purpose of the article is to determine the
effectiveness of the phonological technique in
teaching a foreign language based on a
professionally oriented approach.
The object of the study was the improvement of
intonation, in particular, of the English language.
An exclusive phonological method of teaching a
foreign language with a professionally oriented
approach is an innovative technology that has
been tested at the Moscow Aviation Institute and
researchers are ready to share the results and
discuss the methodology for further teaching
English to students in technical universities. The
study contains six chapters: Abstract (summary).
In this part, the relevance, hypothesis,
justification of the goal and research methods are
defined; Introduction. An approach to the topic
to be discussed, and the reader is provided with
information about the problem raised in the study
and its rationale. Also in this part of the article,
we have provided an extensive theoretical study
of the problem by various authors and sources.
The reader can get acquainted with various points
of view on the research of the phonological side
of teaching a foreign language in particular and
in general in linguistics; Methodology. Research
methods, diagrams, tables with explanations, the
structure of the experiment, the proposed training
model, the difficulties that may arise during the
experiment are reflected in this chapter.
Moreover, the phonetic aspect of students'
speech was assessed through the synthesis and
analysis of control loci in the following
categories: Locus of consonant control (LCC),
Aggregate pronunciation indicator (API), Locus
of vowel control (LVC), Locus of diphthong
control (LDC); Results and Discussion.
Description of the experiment in the control and
experimental groups increasing the level of
foreign language proficiency, student's Wilcoxon
test confirmed the significance of differences in
the results summarized in this chapter;
Conclusions and Bibliographic references
indicates the sources that were used in writing the
article.
Literature Review
Learning and knowledge are commonly
recognized the most valuable human re-sources
deployed to bring variability into the teaching
process during pandemics. A broad consultative
process of the world community under the
UNESCO International High-Level Commission
has been brought up to realize this idea. It
triggered the “Education Vision” program,
according to which the periods before and after
2030 will be aimed at “providing inclusive and
equitable quality education” (UNESCO, 2019).
Integration processes of today require the
specialist to obtain professional knowledge as
well as good command of foreign language
essential in the process of the exchange scientific
discoveries and maintaining fresh business
relations. The institution of higher education, in
its turn, are expected to provide trained
specialists capable of using a foreign language
for the purposes of communication, bearing
properties of the knowledge trans-mission
medium, means of personal development and
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improvement personal qualities, as well as be the
way of experience transfer and mastering the
communication skills. Stu-dents have to integrate
their language skills in process of learning a
foreign language (Vepreva, 2012).
All the above mentioned facilitates productive
usage of the professionally-oriented approach,
which includes specific skills and experience
together with understanding the importance of
foreign language command and learning
motivation of students developed through
realizing the objectives of studies using the
foreign language. The current foreign language
program focuses on the formation and
development of professionally significant
general cultural and professional competencies.
No less attention is paid to the development of
the creative potential of students, preparing them
to independently obtain new knowledge
throughout their lives (Bygate, Skehan, & Swain,
2001).
A professional need to improve the
pronunciation skills, constituting a fundamental
feature of speech, is often realized by students as
the basis for the development and perfection of
all other foreign language skills. These skills
presume the correct pronunciation of all
phonemes in the flow of foreign speech being
comprehended with the understanding of all
sounds. Rhythmic intonation skills provide for
intonation and rhythmically correct verbal image
and, as a result, their understanding.
Specialists distinguish the phonetic side of
foreign language speech as particularly important
since speech is not only the goal of learning but
also the main means of adapting cognitive and
communicative activities. The phonetic side of
speech stands out as an obligatory parameter of
professional readiness and communicative skill.
Success in communication depends on how
comprehensively and clearly the speech is
structured in a professional environment and how
correctly the interlocutors perceive speech from
a phonetic point of view. Therefore, students'
speech must comply with generally accepted
standards (Sheipak, Artyushina, & Zhurbenko,
2019; Li et al., 2021), which allow fixing
phonetic material in dictionaries (Sheipak,
Artyushina, & Zhurbenko, 2019).
