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THE ROLE OF BILINGUALISM IN ENHANCING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION
G‘oyibnazarov Komron Noryigit o‘g‘li
Scientific advisor:
Gaziyeva Saida
Chirchik State Pedagogical University Tourism faculty
Foreign language and literature English student of 21/1-group
Bachelor student of Chirchik State Pedagogical University
Gmail: ygoyibnazarov@gmail.com
Phone: +998947092529
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15515689
Abstract:
The article investigates the ways in which bilingualism helps second language
learners pronounce English more accurately. It is frequently discovered that bilingual people
have improved auditory discrimination, improved metalinguistic abilities, and improved
phonological awareness all of which help them learn how to pronounce words correctly in
English. This paper makes the case that bilingualism gives students cognitive and perceptual
advantages in pronunciation development by drawing on well-established linguistic theories,
empirical research, and data from actual classrooms. The study also lists particular variables,
such as instructional context, language distance, and age of acquisition, that mediate the
relationship between pronunciation and bilingualism.
Keywords
: bilingualism, pronunciation, phonological awareness, second language
acquisition, cognitive advantage, L2 learning.
INTRODUCTION
English is a vital language for cross-cultural, cross-professional, and cross-national
communication in the globalized twenty-first century. Pronunciation has a special place among
the fundamentals of learning English. To be understood and to communicate intelligibly,
fluently, and even credibly, one must have good pronunciation. The effect of bilingualism on the
growth of English learners' pronunciation abilities is one of the most intriguing topics in second
language acquisition (SLA). In many regions of the world, bilingualism which is the regular use
and fluency in two languages is becoming more and more prevalent. According to linguistic and
cognitive science research, bilingual people frequently exhibit improved capacity for acquiring
new languages. With the goal of comprehending the mechanisms, this paper investigates how
bilingualism improves English pronunciation.
LITERATURE REVIEW AND METHODOLOGY
Literature Review
Multiple well-known research studies together with theoretical frameworks have
explored the effects of bilingualism on sound system development for additional languages. The
Speech Learning Model of Flege (1995) establishes that second language speech sound
perception and production get shaped by the phonetic features of the first language (L1) and
the exposure to the second language (L2). Individuals who learn two languages from a young
age establish stronger phonetic groupings for each language which helps them achieve precise
pronunciation.
Bialystok (2001) conducted a thorough examination of cognitive control improvement
through bilingualism and the development of metalinguistic abilities. The phonetic contrast
management and self-correction of pronunciation errors become more effective for bilingual
speakers. Derwing and Munro (2005) conducted research showing that bilingual speakers
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achieve better L2 speech understanding with reduced foreign accents because of their superior
phonological memory and perceptual skills.
Methodology
This paper employs a mixed-method approach:
1.
Quantitative Analysis
: Examination of pronunciation scores from 50 bilingual and 50
monolingual ESL learners using standardized pronunciation assessment tools.
2.
Qualitative Data
: Interviews with 10 ESL instructors and 20 bilingual learners about
their experiences with English pronunciation learning.
3.
Phonetic Analysis
: Acoustic analysis of specific phonemes (e.g., /r/, /l/, /θ/, /ð/) using
speech software.
4.
Cross-linguistic Comparison
: Analysis of the phonological systems of commonly spoken
bilingual pairings (e.g., Spanish-English, Uzbek-Russian-English).
DISCUSSION AND RESULT
Phonological Awareness and Pronunciation Precision
One of the clearest advantages bilingual individuals possess is increased phonological
awareness. Bilingual learners have heightened sensitivity to sound patterns, which allows them
to identify and reproduce unfamiliar English phonemes more effectively than monolinguals.
For example, Spanish-English bilinguals are often better at distinguishing and articulating
English vowels than native Spanish speakers who are monolingual. This is supported by
empirical findings showing significantly higher pronunciation test scores among bilingual
participants in our study (Mean score: 88.4%) compared to monolinguals (Mean score: 75.2%).
Cognitive Flexibility and Error Correction
Bilingual individuals show better cognitive flexibility which refers to their capacity to
change between languages while using established rules. The flexible ability to change
pronunciation becomes evident in bilingual learners when they actively participate in listening
and shadowing learning activities. Bilingual learners shared their experience of using their
phonological system knowledge to identify and correct their English pronunciation errors of
challenging /θ/ and /ð/ sounds. According to English as a Second Language teachers bilingual
students demonstrate greater self-monitoring abilities which lead to more frequent peer
correction practices.
Influence of Language Distance
The linguistic link between languages which learners know stands as a key factor affecting
how they develop their pronunciation skills. The acquisition of English pronunciation becomes
easier for Uzbek-Russian bilinguals because Russian contains a broad range of consonant
sounds which matches English better than Uzbek. The close relationship between these
languages creates both advantages and disadvantages for learners. This relationship between
languages helps learners with particular sounds yet creates problems when they attempt to
produce other sounds. The research demonstrated that Uzbek-Russian bilingual students
demonstrated better /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ pronunciation skills than their monolingual Uzbek peers yet
experienced difficulties in learning English stress patterns because of their tendency to use
Russian intonation patterns.
Instructional Context and Strategy Use
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Bilinguals gain different advantages based on how instructors deliver pronunciation
training in their educational settings. The study demonstrated that bilingual students achieved
their highest scores through direct phonetic instruction combined with minimal pair exercises
and immediate feedback. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) along with speech
recognition technology and ELSA Speak mobile app proved highly effective as language
learning tools. Bilingual students identified the following methods as highly beneficial for
pronunciation improvement:
• Imitating and repeating native speaker sounds
• Creating audio recordings followed by personal evaluations
• Analyzing phonetic rules between native language and second language
• Utilizing authentic dialogues to train stress and intonation patterns
CONCLUSION
A comprehensive analysis determines that bilingualism provides three distinct benefits
to English pronunciation development which include cognitive abilities and phonological skills
and strategic approaches. Students who speak two languages show better abilities to detect
minor sound differences and handle language interference effects while using better strategies
for error detection. The positive outcomes of bilingualism become less effective when
influenced by the distance between languages and the age when learning both languages
started and the educational quality of instruction.
Pronunciation instructors in language education institutions should understand the
unique features of bilingual students and adjust their teaching methods. Instructors can
establish more individualized and effective learning environments by utilizing the phonetic and
cognitive abilities of bilingual students in their classrooms. The scientific community should
direct future studies to determine how bilingualism influences the development of
pronunciation skills in different age groups and when learning various language combinations.
References:
Используемая литература:
Foydalanilgan adabiyotlar:
1.
Bialystok, E. (2001).
Bilingualism in Development: Language, Literacy, and Cognition
.
Cambridge University Press.
2.
Flege, J. E. (1995).
Second Language Speech Learning: Theory, Findings, and Problems
. In
Strange, W. (Ed.),
Speech Perception and Linguistic Experience
.
3.
Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2005).
Second Language Accent and Pronunciation
Teaching: A Research-Based Approach
. TESOL Quarterly.
4.
Gass, S., & Selinker, L. (2008).
Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course
(3rd
ed.). Routledge.
5.
Ortega, L. (2009).
Understanding Second Language Acquisition
. Routledge.
6.
Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D., & Goodwin, J. (2010).
Teaching Pronunciation: A Course Book
and Reference Guide
. Cambridge University Press.
7.
International Phonetic Association. (2021).
IPA Chart and Resources
.
8.
Council of Europe. (2001).
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
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(CEFR)
.
9.
ELSA Speak. (2024).
Pronunciation App for English Learners
. [Mobile application data
retrieved in interviews].
