Using songs to improve students’ pronunciation

Abstract

In Indonesia, English as a Foreign Language is difficult for secondary school students not only in terms of grammatical systems but also in terms of phonetic systems. That is, students find it difficult to pronounce most of the English words. Things get even worse because in English there is no regular systems of how to pronounce the English words. For Indonesians, to pronounce the English words intelligibly they must refer to a standard dictionary which also means they have to understand how to use and read the dictionary systematically. To understand and improve the production of the various sounds and the supra-segmental features of English as a foreign language, teachers are suggested to use English songs. This research is discussed descriptive-qualitatively based on the author’s personal experience as a foreign language learner and teacher. It is discussed how using songs in the English classroom can help students improve their English pronunciation. Supported with a simple questionnaire given to secondary school students, it is also found that most students have a strong interest in listening and understanding popular English songs. It is recommended, therefore, that English teachers take into account of using English songs to improve the students’ pronunciation