The majority of students possess certain
developed pronunciation skills and rhythmic
intonation, although, not completely meeting the
professional speech requirements (Tabakova,
Maneshina, & Artyushina, 2017). The quality of
pronunciation of future specialists may be
deteriorated due to several reasons, and some of
them are not always associated with the method
of teaching the phonetic side of foreign speech or
vocalism. Vocalism is an integral system of
vowels of a language, dialect, or subdialect and
is studied (synchronously and in diachrony)
aimed at improving the communication skills of
students (Sapuntsova, 2018).
The English language may be confidently
considered the most commonly studied in the
course of professional orientation at the present
stage of development of the global society and
economy (Räisänen, 2020). Considering
vocalism, it should be noted that modern British
English distinguishes 12 vowel phonemes.
Similarly, with German, English vowels vary in
sounds quality (open/close) and duration
(long/short). Among the distinguishing
characteristics of phonemes, there is the degree
of raising the back of the tongue
(high/medium/low), the direction of raising the
back of the tongue (front/middle/back), the
participation of the lips (labialized / non-
labialized vowels).
Many students tend to gradually forfeit their
acquired pronunciation and rhythmic intonation
skills (Mitchell, 2014), which affects all types of
speech activity that students master within the
framework of a communicative methodology.
The vocalism system facilitates the improvement
of pronunciation and ensures the correctness of
foreign speech, and hence its accurate
understanding. During the active practice of
communication with native speakers, students
begin to notice deviations from phonetic norms
in their speech (Tabakova, Maneshina, &
Artyushina, 2017). It is difficult to involve
students in correcting errors in pronunciation
since the deterioration in their performance is not
significant in terms of unprofessional
communication (Volodina, & Volodina, 2019).
Nevertheless, students often make so many
phonetic mistakes that they can be considered
both a deviation from the norms of
pronunciation, and factors hindering the very
process of foreign language communication
(Neverova, & Rybakova, 2017; Bai, & Yuan,
2019).
Before students start their first professional
practice the indicated problem must be resolved.
One of the ways implies the knowledge of the
basics of the vocalism of a foreign language,
accepting the learning process as a model of the
communication process (Bezborodova, 2015).
Pronunciation should be trained in real-time
communication and, accordingly, serve as the
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basis of speech, inextricably linked with
mastering lexical and grammatical skills (Iaikaia,
2020). Thus, there is a constant need for
professionally-oriented improvement of the
phonetic aspect of speech among specialists
using a foreign language. Still, insufficient
theoretical and practical study of this issue makes
the problem of this study the most relevant.
The purpose of the article is to determine the
effectiveness of the vocalism methodology in
teaching a foreign language based on a
professionally-oriented approach in a technical
university. The subject of the study is the
mechanism of the formation of the correct
pronunciation among students of a technical
university. The object of the study is vocal-ism in
teaching foreign languages in the implementation
of a professionally-oriented approach.
Methodology
A proposed staged learning model to improve
pronunciation among students of a technical
university, which includes three stages of
learning using authentic video materials shall
facilitate the achievement of the research
objective (Figure 1). At the first (initial) stage
(Stage 1) a training complex is proposed
considering the traditional approach, and
consisting of two blocks of phonetic exercises. It
includes exercises on imitation and re-production
of sound patterns/intonation patterns, i.e.,
exercises for training articulatory breathing with
accurate reproduction of stress, rhythm, and
intonation. Exercises in this sequence provide for
a gradual complication of activities with phonetic
phenomena, from training sound in individual
words to working out a sound and intonation
model in a group of sentences. These exercises
are aimed at preventing common mistakes in
pronunciation and overcoming language
interference.
Figure 1. Vocalism methodology applied in stagewise foreign language teaching.
(Source authors)
The second (basic) stage (Stage 2) provides for
receptive-reproductive exercises to develop the
auditory and pronunciation skills assimilated at
the initial stage with the help of authentic video
materials, like poems, rhymes, songs, dialogues,
monologues, podcasts of relevant topics. This
type of exercise is aimed at developing the ability
to perceive the system of foreign vowels from the
video material.
