Investigating Difficulties Encountered by Students in Learning Suprasegmental Phonology with Special Reference to Stress

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating difficulties encountered by undergraduates in learning suprasegmental phonology with special reference to stress. The researcher has adopted descriptive analytical approach. Two instruments have been used for collecting data relevant to the study, namely questionnaire to teachers of English at some Sudanese Universities and oral diagnostic test to the fourth year students of English at Sudan University of Science and Technology, College of Education. The sample of questionnaire comprises (105) teachers whereas the oral diagnostic test consists (44) students. The researcher applied SPSS program to analyze and verify the results. The results have showed that students get confused in pronouncing stress on word classes: noun, verb and adjective that have same spelling and pronunciation. Moreover, mother tongue interference (Arabic) affects students' stress placement when he/she involved in real communication. The inculcating techniques adopted by teachers for teaching English stress are currently obsolete. The study has recommended that teachers should raise students' awareness about the importance of learning stress. In addition, students should be encouraged by their teachers to use internet and communicate with English native speakers and are to be exposed to different authentic materials. Furthermore, stress is highly recommended to be integrated in the English curriculum in Sudan. Sudanese Education policy should recommend students to learn stress based on a communicative approach