Bilingualism and the Impacts on Pronunciation

Master's Thesis from the year 2014 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: Advanced, , language: English, abstract: The aim of the study was the relationship between bilingualism and Iranian EFL learners' pronunciation proficiency achievement. A convenience sample consisting of 60 Iranian male pre-intermediate EFL learners with an age range of 17 to 23 participated in this study. the whole sample were divided into two groups, that is 30 bilinguals from Louranica English Teaching Institution in Jask, who use their mother tongue, Balouchi, in the local and informal communications and Persian, as a second language, in the official communications, were compared with 30 monolinguals from pre-intermediate EFL learners of Niavaran Foreign Language institute in Kerman using only Persian in all of their communication and conversations. Both groups of the participants were Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners of different cultural background and attitudes. Results showed that bilingualism affects the learners' achievement of English pronunciation. There are significant differences between bilinguals and monolinguals in regard to learning English pronunciation. Also the existing English words and sounds in bilinguals' L1 have important impacts on their English pronunciation development.Human being is always capable of making integration of what he/she possesses to expand his/her understanding of the surrounding world and since communication is indeed of first steps in any understanding, people are to strive preparing of any tools helping them out in this field. Language is the most outstanding tool in any communication and people who owns more than one languages are doubtlessly more successful in their communications with the people of other nations. Bilingualism is actually the simultaneous possessing of the complete knowledge of two languages and the ability to make use of those languages in the daily communications.