At the third (creative) stage, students should
create their own videos or podcasts with
sound/intonation pattern training exercises. At
this stage, it is recommended to organize
interaction, as well as the exchange of experience
with students from other educational institutions
or majors and faculties. The creative stage is
aimed at developing phonetic awareness, proper
conscious learning processes, as well as
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demonstrating, analyzing, and explaining speech
patterns.
The study of 2019-2020 involved 60 first-year
students of the Moscow Aviation Institute
(National Research University). Experimental
(30 people) and control (30 people) groups were
allocated according to the levels of foreign
language proficiency. Groups were divided
based on Education First test scores. Two
variants of the test were carried out, for 15 and
50 minutes. The first test contained tasks to
assess reading and listening skills. The students
had their motivation in a message that, by the
results of the test they receive an e-mail
certificate, which can be presented when
applying for a job. An additional test included
Reading & Listening (30 minutes) and
Pronunciation & Fluency (5 minutes) was
conducted.
Further curriculum presumed equal numbers of
classes, in particular, 8 weeks for 1.5 hours a
week using the author's interpretation and a
comprehensive structure of phased teaching of a
foreign language in a technical university, taking
into account the method-ology of vocalism.
The phonetic aspect of students' speech was
assessed through the synthesis and analysis of
control loci in the following categories: Locus of
consonant control (LCC), Aggregate
pronunciation indicator (API), Locus of vowel
control (LVC), Locus of diphthong control
(LDC) (Table 1).
Table 1.
Assessment of phonetic speech aspect with technical university students
Control loci
Peculiarities
Locus of consonant
control
[ð]. The —[θ], [d] —[ð], [t] —[θ], [w] —[ð], [f] —[θ], [z] —[w], [s] —а) [v] free, -sink, three -think -sing -ambiguity of pronunciation between the words: thing nt then, as well as the widespread replaceme -thirst, Zen -that, first -with, what -this
«вот» instead of "what" and, conversely, using the —of English [w] with Russian «в»
[w] sound where [v] should be, etc.
b) Replacing English sounds with similar Russian sounds: [н], [л], [с], [з], [т], [д].
English sounds [n], [l], [s], [z], [t], [d] should be pronounced on the alveoli, and not
on the teeth, like Russian ones. The absence of aspiration (breathing) in English
sounds [p], [t], [k], [h] is also a mistake.
Aggregate
pronunciation indicator
a) Assimilation, the absence of a connection between words in a phrase (for example,
linking). Sounds such as [s] and [θ], [z] and [ð], [v] and [w] should be pronounced as
two different sounds when they are side by side. A very common mistake is the
inations: incorrect assimilation of these sounds to each other, as, for example, in comb
is this [ɪz zɪs] or [ɪð ðɪs]; of water [əv vɔːtə] or [əw wɔːtə]. Words in the flow of
speech must be connected to each other. b) Word stress. In Russian, a word can have only one stress, but in an English word,
there can be two or three stresses. This presents some difficulties because English
learners need to learn how to pronounce words with several stresses. Therefore, it is
important to know the basic trends and rules of word stress in order to pronounce
words correctly. c) The use of Russian intonation patterns instead of English ones: rhythm pauses,
stress, and intonation, namely, rising, falling tone (especially in questions).
Locus of vowel control
What has been taken into account:
a) English vowels: pronunciation /ɜː/, /ɒ/, /ɔː/. b) Four types of reading English vowels in stressed syllables
Locus of diphthong
control
[ei] [ai] [ɔi] [iə] [eə] [eə] [au] [əu]
(Source: authors)
Control loci were carried out by the methods of
presentations, work with podcasts (listening to
Luke's podcasts and compiling podcasts by the
students independently at the last verification
stage), reading literary texts with an aviation
theme (in particular, Hailey "Airport", Bach
"Biplane"). The volume of the presentation is 5-
6 slides, the speaking time is 5-7 minutes.
Listening comprises 5-7 minutes, discussion time
is up to 10 minutes. The reading volume makes
2000 characters, time is up to 5 minutes.
