Pronunciation Difficulties in English Learning: A Contrastive Analysis of MTs Students' Performance in East Kalimantan
Keywords:
Pronunciation difficulties, English learning, Contrastive analysis, Indonesian learners, EFL context
Abstract
This study investigates the pronunciation difficulties encountered by MTs students in East Kalimantan when learning English as a foreign language. Using a comparative qualitative research method combining contrastive analysis between regional languages (as the first language or L1) and English (as a foreign language), this research examines the types of mispronunciations and underlying causal factors affecting 40 students from MTs Negeri 3 Paser and MTs Negeri 1 Penajam Paser Utara. Data collection involved students’ pronunciation recordings, in-depth interviews, and classroom observations. Findings reveal nine primary categories of pronunciation errors: (1) /gh/ endings pronounced as /f/, (2) silent /gh/ in word-medial positions, (3) silent /l/, (4) word-final /-d/, (5) word-initial /t/, (6) word-medial /ʒ/, (7) /ʃ/ substitution, (8) /θ/ substitution, and (9) word-final /-t/. Three main causal factors emerged: regional accent interference, phonological differences between the first language or L1/L2 (second language) and English, and unsupportive language environments. The study contributes to understanding multilingual students' English pronunciation challenges in Indonesian contexts and provides pedagogical implications for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) instruction.
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Xinrui, Li. “Production and Perception of English Lexical Stress Patterns of Thai and Chinese Speakers.” University of Malaya (Malaysia), 2024.
Apostolovski, Marija. “The Negotiation of Personal Names: An Exploration of Educators’ Usage and Pronunciation of Student Names in K-12 and Higher Education.” University of Toronto (Canada), 2023.
Butarbutar, Octavia, and Ekarina Ekarina. “Exploring The Emerging Non-Standard English Pronunciation Features Of L1 Javanese And Indonesian Speakers.” Journal of English Language and Culture 15, no. 1 (2025).
Celce-Murcia, Marianne, Donna M Brinton, and Janet M Goodwin. Teaching Pronunciation Hardback with Audio CDs (2): A Course Book and Reference Guide. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
Creswell, John W. A Concise Introduction to Mixed Methods Research. SAGE publications, 2021.
Derwing, Tracey M, and Murray J Munro. “Pronunciation Learning and Teaching.” In The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Speaking, 147–59. Routledge, 2022.
Dhea, Agisnandea. “An Error Analysis Of Students’pronunciation Silent Letter At The Second Semester Of English Education Raden Intan State Islamic University Of Lampung In Academic Year Of 2019/2020.” Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Intan Lampung, 2021.
Flege, James E. “Second Language Speech Learning: Theory, Findings, and Problems.” Speech Perception and Linguistic Experience: Issues in Cross-Language Research 92, no. 1 (1995): 233–77.
Gilbert, Judy B. Clear Speech Teacher’s Resource and Assessment Book: Pronunciation and Listening Comprehension in North American English. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Gut, Ulrike, Romana Kopečková, and Christina Nelson. Phonetics and Phonology in Multilingual Language Development. Cambridge University Press, 2023.
Illés, Éva, and Yasemin Bayyurt. English as a Lingua Franca in the Language Classroom: Applying Theory to ELT Practice. Taylor & Francis, 2023.
Kafabih, Abdullah, Rozanah Katrina Herda, And Ana Mae M Monteza. “Classroom Praxis of Applied Oral Communication Strategies in Enhancing English Speaking Skills in Indonesian Secondary School.” Research and Innovation in Applied Linguistics 3, no. 2 (2025): 195–214.
Lee, Bradford, Luke Plonsky, and Kazuya Saito. “The Effects of Perception-vs. Production-Based Pronunciation Instruction.” System 88 (2020): 102185.
Levis, John M. Intelligibility, Oral Communication, and the Teaching of Pronunciation. Cambridge University Press, 2018.
Luthfianda, Sahira, Yusup Irawan, Ratih Rahayu, and Sarip Hidayat. “Exploring Pronunciation Challenges: Indonesian University Students’production Of English Fricative Sounds.” English Review: Journal of English Education 12, no. 1 (2024): 85–94.
