A Study on Analysis of Thai Students’ Mispronunciation of Korean -Focused on Phonological Phenomena-

Abstract

This study aims to assess the errors made by Thai learners when pronouncing Korean words with phonological phenomena. Korean phonological phenomena often differ between spelling and pronunciation, which makes Korean pronunciation particularly difficult for Thai learners, whose native language is an isolating language. Although research in this area has continued, recent studies have shown that Thai learners still lack sufficient knowledge of these phonological phenomena. The specific objectives of this study are as follows: First, what types of errors occur when Thai learners pronounce Korean words with phonological phenomena? Second, what is the change in the error rate immediately after learning a Korean word with a phonological phenomenon, and how does it compare to the error rate after 10 months? Third, if the error rate has increased, what is the cause, and if it has decreased, what factors contributed to the improvement? The results of the experiment showed that the error rate was highest in the following order: palatalization > hardening > assimilation > descreening. This pattern was consistent in both 2023 and 2024. In terms of error types, many errors This study aims to assess the errors made by Thai learners when pronouncing Korean words with phonological phenomena. Korean phonological phenomena often differ between spelling and pronunciation, which makes Korean pronunciation particularly difficult for Thai learners, whose native language is an isolating language. Although research in this area has continued, recent studies have shown that Thai learners still lack sufficient knowledge of these phonological phenomena. The specific objectives of this study are as follows: First, what types of errors occur when Thai learners pronounce Korean words with phonological phenomena? Second, what is the change in the error rate immediately after learning a Korean word with a phonological phenomenon, and how does it compare to the error rate after 10 months? Third, if the error rate has increased, what is the cause, and if it has decreased, what factors contributed to the improvement? The results of the experiment showed that the error rate was highest in the following order: palatalization > hardening > assimilation > descreening. This pattern was consistent in both 2023 and 2024. In terms of error types, many errors This study aims to assess the errors made by Thai learners when pronouncing Korean words with phonological phenomena. Korean phonological phenomena often differ between spelling and pronunciation, which makes Korean pronunciation particularly difficult for Thai learners, whose native language is an isolating language. Although research in this area has continued, recent studies have shown that Thai learners still lack sufficient knowledge of these phonological phenomena. The specific objectives of this study are as follows: First, what types of errors occur when Thai learners pronounce Korean words with phonological phenomena? Second, what is the change in the error rate immediately after learning a Korean word with a phonological phenomenon, and how does it compare to the error rate after 10 months? Third, if the error rate has increased, what is the cause, and if it has decreased, what factors contributed to the improvement? The results of the experiment showed that the error rate was highest in the following order: palatalization > hardening > assimilation > descreening. This pattern was consistent in both 2023 and 2024. In terms of error types, many errors occurred in the pronunciation of palatalization, with learners often mispronouncing it as "lotus." There were also frequent errors in pronouncing hard, aspirated, and non-acoustic sounds literally. Furthermore, the average error rate increased in 2024 compared to 2023. An analysis of the causes, based on a survey of the test subjects, concluded that the learners had learned the rules of phonological phenomena but did not review them sufficiently afterward. Among the 10 major universities in Thailand, 9 offer Korean speech and phonology classes. Of these, 4 universities offer these courses as elective major subjects, while 5 universities require them as mandatory major subjects. However, all 5 universities with mandatory courses on speech and phonology only offer one semester of related classes. Increasing the number of speech and phonology courses at universities would benefit Thai learners' pronunciation skills. However, if increasing the number of classes is not feasible, it will be necessary to develop alternative educational methods or practice strategies that can help learners continuously reinforce their knowledge of phonological phenomena.