The following describes the features of a 5-grade
system for assessing the phonetic side of speech:
• Speech is perceived easily, means, there are
no unreasonable pauses; phrasal stress and
intonation contours, pronunciation of words
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without violations of the norm; no more than
five phonetic errors are allowed, including
one or two errors that distort the meaning,
contributes to grade "5".
• Six or seven phonetic errors, including 3-4,
distorting the meaning, contributes to grade
"4".
• Speech is perceived with difficulty due to a
moderate number of unnatural pauses,
stutters, incorrect placement of stresses and
errors in the pronunciation of words, or more
than 8 phonetic errors made, or 5 or more
phonetic errors made that distort the
meaning, contributes to grade "3".
• Speech is perceived with difficulty due to a
large number of unnatural pauses,
hesitations, incorrect placement of stresses,
and errors in the pronunciation of words, or
more than 9 phonetic errors were made, or 6
or more phonetic errors were made that dis-
tort the meaning, contributes to grade "2".
At the end of the experiment, statistical
calculations were carried out in the experimental
and control groups. The purpose of the
calculations was to establish the reliability of
differences in the results of testing students of the
experimental group, obtained before and after the
application of the proposed methodology, using
a statistical tool for testing hypotheses.
Hypotheses put forward:
H0: The test results of the experimental group
obtained after using the vocalism methodology
are above the test results of the experimental
group obtained before using the same.
H1: The test results of the experimental group
obtained after using the vocalism methodology
are below the test results of the experimental
group obtained before using the same.
Testing the hypothesis about the reliability of
differences in the results of testing the
experimental group, obtained before and after
using the proposed method, was carried out using
the Wilcoxon rank sum test. This is a non-
parametric statistical test to test for differences
between two samples of paired or independent
measurements on the level of some quantitative
trait, measured on a continuous or ordinal scale.
The implementation of the method involves
comparing the absolute value of the severity of
shifts in one direction or another. To do this, first,
all the absolute values of the shifts are ranked,
and then the ranks are summed up. If shifts in one
direction or another occur by chance, then the
sums of their ranks will be approximately equal.
If the intensity of shifts in one direction is greater,
then the sum of the ranks of the absolute values
of shifts in a certain direction will be
significantly lower than it could be with random
changes.
This technique was chosen among other
alternatives as the most promising and
accessible, since pronunciation is practiced every
day. In practical classes in a foreign language,
especially in non-linguistic institutes, it is
important not only to improve the study and
understanding of grammar, but also phonetics.
Learn to speak correctly without dialects or
accent. The experiment showed how and by what
methods this can be done. There are also
potential limitations of the purely phonological
method of teaching a foreign language. We have
looked at this method using a professionally
oriented approach, but perhaps in alternative
directions the methodology will be more specific.
In addition, teaching pronunciation is important
for developing students' listening and speaking
skills. When reading, writing, listening, visual
images become acoustic. They are combined
with kinesthetic images, resulting in inner
speech, which is then reproduced. And, as
research has shown, it is vocalism and phonology
that contribute to this process.
Results and Discussion
Before the experiment in the control group,
positive assessments made 80%, in the
experimental group they equaled 50%. After the
end of the experiment, repeated control testing
was carried out. Based on the results of the
Education First tests, there was a determinately
increased level of language proficiency. In the
experimental group, the number of students at
level A1 - Survival Level - Beginner and
Elementary counted 2 people, A2 - Pre-threshold
level (Waystage - Pre-Intermediate) there were
20 people, B - Independent User - 8 people. In
the control group, the number of students of
levels B - Independent User made 10 people and
B1 - Threshold - Intermediate made 10 people,
B2 - Threshold advanced level (Vantage - Upper-
Intermediate) made 10 people.
After the experiment in the control group,
positive assessments comprised 100%, in the
experimental group it was 80%. Experimental
data are presented in the form of histograms
(Figures 2-5).
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Figure 2. Control loci before the experiment in the experimental and control groups.
(Source: authors)
Figure 3. Control loci before and after the experiment in the experimental group.
