Abstract
M.A. (African Languages)
Correct pronunciation of a language is essential since deviations in
pronunciation may change the meaning of a word or render it
meaningless.
This study investigates the pronunciation of Zulu, as second
language, by English speaking learners. Similar deviations have been
studied with reference to other languages and resulted in theories
such as 'Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis', 'Markedness Differential
Hypothesis', 'The Error Analysis', 'Autonomous System Analysis' and
'Inter language'. A brief discussion of this research creates the
theoretical framework for this study.
Differences in the orthography of Zulu and English seem to be
problematic. In certain instances, English utilises a variety of
letters to represent identical sounds in written form, whilst Zulu is
phonetic.
When comparing the pronunciation of vowels and consonants of Zulu and
English, it is clear that learners find sounds with a similar
pronunciation especially confusing. In addition to this, sounds
foreign to English often cause problems. Possible reasons for
replacement of Zulu sounds by that of English sounds are indicated by
this dissertation.
The conclusion of this dissertation is that second language Zulu
educators should be aware of these possible pitfalls and affords it
special attention in order to improve the quality of pronunciation
amongst second language learners.