Madrid Valencia, Alexander Jonathan. “Error Analysis of English Consonant Pronunciation in Efl Learners.” Ecuador: Pujilí: Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi (UTC), 2024.
Muhayyang, Maemuna, Fitri Radhiyani, and Andi Asrifan. “Triphthong Pronunciation Errors: An Analysis of English Education Students.” Interaction: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa 12, no. 1 (2025): 133–50.
Reyes Leon, Lina Gabriela. “Effects of English Pronunciation Instruction and the Exploration of Social Values with Second-Graders.,” 2025.
Ristati, Ristati, Bahing Bahing, Tutik Haryani, Olga Dona Retsi, and Novika Amalia. “Exploring Contextual Factors in English Pronunciation Accuracy: Insights from Indonesian EFL University-Level Learners.” English Franca: Academic Journal of English Language and Education 9, no. 1 May (2025): 1–16.
Rothman, Jason, and Jennifer Cabrelli Amaro. “What Variables Condition Syntactic Transfer? A Look at the L3 Initial State.” Second Language Research 26, no. 2 (2010): 189–218.
Saadah, Fatihatus, and Havid Ardi. “The Analysis of Students’ Pronunciation Error on English Diphthong Made by Fifth Semester of English Language Education Program Universitas Negeri Padang.” Journal of English Language Teaching 9, no. 1 (2020): 188–94.
Saito, Kazuya. “What Characterizes Comprehensible and Native‐like Pronunciation among English‐as‐a‐second‐language Speakers? Meta‐analyses of Phonological, Rater, and Instructional Factors.” Tesol Quarterly 55, no. 3 (2021): 866–900.
Saldaña, Johnny. “The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers,” 2021.
Salsabila, Dhea, Izzati Amirah Sari, Rafly Raja Ghazali, and Yani Lubis. “English Sound System: A Phonological Perspective Understanding Pronunciation Challenges and Teaching Strategies for Non-Native Speakers.” Fonologi: Jurnal Ilmuan Bahasa Dan Sastra Inggris 3, no. 2 (2025): 162–72.
Senowarsito, Senowarsito, and Sukma Nur Ardini. “Phonological Fossilisation of EFL Learners: The Interference of Phonological and Orthographic System of L1 Javanese.” 3L, Language, Linguistics, Literature 25, no. 2 (2019).
Sukmawijaya, Jeri, Sutiono Mahdi, and Susi Yuliawati. “An Acoustic Analysis of Voiceless Alveolar Plosive/t/in Sundanese, Indonesian, and English by Sundanese Speakers.” Metahumaniora 10, no. 1 (2020): 1–13.
Tabori, Andrea A Takahesu. “Prior Language Knowledge, the Language Environment, and Cognitive Resources Set the Stage for New Language Learning in Multilinguals.” University of California, Irvine, 2022.
Tambunsaribu, Gunawan, and Masda Surti Simatupang. “Pronunciation Problems Faced by Indonesian College Students Who Learn to Speak English.” European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine 8, no. 2 (2021): 759–66.
Thomson, Ron I, and Tracey M Derwing. “The Effectiveness of L2 Pronunciation Instruction: A Narrative Review.” Applied Linguistics 36, no. 3 (2015): 326–44.
Tumanggor, Orli Binta, Winda Syafitri, Suci Khairani, and Lamtiur Sinambela. “Innovation in Language and Culture Preservation Through the Development of a Trilingual Digital Dictionary.” Foster: Journal of English Language Teaching 6, no. 2 (2025): 55–65.
Xinrui, Li. “Production and Perception of English Lexical Stress Patterns of Thai and Chinese Speakers.” University of Malaya (Malaysia), 2024.
Published
2026-06-01
How to Cite
Toba, R., & Komariah, A. (2026). Pronunciation Difficulties in English Learning: A Contrastive Analysis of MTs Students’ Performance in East Kalimantan. El Buhuth: Borneo Journal of Islamic Studies, 9(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.21093/el-buhuth.v9i1.12403
Section
Articles