(Source: authors)
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Figure 4. Control loci before the experiment in the control group.
(Source: authors)
Figure 5. Control loci after the experiment in the experimental and control groups.
(Source: authors)
Table 2 provides statistical calculations in the
experimental group, reflecting the results of testing students before and after applying the
vocalism methodology.
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Table 2.
The results of testing students in the experimental group.
Testing results
Locus of consonant
control
Locus of vowel
control
Locus of
diphthong control
Aggregate
pronunciation
indicator
Before experiment
72
65
51
70
After experiment
85
89
79
83
(Source authors)
The Wilcoxon rank sum test was applied to
verify the hypothesis about the reliability of
differences in the results of testing the
experimental group, obtained before and after
using the vocalism methodology, was carried out
using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. For this, each
individual value "before" was first subtracted
from the value "after" (Table 3).
Table 3.
Determination of differences in results and their absolute values in the experimental group
Before measurement, t before
After measurement, t after
Difference t after)-(t before
Absolute difference
value
72
85
13
13
65
89
24
24
51
79
28
28
70
83
13
13
(Source: authors)
Since there are related ranks (the same rank
number) of the 1st series, they are to be
remodeled. It is implemented without changing
the importance of the rank, i.e., the
corresponding ratios (greater than, less than or
equal to) must be preserved between the rank
numbers. The ranks remodeling is provided in
Table 4.
Table 4.
Ranks remodeling in the experimental group.
Locations inside ordered series
Absolute difference of test results
New ranks
1
13
1.5
2
13
1.5
3
24
3
4
28
4
(Source: authors)
The results of the calculations and the total of ranks pairs are proposed in Table 5.
Table 5.
Calculation of rank pairs total in the experimental group
Before measurement, t before
After measurement,
t after
Difference t after)-before(t
Absolute
difference value
Difference rank
index (Ri)
72
85
13
13
1.5
65
89
24
24
3
51
79
28
28
4
70
83
13
13
1.5
Total
10
(Source: authors)
Rank column total equals ∑Ri=10. Checking the
correctness of the compilation of the matrix
based on the calculation of the control sum:
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The column sum and the control sum are equal to
each other; therefore, the ranking was carried out
correctly.
Next, it is necessary to single out the atypical
directions, in this case, the negative ones (that is,
indicating deterioration in the test result after
applying the vocalism methodology). The initial
data of the experimental group do not contain
atypical directions. The sum of the ranks of these
atypical directions (Rin) is the empirical value of
the criterion (Temp): Temp=∑Rin=0.
According to the table of critical values of the
Wilcoxon rank sum test, the critical value of the
criterion for n=4 and significance level p≤0.01
was determined: Tcr (n=4; p≤0.01)=1. In the case
under consideration, the empirical value of the
Wilcoxon rank sum test (Temp) falls into the
zone of significance: Temp=0< Tcr (n=4;
p≤0.01)=1, so the null hypothesis (H0) is
accepted.
Data on the results of testing the control group
before and after the application of the vocalism
methodology are presented in Table 6.
Table 6.
Test results of students in the control group
Testing results
Locus of consonant
control
Locus of vowel
control
Locus of
diphthong control
Aggregate
pronunciation
indicator
experimentBefore
79
82
74
72
After experiment
85
89
78
83
(Source: authors)
Features of the Wilcoxon rank sum test are provided in Tables 7, 8.
Table 7.
Determination of differences in results and their absolute values in the control group.
measurement, Before t before
After measurement, t after
Difference t after)-(t before
Absolute difference value
79
85
6
6
82
89
7
7
74
78
4
4
72
83
11
11
(Source: authors)
Table 8.
Calculation of rank pairs total in the control group
measurement,Before t before
After measurement, t after
Difference t after)-(t before
Absolute
difference
value
Difference rank
Ri)( index
79
85
6
6
2
82
89
7
7
3
74
78
4
4
1
72
83
11
11
4
Total
10
(Source: authors)
Rank column total (rank difference number)
equals ∑ Ri =10. Checking the correct-ness of the
compilation of the matrix based on the
calculation of the control total:
The column total and the control total are equal
to each other; therefore, the ranking was carried
out correctly.
