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
