English Problematic Diphthongs for Pashto Speakers: An Acoustic Analysis

Abstract

Concerned with acoustic analysis of English diphthongs, the data for the present study were collected from undergraduate level Pashtun students of English and were analyzed through PRAAT software. The formants frequencies of F1 and F2 were calculated for these diphthongs pronounced by Pashto speakers at different possible positions of the word. The results show that except three which are, /ɔɪ/, /əʊ/ and /aʊ/,all English diphthongs were problematic for the Pashtun learners of English at undergraduate level. Amongthe problematic diphthongs, some were highly problematic and some were less problematic. Diphthongs such as /ɪə/, /eə/ and /aɪ/ were less problematic. On the other hand, the diphthongs /ʊə/ and /eɪ/ were found highly problematic for the students. The present study concludes that the English diphthongs should be taught with special focus on their pronunciation in English words, particularly, the problematic diphthongs. The study is has significance for English language teachers and learners and syllabus designer to know about English problematic diphthongs for second language learners.