The table of critical values reveals that the
critical value of the Wilcoxon rank sum test for
n=4 and significance level p≤0.01: Tcr (n=4;
p≤0.01)=1. In the case under consideration, the
empirical value of the Wilcoxon rank sum test
(Temp) falls into the zone of significance:
Temp=0< Tcr (n=4; p≤0.01)=1, so the null
hypothesis (H0) is accepted.
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The study determined the following:
• the observed differences in pronunciation
before and after using the vocalism
methodology in the experimental and
control groups are statistically significant;
• indicators of pronunciation control after the
application of the vocalism methodology is
above values of the indicators before its use;
• the use of the vocalism methodology in the
course of teaching a foreign language can
significantly increase the effectiveness of
phonetic exercises.
It is supposed, that the authors Setter (2019), Mat
Nayan & Setter (2016), Derakhshan (2015),
Bebina (2015), Maksaeva (2016), and Voronina
(2017), Anisimova et al., (2020). bring up a
correct idea, that pronunciation is the main
feature of foreign language speech, the basis for
improving other foreign language skills.
Accordingly, the success of foreign language
communication depends on the clear and
comprehensive structure of specialists’ speech in
a professional environment and how accurately
interlocutors perceive this speech from a
phonetic point of view. In this regard, teaching
the phonetic material of a foreign language based
on a professionally-oriented approach should be
carried out in stages to develop both auditory
pronunciation skills and rhythmic intonation
(Furman et al., 2018).
This approach is recommended in teaching
English pronunciation in specific speech
situations so that students could demonstrate and
train new patterns of sound and into-nation in any
given context. Obviously, in a speech stream,
sounds represent a single phonetic system, and
outside of any given context, they become
disconnected. Linguists know that German,
English, and Dutch are vocal languages, while
Belarusian, Polish and Russian are considered
consonant-type (Neverova, & Rybakova, 2017;
Sokolyanskiy, 2017). This difference is based on
the specifics of vocalism since the opposition of
vowels in duration is attributable to the
phonological systems of the Slavic languages.
On the other hand, the softening of consonants
when pronouncing vowels does not have a
typical impact on Germanic vocalism.
Differential characteristics of vowels include
various gradations of quality and duration, as
well as their combinations. For example, quality
includes closed, half-closed, half-open, open
(Andronov, 2020). The participation of lips in the
formation of vowels in the vocalism of the
English language is much weaker than in
German. Labialized vowels are formed with
relatively less labialization and no lip protrusion.
English does not have labialized first row
vowels. The differential feature of labialization
in the articulation of diphthongs in German is
inherent only in back vowel phonemes through
the protrusion of the lips. It is noteworthy that the
labialized vowels of the first row, characteristic
of vocalism in Ger-man and Dutch, are absent in
English. The degree of construction of English
phonemes is also lower than that of German. In
addition, when articulating vowels, the tip of the
tongue does not come into contact with the lower
incisors. The body of the tongue is pulled back,
especially when pronouncing a vowel sound. It
should be added that in English, unstressed
vowels can change their duration and quality or
experience complete elimination (Murtazina,
2010).
An analysis of the traditional approach to
teaching phonetic material shows that the
learning process runs as follows: a single
phoneme, a combination of phonemes or a
phrase, a phrase, or an intonation structure is
chosen as a learning unit. By explaining the
correct articulation and training it with the help
of analytical simulation exercises, students
develop the necessary quality of pronunciation
(Medvedeva, & Bezborodova, 2016).
It is believed that foreign language teachers of
technical universities should organize effective
training to improve the pronunciation of each
student, through an individual approach and due
consideration of the principle of continuous
learning. Such training should be carried out at
the initial stage starting from the first semester,
when graduates of schools and colleges are
divided into groups and subgroups, by the level
of foreign language proficiency. Pronunciation
and intonation training should consist in
repeating and systematizing the rules of
pronunciation, correcting pronunciation, and in
some cases, the formation of pronunciation skills
among students. Starting from the second
semester, systematic training aimed at improving
pronunciation should be conducted throughout
the year. Students, as future foreign-language
speaking professionals, should go through a deep
study of the features of vocalism, phonetic
phenomena, and sound correction techniques
together with practice in reproducing the correct
intonation.
