CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

In spoken language, the most important thing to be considered is
pronunciation, since it conveys message or our intention in speaking.
Pronunciation is a fundamental thing in speaking. Pronunciation becomes one of
important parts to be taught to the learners besides grammar and vocabulary.
Macháčková (2012: 8) states that “pronunciation as an inseparable aspect of the
language has a great influence on our successful communication but it is still
overlooked by a large number of teachers, who would rather pay attention to
teaching lexis and grammar as they feel more certain about them.” Teachers might
only be concerned with vocabulary and grammar because of some reasons.
In learning foreign language especially English, it must be understood that
English sound systems are different from Indonesian. There are some sounds of
English language which are not found in Indonesian language, such as /ᶴ/ sound in
‘cash’, and /θ/ sound in ‘theory’ or /ð/ sound in ‘the’. In English, many words
have the same pronunciation but are written differently and have different
meanings. For example “to, two, too” which all have transcription /tu/.
Sometimes, words which are written similarly, but they have different
pronunciation like “thought and though”.
The results of preliminary study which was done by a class observation, the
students had difficulty in pronouncing the English words well. The difficulty in
pronouncing the English words causes the students to be passive in the speaking
class. I want to solve these problems in order to help students improve their
pronunciation. So the students are expected to achieve the standard score, and to
be active in speaking class.
Related to the condition and situation right now, there are some students
who are still unable to pronounce the English words correctly. The teachers have
to be creative to help students increase their ability in pronouncing English words.
One of the alternatives in teaching pronunciation is using Tongue Twister. Tongue

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twisters are useful in learning pronunciation, and it is very helpful to improve

students’ pronunciation, not only practicing and pronouncing words, but also
developing memory skill as well. In line with these, Gonzalez, (2009:3) states that
tongue twister often used to practice pronunciation. Further, Gonzales, (2009:4)
states that tongue twister is a fun activity in any language classroom. Practicing
tongue twisters allows the students to improve their pronunciation in a fun way
and increase their confidence.
Teachers have to use varieties of methods and techniques in teaching
pronunciation; one of the techniques in teaching pronunciation is by using Tongue
Twister. Thus, I propose a way to solve the students’ problems to improve their
pronunciation by using Tongue Twister.

B. Identification of the Problems

Pronunciation has been a crucial thing to talk about. It is important for
learners who want to speak English properly and correctly. However, the
curriculum in Indonesia does not mention pronunciation as one of the parts that
should be taught to learners.
Furthermore, there is insufficient media to teach pronunciation. “… For
years, teachers and researchers have been trying to find the most effective way to
teach it [pronunciation] to their students” (Macháčková, 2012). They use minimal
pairs, pair dictation, phonetic transcription, and even video shows to give the
precise model for their learners. Unfortunately, those ways are only believed to
work effectively on adult learners. Meanwhile, recently English learners are not
only adult but also young learners. Thus, there is a need to find a proper technique
in teaching English, especially pronunciation, to young learners.
The current problem, then, is that most language teachers do not have useful
strategies for teaching pronunciation, and they do not know what strategies are
appropriate when they meet a specific problem. Another part of the problem is
that teachers are embarrassed because of this lack of instruction strategies. “We
are comfortable teaching reading, writing, listening and to a degree, general oral
skills, but when it comes to pronunciation we often lack the basic knowledge of
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articulatory phonetics (not difficult to acquire) to offer our students anything more
than rudimentary (and often unhelpful) advice such as, ‘it sounds like this: uuuh’"
(Dalton, 2002). If language teachers spend some time learning and practicing
strategies for teaching pronunciation, they will not have the embarrassment
anymore and students’ pronunciation will be effectively improved.

C. Limitation of the Problems

This research intends to find out whether tongue twisters can help the
students of SMP Telkom Makassar Grade VII to improve their pronunciation. The
focus of this research is on the pronunciation of words that commonly used in
speaking; especially deal with short expression of thanking, giving and asking
things/services, giving orders and instructions. However, it does not mean that
other elements are not prominent in this study.

D. Formulation of the Problems

Based on the background above, I formulate the research problems, that is:
“Can Tongue Twisters technique improve students’ pronunciation?”

E. Objectives of the Study

In line with the research question, this research aims to describe the
implementation of tongue twisters technique in helping students to improve their
pronunciation.

F. Significance of the Study

By doing this study, I hope that it will be useful in several ways:
1. Theoretically, it will help students in learning pronunciation in a fun way
especially at SMP Telkom Makassar,
2. Practically, it will be a good reference for teachers in teaching
pronunciation and solving students’ pronunciation problem,
3. Pedagogically, it will contribute in the education field and can be used to
develop further researches on pronunciation teaching.