Enhancing Phonetic Accuracy: Explicit Instruction to Reduce Strong Accents among Southern Thai EFL Learners

Jomjai Sudhinont

doi:10.66947/pasaa.v72i1.2129

Authors

Jomjai Sudhinont Prince of Songkla University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66947/pasaa.v72i1.2129

Keywords:

adult language learners, English short vowel sounds, corrective feedback, explicit phonetic instruction, noticing

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of a structured pronunciation training program combining explicit phonetic instruction and corrective feedback in improving English as a Foreign Language learners’ perception and production of short vowel sounds in English. The participants were 88 undergraduate students from a university in Southern Thailand whose first language was either Standard Thai or the Southern Thai dialect. The instruments included pretest and posttest measures of short-vowel perception and production in isolated words, a structured pronunciation training program, and self-assessment questionnaires. Paired-sample t-tests, cross-tabulation, and descriptive statistics were used for analysis. The findings indicated that explicit phonetic instruction with corrective feedback improved short-vowel perception and production accuracy, reduced L1 and dialect-related vowel deviations, and enhanced learners’ pronunciation confidence.

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