Pronunciation of English and Urdu Counterpart Sounds /V/ /و/, AND /W/; A Comparative Study

Abstract

Despite being the most studied second language around the globe, English, especially in terms of pronunciation, is still a problem for many non-native English speakers. The current study is dedicated to the exploration of the pronunciation of Labio-Velar Approximant /w/ and the Labio-Dental Fricative /v/ across the Urdu and English languages with relation to the counterpart / و/ of Urdu language. The study aims at finding the root cause issue of Urdu speaking English learners, its justification as to why this happens and the way these issues can be dealt with, in order to help them in improving their pronunciation of “v” and “w” sounds of English. The study is purely qualitative in nature. The data was collected from both native English and native Urdu speakers in audio recorded form and analyzed by using PRAAT and keeping IPA as a benchmark for correct pronunciation. The findings reveal that these issues arise mainly due to the native language influence, negative transfer of the L1 habits and the inability of the Urdu speakers (also called Neuro-muscular plasticity) to distinguish the /v/ and /w/ sounds in two different yet phonologically related languages. The study recommends that ESL instructors should keep in view the phonological systems of the L1 while teaching the pronunciation of English. Moreover, incorporating modern technology for example Ultrasound machines in addressing the pronunciation issues can be a concrete step towards teaching the pronunciation in an ESL learning environment.