Challenges in Comprehension of Elision: A Case Study of Undergraduate Students of English in Pakistan
Abstract
The present study is concerned with the problems in elision of English phonemes for undergraduate students both in comprehension and production of the selected phonemes. The data for the present study was collected from one hundred undergraduate students through convenient non-random sampling from five universities and five post-graduate colleges. The comprehension of elision was investigated by asking students to comprehend the selected movie clips having instances of elision. The students were then asked to reproduce the same in connected speech for measuring the production of elision. The findings revealed that undergraduate students had no significant issues in the comprehension of elision and could easily understand the native speakers’ connected speech and had some idea of the elided sounds there but could not copy the same during their own production in connected speech. The production of the speech by students was mostly without elision of English phonemes. The non-native speakers’ slow and watchful speech did not allow instances of elision. The study concludes that speaking skills of the students be given special attention to avoid problems of elision and such like problems in their connected speech.
Authors
Mohsin Ali
M. Phil. Scholar, Department of English, Hazara University, Mansehra, KP, Pakistan
Shahab ullah
Lecturer, Department of English, University of Buner, Buner, KP, Pakistan
Dr. Abdul Hamid
Head of Department, Department of English & FL, University of Swat, KP, Pakistan
Keywords
Comprehension, Elision, English Phonemes, Production Undergraduate Students