investigating the Pronunciation Difficulties of Egyptian EFL Preparatory Stage Learners

Abstract

The aim of the research was to detect the pronunciation errors and difficulties that encounter Egyptian EFL preparatory stage learners. It was hypothesized that (a) "When it comes to consonants, pronouncing /p/, /dʒ/, /ʒ/, /v/, /ʧ/ and /θ/ represents the most common pronunciation difficulty that Egyptian EFL preparatory stage learners face." and (b) "As for consonant clusters, final position consonant clusters that consist of three and four successive consonants constitute a major difficulty for Egyptian EFL preparatory stage learners." The research means was a pronunciation test that was designed by the researcher for Egyptian EFL preparatory stage learners. A random sample of ten EFL preparatory stage students enrolled at Modern Infinity School took the pronunciation test that consisted of five sections. After administering the test, the study results revealed that Egyptian EFL preparatory stage leaners face problems in pronouncing consonants as /p/, /dʒ/, /ʒ/, /v/, /ʧ/ and /θ/. It was also revealed that pronouncing three and four consonant clusters in final position is a major difficulty for Egyptian EFL preparatory stage learners. Hence, the first and second hypotheses were confirmed. However, it should be highlighted that more studies are needed to investigate the effectiveness of varied methods and approaches in fostering native- like pronunciation among Egyptian EFL preparatory stage students