Abstract
An Investigation into Articulation and Pronunciation Errors by Sixth-Grade Students in terms of Various Variables
The purpose of the present study is to identify the articulation and pronunciational
errors of sixth-grade students in terms of various variables and to contribute to the
available literature and future studies in educational fields. Identification of pronunciation
and articulation errors made by students is expected to reveal how much importance is
attached to speaking skills in a curriculum and how effective the performed activities
are. Theses and dissertations are available on speech disorders; however, to the best
knowledge of the author, there is no in-depth research on articulation and pronunciation
errors, which makes this paper unique and academically significant. This is a descriptive
survey. The sample of the study consists of sixth-grade students who were studying in a
middle school in Çaybaşı town of Ordu, Turkey, in the first semester of the 2018-2019
academic year. The students and their parents/guardians were informed of the purpose of
the research and asked to participate in the study if they wished to. The sample consists of
eight female and eleven male students, adding up to 19 students. Convenience sampling of
non-probability sampling was employed for the purpose of the study. The obtained results
showed that elision was the most frequently observed pronunciation and articulation
error made by the six graders, they made more of such errors in their prepared speeches
than in their impromptu ones, and the male students had recourse to errors of these kinds
more often than the female students.
Keywords
Articulation, Pronunciation, Elision, Addition, Spoonerism.
