Perceptions of The Seriousness of Mispronunciations of English Speech Sounds

The present study attempts to investigate Indonesian EFL teachersa€ and native English speakersa€ perceptions of mispronunciations of English sounds by Indonesian EFL learners. For this purpose, a paper-form questionnaire consisting of 32 target mispronunciations was distributed to Indonesian secondary school teachers of English and also to native English speakers. An analysis of the respondentsa€ perceptions has discovered that 14 out of the 32 target mispronunciations are pedagogically significant in pronunciation instruction. A further analysis of the reasons for these major mispronunciations has reconfirmed the prevalence of interference of learnersa€ native language in their English pronunciation as a major cause of mispronunciations. It has also revealed Indonesian EFL teachersa€ tendency to overestimate the seriousness of their learnersa€ pronunciations. Based on these findings, the study makes suggestions for better English pronunciation teaching in Indonesia or other EFL countries.