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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, objective
of the study, significance of the study, scope of the study, and the definition of key terms.
1.1
vocabulary(semantics), and even the system of its pragmatics. In short, language system
applied in English is really different from the system of Indonesian language.
As it is also based on a system English languase is divided into several branches such
as phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantic (Nanik Mariani & Fatchul
Muin in An Introduction To Linguistics).
The sound system always relates with the term pronunciation, which is really
important in learning a language including English. It has significance position in
determining the meaning, however pronunciation problem usually happened in learning a
foreign language. Many English language teachers get students to study grammar and
vocabulary, answer the question on the text book and develop other English skills. This
condition is supported by text book that they use in teaching and learning activities. Yet
pronunciation area gets very little attention and sometimes is forgotten as the important
part in a language. Pronunciation is not always reffered to the speaking skill but it also
relates on listening skill as it called by David Nunan as a complementary relationship.
Nunan also said that listening is a Cinderella skill in second learning. All too often, it has
been overlooked by its older sister, speaking. For most people, being able to claim
knowledge of a second language means being able to speak and write in that language.
Listening and reading are therefore secondary skills, means to ther ends, rather than ends
in themselves.
For most of its history, the teaching of pronunciation has been biased toward
segmental aspects of the sound system. However, with the development of
communicative approaches to language teaching, the importance of suprasegmental
aspects has finally been acknowledged. In a key survey article published in 1986,
Pennington and Richards argue in favor of suprasegmental approach on the grounds that
teaching isolated forms of sounds and words fails to address the fact that, in
communication, many aspects of pronunciation are determined by the positioning of
elements within long stretches of speech. Other commentators have pointed out that
faulty stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns cause greater difficulty of hearers than the
inaccurate pronunciation of individual sounds. In short, suprasegmental features has been
become the odd man out on the importance of communication.
The learners have to pay attention on the suprasegmental features. One of the features
that is really important is stress, English stresses. As it is already explained on the above
the language system of English and Indonesia is different which makes the phonological
aspects for both of them are also different, including their segmental and suprasegmental
features. In here, stress plays an important role in English such as changing the meaning
when it comes to word stress, or changing its function when it comes to sentence stress
while Indonesian language does not. And this is become a problem when L1
mempengaruhi L2, their pronunciation are influenced by their L1 to their L2 learning
process and result which the students are not aware of when they are supposed to become
as close as native like.
The reason why the researcher took this research is that he wanted to know the ability
that students get when they are dealing with English stresses where the researcher set
them in recognition and production phase in test. That would be a test to find how good
their listening skill on recognizing the stress and producting them all in speaking skill. So
it is expected that the students are able to become more aware of the stress differences on
English pronunciation. So that, they will improve their listening skill to apply them in a
real communication, in here it is speaking.
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
stresses.
1.6
Definition of Key Terms
1. Ability
The quality of being suitable for or receptive to a specified treatment or a competence
in an activity or occupation because of one's skill, training, or other qualification.
2. Recognition