It is interesting to note, that the process of
understanding or listening to the foreign-
language speech means an active and purposeful
action associated with the complex mnemonic
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actions, being the more successful the higher
concentration of attention is (Bezborodova,
2015). Attention is buildup and developed
through emotions. However, human emotions
always appear along with volitional processes. A
teacher of a technical university should build the
educational process with maximum reliance on
the active mental activity of students, and use
various teaching methods that promote internal
motivation, directing students' attention to the
main elements of the vowel system, to
completely improve the phonetic aspect of
foreign speech through the perceived material.
It goes without saying, that the success of the
communicative approach of teaching a foreign
language in a technical university depends on
how effectively modern pedagogical and
teaching methods are applied. In particular, the
authors single out authentic video materials as a
basic tool that allows careful observation of the
use of a foreign language in real communication
and training pronunciation features. Video
material should be frequently employed by the
teachers to intensify the learning process, enrich
its content and increase motivation to learn a
foreign language.
The success factors in the course of foreign-
language speech improvement mainly depend on
the level of learned phonetic skills, volume of
gained and processed knowledge, and dynamic
interference of these components on the
background of overall linguistic and acquired
phonetic awareness (Volodina, & Volodina,
2019). It must be stressed that phonetic aware-
ness is the ability of people to practically use
mastered pronunciation and intonation skills by
building their own system of phonetic
knowledge. This is the ability to consciously
record and recognize sound units of different
levels, their features and models of formation and
functioning; analyze the phonetic aspect of
vocalism in the speech and draw appropriate
conclusions regarding the presence of serious
deviations from the standard vowel
pronunciation system, identify their causes, and
choose effective ways to overcome them with the
help of a teacher.
Conclusions
The phonetic aspect of foreign-language speech
is developed by the specialists as a result of the
use of the vocalism methodology in a technical
university in the course of a professionally-
oriented approach considering communicative
activity. Whenever authentic video materials are
included in the training process, learning a
foreign language be-comes interactive and
exciting. The three stages of learning using
authentic video materials include both traditional
and communicative methods. This type of
learning intensifies the process of obtaining
phonetic knowledge and phonetic awareness of
the vowel system and, therefore, is a fundamental
component in the formation of professional
competence among foreign language learners.
The prospect of further research entails the
development of new ways of using interactive
methods to train the phonetic aspect of foreign-
language speech. These include online chats with
native speakers and learning together with
students from other countries, which
significantly expands the range of opportunities
for studying and developing foreign phonetics
mastering, but as yet remains insufficiently
included in educational activities.
Supplementary Materials: The following
supporting information can be downloaded at:
www.mdpi.com/xxx/s1, Figure S1: title; Table
S1: title; Video S1: title.
Author Contributions: For research articles
with several authors, a short paragraph
specifying their individual contributions must be
provided. The following statements should be
used “Conceptualization, X.X. and Y.Y.;
methodology, X.X.; software, X.X.; validation,
X.X., Y.Y. and Z.Z.; formal analysis, X.X.;
investigation, X.X.; resources, X.X.; data
curation, X.X.; writing—original draft
preparation, X.X.; writing—review and editing,
X.X.; visualization, X.X.; supervision, X.X.;
project administration, X.X.; funding
acquisition, Y.Y. All authors have read and
agreed to the published version of the
manuscript.” Please turn to the CRediT
taxonomy for the term explanation. Authorship
must be limited to those who have contributed
substantially to the work reported.
Funding: This research received no external
funding.
Informed Consent Statement: Informed
consent was obtained from all subjects involved
in the study.
Written informed consent has been obtained
from the patient(s) to publish this paper.
Data Availability Statement: Not applicable.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no
conflict of interest.
118
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