Exploring the Relationship Between English Digraphs and Trigraphs and Pronunciation Difficulties among Pakistani Learners

Abstract

The English pronunciation remains one of the most challenging aspects of English language learning for Pakistani learners because of the irregular relationship between English spelling and pronunciation. This study investigated the relationship between English digraphs and trigraphs and pronunciation difficulties among Pakistani learners of English. The study employed a quantitative correlational research design within a positivist paradigm. Data were collected from 200 undergraduate students enrolled in BS English and BS English Linguistics programs at public and private universities in Pakistan. Data were collected through WhatsApp and Facebook groups, using Google Forms. Two research instruments were used: a researcher-developed pronunciation test consisting of English words containing common digraphs and trigraphs and a structured questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 29). Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, were used to summarize the data, while Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, independent-samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression were employed to examine relationships and differences among the study variables. The findings indicated that Pakistani learners experienced moderate to high pronunciation difficulties, particularly with irregular digraphs and trigraphs such as th, igh, ear, and dge. A significant positive relationship was found between learners’ knowledge of English digraphs and trigraphs and pronunciation accuracy, whereas a significant negative relationship was observed between graphemic knowledge and pronunciation difficulties. The regression analysis further demonstrated that knowledge of English digraphs and trigraphs significantly predicted pronunciation accuracy. The study concludes that explicit instruction in English grapheme-phoneme correspondence can improve learners’ pronunciation accuracy and communicative competence. The findings have important implications for English language teachers, curriculum developers, and teacher educators in Pakistan by emphasizing the integration of pronunciation-focused and phonics-based instructional strategies into English language classrooms.