Fossilized Pronunciation Errors From The Perspectives Of Turkish Teachers Of English And Their Implications

Abstract

This study attempted to explore the attitudes of Turkish teachers of English towards the rehabilitation of fossilized pronunciation errors. It unearths the factors that have an effect on the production of such errors. The data were collected from 30 teachers of English who work in different state universities of Turkey with different years of experience and analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of the study revealed that 70% of the participants had a positive attitude towards the remediation of fossilized pronunciation errors and were motivated enough to overcome such errors. It was further discovered that the participants' years of teaching experience did not have any significant effect on their thoughts of L1 interference with regard to making phonological errors. The study also revealed that there was not significant correlation between the participants' inner beliefs to overcome fossilized errors and whether they have taken any professional pronunciation courses or not. Nevertheless, since this is a pilot study, further research is needed including a larger population so as to validate the findings of the present study and to determine what could be done to make the attitudes toward fossilized pronunciation errors positive. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.